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CBD is just about everywhere you look these days. As the buzz around cannabidiol continues to grow, so does the product market. From oils to edibles, to bath bombs and topicals, there are countless ways to experience the potentially therapeutic benefits of CBD.
With the amount of options available, it can become tricky to navigate a market, especially if CBD is new to you. So what are the best ways to make sure you are getting the best product and bang for your buck? Here are five important things to consider when making your CBD purchase.
The Source of Hemp
CBD is sourced from hemp and cannabis plants. These plants, just like anything that is grown from seed, can be influenced by the factors around them. Plants can absorb anything they are exposed to, whether its pesticides, fertilizer or anything in the air This is why it is important to always look for a high-quality hemp source. Similarly, both the US and Canada have regulations in place for quality control and standards on the type of seeds available and legal limits of THC. In accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill, all industrial hemp grown in the US must maintain a THC threshold of less than 0.3%.
Extraction Method
There are numerous extraction methods for CBD. The most common method, and the safest, is through CO2 extraction, a process that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (at a temperature where it functions as a gas and a liquid) to extract the cannabidiol through a series of chambers. The carbon dioxide evaporates in the final stage of chambers as soon as it hits the air, leaving behind pure plant extract that can be turned into a variety of products. The final stage of extraction and processing is to remove unwanted compounds, leaving an isolate or desired potency.
What’s the Spectrum?
Finding the right spectrum of CBD is important to consider no matter the product of choice. Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD mean that other plant compounds are present, where an isolate is pure cannabidiol with everything else removed. Hemp and cannabis plants contain a multitude of compounds, including CBD.
A full-spectrum CBD extract will contain all the compounds of a hemp plant, we like to call these rare cannabinoids (CBG, CBN, CBG, etc.). Because these products contain all the compounds, rare ones included, there will be THC present. A broad-spectrum CBD product would contain rare cannabinoids, but should be void of any THC. A CBD isolate will be just that, pure CBD with no presence of other cannabinoids or compounds. Using a full-spectrum or broad-spectrum product can provide maximum benefits, with all the cannabinoids working synergistically together. If you have any fears over THC, sticking to an isolate product or even better, a quality broad-spectrum CBD product is your best bet.
CBD Per Serving
Everyone is impacted by CBD differently. For some, a larger dose is needed to really benefit from the effects, while for others a small dose can do the trick. Understanding the dosage of your CBD product is important to reaping all the possible benefits.
If you are confused by a milligram amount listed on a CBD product, you are not alone. The largest number on the front of a product is the total CBD amount per container. For example, if you are trying a 1000mg CBD oil in a 30ml bottle, one dropper is 1mL and that dropper-full dose will 33.3mg.
With all that, be sure to pay attention to the milligram amount of CBD listed on the bottle. There are products that will range from as little as 100mg of CBD per package to 1500mg per package. Like with anything, it’s always best to start small and limit dose, building up as needed over time.
3rd Party Lab Test Results
One of the easiest and most thorough ways to find a reliable CBD source is to turn to third-party lab test results. With the amount of CBD companies on the market these days, looking to ones that conduct independent lab test results is key. Labs can test for purity, potency and quality as well as fact-check an label claims. If you are concerned with THC content, this is also a great way to be sure you have nothing to worry about. Always depend on companies that turn to transparency and third-party lab test results, like Blue Ribbon Hemp.
Finding High-Quality CBD
CBD is here to stay, so it’s time to find a reliable source. Blue Ribbon Hemp was crafted in part by Dr. Igor Bussel and Cannabis Advocate Richard Cowan. With quality and care in mind, they created a line of CBD products catered specifically to senior citizens. With reliable hemp sources, tried and trusted extraction methods, and fully-transparent third-party lab test results through Real Tested CBD, turn to Blue Ribbon Hemp for all your high-quality CBD needs. Click here to learn more about how Blue Ribbon Hemp got started.
