What to Look for in a CBD Product in 2021

The thing about a popular new trend is how exciting it makes us want to try it while it also confuses us with too many options.

The same applies to the expanding trend of cannabis and its products across the world.

The past years witnessed an elevation in interest towards cannabis after several studies reported a potential for its application in the field of medicine.

CBD is a whole new segment of the cannabis revolution that makes the plant usable and appropriate for everyone.

With FDA approving Epidiolex as a drug to treat seizures, the path ahead for CBD shows immense potential. 

What is CBD?

The Cannabis sativa plant (marijuana & hemp) constitutes a variety of chemicals known as terpenes and cannabinoids.

Which are primarily responsible for the various benefits possible from consuming the plant.

Among the cannabinoids, the two most popular and dominant ones are THC and CBD.

CBD or cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating ingredient that potentially holds the key to various health benefits and efficiency towards the treatment of ailments.

It can potentially deliver multiple benefits without making you feel high. 

CBD is relatively new to the market, which leaves us with lots of doubts and skepticism about choosing the right products.

The market has many options, which can be deceiving and confusing.

Here are a few points to evaluate before you buy a CBD Oil product to ensure you only use the best. 

Start with the Label

The best way to know if you purchased a legitimate CBD product is to start by analyzing the label.

While the regulations around CBD are still evolving, understanding the nuances of a label can help you know the involvement of a company in ensuring the quality of your product.

The label should contain the cannabinoid content and source, in addition to clearly saying if it's a full spectrum, CBD isolate, or broad spectrum hemp extract product.

Also, some brands share their level of involvement in the production of the product, such as growing, harvesting, and manufacturing on their own.

These brands can help ensure quality from soil to the product, which is the best case for using CBD products for treating ailments. 

Check the Quality of the Raw Materials

Your dream to obtain high-quality CBD oil can never come true unless the raw materials used for processing the products were grown as per the regulated standards.

Organically grown hemp can help produce premium quality seeds that will not contain residues of hazardous chemicals such as pesticides and insecticides.

Hemp derived CBD products are useful for potentially treating various ailments and conditions.

Which means ensuring there are no chemical residues helps increase the safety of this potential treatment. 

Hemp is a plant that is very sensitive to its environment.

It tends to soak up everything around it.

Hence a premium growing condition with proper regulations is where you can obtain high-grade hemp seeds.

Be careful to trace back the source of your product to know more about the quality of the seeds that were used to grow the hemp to extract the oil from in the first place.

Also, hemp-derived CBD is legal in across the United States and many other countries as well, whereas marijuana-derived products with high levels of THC are controversial and illegal in many places.

Also, hemp-derived CBD tends to have no more than 0.3% THC, whereas the same might not be right in the case of marijuana-derived CBD.

Hence evaluate the source of the product by looking at the COA's or certificates of analysis.

As every company selling hemp derived products should have these 3rd party test results readily available.

Check the Extraction Method

The extraction method determines the final chemical and genetic makeup of the product you consume.

Some methods lead to loss of essential parts of the plant such as degrading the precious cannabinoid profile, which makes the products low quality and less effective for usage.

Also, the chemicals added to the products during the process determine what kind of side effects might occur after consumption.

Choose sellers that use safe methods such as ethanol or CO2.

These are natural solvents and ensure that the chemicals in the plant remain intact and ensure no foreign compounds form during the process.

You can also look for options such as olive oil extraction methods, which activate the compounds in the extracts for better benefits. 

Compare Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum, and Isolates Before Choosing

Cannabis is an alloy of many incredible terpenes and cannabinoids.

Although users prefer to eliminate THC from their products, many of these cannabinoids work in unison to ensure good health benefits as they elevate the efficiency of each other, producing what's know as the "entourage effect".

It is the primary reason why you need to focus on the type of hemp derived CBD products you purchase.

There are three categories of CBD products on the market - full-spectrum CBD hemp extract, CBD isolate, and broad-spectrum CBD hemp extract.

CBD isolate products contain pure CBD isolate crystals that almost looks like sugar.

These products can be useful and efficient for certain applications that have specific needs or for individuals that need to avoid specific cannabinoids, specifically THC.

Yet, the presence of other cannabinoids ensures the best potential benefit to you as the user due to producing the entourage effect.

To put it lightly, the entourage effect simply means that with the presence of multiple cannabinoids, terpenes and other plan material, they work synergistically to enhance the overall benefits of one another.

Which is why a full spectrum or broad-spectrum hemp extract could be a better alternative for you.

But we always recommend you experiment with the varying types to see which works best for you. 

Full Spectrum oil contains terpenes, omega fatty acids, flavonoids, and amino acids apart from the cannabinoid composition, which makes it ideal for potentially treating various ailments.

It brings a wide range of potential benefits for you.

Finally, we have broad-spectrum products.

They include omega fatty acids, flavonoids, terpenes, cannabinoids, glycerides, and amino acids.

A complete solution to resolve ailments and achieve better health.

The key difference between full spectrum & broad spectrum CBD extract, is broad spectrum has the trace amounts of THC removed.

Find the Source of the Product

CBD oil products prepared in countries with proper regulations around hemp are the best choice available on the market.

So far, this would mean you need to stick to products that hail from the United States as the Farm Bill lays strict regulations on hemp cultivation, thus ensuring competent quality.

The quality of the CBD hemp extract you use heavily depends on the conditions of growth.

Hence the source makes a lot of difference in ensuring the grade of your product. 

Trust Third Party Test Reports

Brands that believe in quality let their customers know how much it means to them.

Third-party lab reports are a way for companies such as Wellicy to ensure their customers know the level of emphasis existing on quality.

It is a user's right to know about the quality of every product they use.

The third party reports impartially deliver the constituents and quality of a product.

They also follow specific guidelines that aim to ensure safety as per standards.

Look for traces of harmful substances that might be degrading the quality of your CBD product.

Access the report thoroughly to make an informed decision about the product. 

Understand the Concentration of CBD in the Product

This one is a critical step, especially when working with CBD oils or tinctures, as the concentration matters a lot while determining the dosage, since CBD edibles and CBD capsules have a predetermined dose.

The concentration of CBD oils and tinctures lies ranges from a low amount of 250mg, to more concentrated doses of 10,000mg per bottle.

Starting with lower concentration is advisable, and you should gradually adjust the dose based on your body's response to CBD hemp extract.

Which is why we always recommend that you start with a CBD tincture since you can gradually increase or decrease the dosage as needed.

The interaction of CBD and its effectiveness varies from one person to the other.

Which means it is best to go through a slow and steady experience to evaluate the reaction to CBD better. 

Analyze the Bioavailability and Other Ingredients of the Product

If you are looking at using a CBD product, one of the essential points to access your product is its bioavailability.

This simply means the amount of cannabinoids that your body can use after going through internal bodily processes.

As the varying consumption methods will have different levels of bioavailability.

For example vaping has a high bioavailability because once vaporized the oil is delivered straight to the blood stream.

Whereas edibles and capsules typically have a lower bioavailability due to being processed through the liver, causing some of the cannabinoids to be lost during what's referred to as the first pass effect.

To try and enhance the bioavailability of hemp extract products, some brands offer easy formulations such as through small-sized emulsions that enables easy digestion and absorption in the body.

But the overall effectiveness surrounding that is still up for debate.

But of course, you should experiment with the varying product types once you find a dosage that works for you to see which delivery method is best for you and your personal needs.

The next step is to go back to the label to understand the additive, if any, are in the product.

So you should learn what they add to the product apart from CBD itself.

The best additives to CBD products are natural ingredients such as essential oils that will elevate the effect of CBD and not cause side effects of their own.

And with CBD oil tinctures, a carrying agent will be used to help with absorption such as MCT oil, hemp seed oil, PG, which are often the most popular and well accepted.

Understand the purpose of each component you read on the label.

List down the ones which may not be very much relevant to the basic functionality of the product.

Research these ingredients to know if they can cause any potential side effects.

It is one of the easiest ways of ensuring the safety of using CBD products. 

How we like to look at it is, why would you weigh down a natural product with a bunch of artificial ingredients? It just doesn't make sense!

Judge the CBD Product by its Packaging

The packaging is the way of ensuring the natural components of the product remain intact and useable for a longer duration from fulfillment to reaching your hands.

You should look for products that use durable and competent packaging such as in glass containers.

The package should not hold on to moisture and let in too much light, which can destroy the quality of the cannabinoids and overall product.

These specifications will ensure the product remains in good shape. 

Use this guide to access your CBD product before you invest in them.

These steps will ensure you use only the best products available on the market. 

What precautions and steps do you take when purchasing your hemp derived CBD products? Let us know by leaving a comment below, I look forward to speaking with you in the comments section