Don’t Be Fooled by the Label: What To Look for in a CBD Oil
As CBD continues to saturate the market, with it comes a range of quality, meaning the latest and greatest CBD oil from your local corner store may not be the best option. As curiosity around the calming effects of CBD continues to soar, brands are rushing to put products on shelves, and some may opt for the quick-and-dirty approach, prioritizing speed over quality. And because the FDA has been slow to regulate in the space, some brands may mislabel how much CBD their products actually contain, which is why doing your homework is more important than ever. Here are a few things to help get you started.
1. The hemp plant is known to absorb toxins, so make sure it's grown to its purest state and lab-tested.
Hemp plants are known to absorb toxins and radiation from the soil. In fact, hemp plants were used to help pull toxins out of the soil around Chernobyl. So while you wouldn't want to ingest a hemp extract from the site of Chernobyl, it does mean that you should make certain that the hemp used to produce your oil is properly grown and harvested.
The full-spectrum CBD oil produced by use hemp that employs organic farming practices and is hand-harvested in Colorado and Oregon. Simply put: If the soil is clean, then your hemp and cannabinoid extracts will be clean. You'll also want to ask for a Certificate of Analysis (COA) from a third-party lab which tests for contaminants, solvents, and the percentage of cannabinoids.
What’s more, a COA will also confirm that the dosage is correctly represented on the packaging. It’s important to know that products called hemp oil or hemp extract may contain trace amounts of CBD, so read the label carefully. It should tell you both how much CBD is in the bottle and how much CBD there is per serving (typically between 1,000-5,000 MG per ounce) to be sure it’s legit.
"It’s important to know that products called hemp oil or hemp extract may contain trace amounts of CBD, so read the label carefully."
Reputable CBD companies make their COA readily available, typically on their website, and, in many cases, on the product itself via QR code.
2. Make sure it's full-spectrum for maximum effect.
When I first started learning about CBD oil, I had no idea what full-spectrum meant. Full-spectrum refers to the use of the whole hemp plant vs. an isolate which extracts the desired cannabinoid from the plant. The truth is, there's a lot of marketing jargon being attached to hemp oil—phrases, like "all-natural" and "pure" are commonplace—and isolates are sometimes not hemp at all and are synthesized in a lab. Full-spectrum means that you'll get the good stuff—all the additional cannabinoids and terpenes that are naturally occurring in the whole plant. There's what's called an "entourage effect"—meaning these chemical compounds work together in tandem far better than in isolation to give you the maximum benefits.
3. Learn about the carrier oil in your tincture.
CBD tinctures often include a carrier oil to help stabilize it and increase its bioavailability. This works because CBD is a fat-soluble substance.
Bioavailability refers to the rate at which your body absorbs the substance into your bloodstream. You want a higher bioavailability—absorption under your tongue is much higher compared to edibles that pass through your digestive system. So back to carrier oil. Our products use an MCT oil, a saturated fatty acid made from coconut oil. It's also known to be one of the fastest sources of clean fuel for your body.
