The world of CBD can be complicated. With so many products available, navigating your options and finding the right product is no small task. It’s why we wanted to take a moment to highlight our Top 10 considerations when buying a bottle of CBD oil.

1. Read the Label

The first step to knowing what you’re buying is taking a look at the product label. This will tell you some key information including, ingredients list, volume and dosage, as well as lot and licensing numbers. Understanding how to read a label, however, can be a challenge in and of itself, which is why we’ve spoken about it in another post.

Not all labels are created equally. In some cases, the information required to be on your label takes up most of the usable space. This means important information that we’d want to know might not make it to the label.

2. Ingredients

According to the federal cannabis act (s. 101.3), a bottle of CBD oil can only contain four ingredients, namely the cannabis extract, carrier substances, flavouring agents, and substances necessary to maintain the quality or stability of the cannabis product. This helps to keep products free from harmful substances and ensures ingredient lists are simple, as lists often only state cannabis extract + carrier oil. This, of course, isn’t helpful when trying to assess whether the product was made with Full Spectrum or otherwise. Hopefully, more information will be available on the website or the company’s other information sites, but this doesn’t always appear to be the case.

If you want more information about the ingredients found in a bottle of CBD oil, we’ve written more about the topic here.

3. Type of Product

Knowing the differences between Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum, and Isolate is important in order to understand what you’re looking for. While the research we’ve seen suggests that CBD is more effective when part of a Full Spectrum formula, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for other forms of CBD as well. Since the difference between these categories is a much bigger topic, we’ve spoken about it more here.

4. Extraction Method

The type of extraction method being used can greatly impact the quality of the product you’re consuming. C02 is our preferred option for extracting a Full Spectrum product because it does a better job of extracting the plants beneficial compounds. While the method of extraction is usually included in an online listing, we’ve yet to see it on a label.

If you want to know more about extraction, check out one of our previous posts here.

5. Third Party Testing and COAs

Being able to distinguish a reputable product from a well marketed one isn’t always easy. That’s why we think it’s important to find a company that’s willing to be transparent with their consumers. We also think that a high-quality product should have been tested by a credible, third-party lab, and should have a Certificate of Analysis (COA) available to the public. Because the topic of COAs is a much larger topic, we’ve talked more about them here.

6. Dosage

Understanding and calculating dosage is important. This will allow you to better understand the amount of CBD you’re getting for your money. These calculations can be a bit of a challenge, however, so we’ve broken the steps down for you here. Essentially, if there’s 50mg of CBD in a ml, and there’s 30 ml in a bottle, multiply the numbers together and you get the total CBD content – in this case, 1500mg. If the label says 53.6mg/g like ours does, simply multiply the 53.6mg by the 28.5g per bottle – in this case, 1527mg.

To learn more about dosage in general, check out our post here.

7. Interactions with Medications

If you’re taking other medications or trying to treat a particular condition, always check with your doctor. CBD has been known to interact with some medications, especially those issuing grapefruit warnings. For a more detailed breakdown of CBD and medication interactions, check out this post.

8. The Endocannabinoid System

Understanding a little about how CBD interacts with our bodies can help clarify what kinds of CBD products are right for you. While the science is still limited, we do know that CBD interacts with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which helps maintain our body’s homeostasis. The ECS contributes to everything from our sleep cycles to managing pain, mood, appetite, memory, stress, and immune responses.

Check here for more information on the ECS and the impact CBD has on our bodies.

9. What Science Says

Currently, the science concerning CBD and its physiological affects is limited. Although we know a bit about the ECS system, we still have a lot of questions. Currently, the only CBD-derived prescription drugs available are Epidiolex and Sativex though hopefully we’ll see more in the future. Research, however, has suggested that CBD is more effective than a placebo. Additionally, there’s been some research to suggest that CBD could be an effective treatment for pain, neurological disorders, seizures, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, opioid addiction, and Parkinson’s Disease.

Until we know more, however, we can’t make any scientific claims as to the health benefits of CBD.

10. Market Shenanigans

Given the state of the science, it’s important to be wary of any companies or products that make substantial health claims. The science just isn’t there yet.

Not all CBD products are sold through the regulated market. This means that even if a product claims to be organic, have a certain level of CBD content, or have no additional additives, this isn’t always the case. A 2017 sample trial found that many companies misrepresented the CBD content in the actual product, with the vast majority of goods either under or over labeling themselves. With this in mind, it’s important to buy your products from a trusted, reputable source.

TL;DR

There’s a lot to consider when buying a CBD product. It’s important to be aware of what you’re spending your money on and consuming. However, considering things like ingredients, extraction, and company transparency will ensure the products you’re buying are high-quality, reputable, and a good value for your money.