The growth of the cannabis industry in the past year has been an incredible journey to follow. The year has seen many positive turns of events to accommodate cannabis and derived products into our lives. Expansion in the scope of clinical trials with legalization and increasing interest among users to experience cannabis have both been encouraging standpoints to take this plant on this remarkable journey.
While legalization does enable regulations around cannabis cultivation, transport, and sale, this hasn’t helped in reducing the existence of fake cannabis products on the market. Cannabis is quite new to most users, and hence establishing a distinction between original and fake products is also becoming more difficult day by day. Several cannabis-infused products are getting launched, and the need of the hour is to know how to distinguish the high-quality products from low-grade variations.
CBD – The favorite cannabinoid of the medical community
For many years’ scientists have debated over the medical use of marijuana. The medical community has been against the practice of introducing cannabis-based treatments, fearing a common characteristic of cannabis, its psychoactive properties. But the advancement in technology helped scientists separate the cannabinoids of the plant, which introduced us to a whole new world of possibilities through CBD. And studies prove that it could bring about a change in the field of medicine.
CBD is an active cannabinoid present in the cannabis plant along with THC. While THC carries psychoactive properties, CBD brings various health benefits without the burden of any psychoactive effects. This discovery led to encouraging studies and clinical trials that helped understand the value of cannabidiol better.
Today, a CBD based drug named Epidiolex is FDA approved for the treatment of epileptic seizures. It stands as evidence to further prove the efficiency and safety of CBD for medicinal benefits.
Why quality matters?
With CBD initiating medical breakthroughs for the treatment of various ailments, the availability of the substance on the market is also simultaneously increasing. Various forms of CBD are available that include oils, tinctures, creams, lotions, topicals, energy drinks, marijuana edibles. Each of these means of consuming CBD poses certain pros and cons. Among these, oils and tinctures are the purest forms of introducing CBD to users.
CBD oils and tinctures stand as the prescribed mode of ingesting CBD for users suffering from chronic ailments. As we shift the burden of treatment to CBD, the importance of quality also needs to be stressed.
Know the quality of CBD
The purity and quality of CBD influence the type of effect you can expect from using it. Here are a few features to explore to understand the quality of CBD.
1. The region of growth
The source of the CBD oil or tincture is mostly hemp. The regulations around hemp cultivation are still vague in most areas. Hence the quality of hemp available is also variable. The plant is a hyper accumulator and absorbs everything in the environment. Hence the hemp that is grown in healthy soil, away from heavy metal concentrations, or other toxicity can help obtain high-quality CBD for users.
2. The THC presence
Although marketed as CBD products, many oils and tincture contain traces of THC in them. The reason behind this is that only advanced methods of extraction can eliminate THC from CBD concentrates. In most cases, a small amount of THC is always present in the product.
Ensure this level is within the legal limits permissible in your state. Also, explore reviews to see if these trace levels cause any psychoactive effects.
3. Third-party lab certification
Look for certification by independent labs that help you evaluate the true quality of the oil or tincture. High-quality brands always insist on providing these certifications to assure their users the potency and value of the product they deliver to them.
The 4- point test to your rescue
If you are at a store and want to evaluate the CBD oil or tincture in hand, use this four-point test to know the product.
1. Evaluate the ingredients
Whenever you buy a bottle of CBD oil or tincture, start evaluating it from the contents listed on the label. Typically, you will come across ten ingredients on average in both cases. Starting with the active ingredient CBD and check what type of oil this is. Full-spectrum CBD oils have the best benefits as compared to Isolate CBD.
The reason behind the same is that the constituents of cannabis work best when put together rather than alone. You can realize the true potential of CBD if you read about this and use full-spectrum in your routine. Currently, the market brims with the majority of CBD isolate products only. Hence check thoroughly always to choose a full-spectrum oil.
When you go through the ingredients, understand the purpose of each one to know the value it can add to your product. The two major components for CBD oil and tincture is the CBD and the carrier oil. Everything else is simply a filler. So, try to choose products that limit the number of extra ingredients for the best effects.
Avoid products that contain solvents such as butane, hexane, propane, and prefer ethanol-based products for the best benefits. If the solvent details are undisclosed, research the vendor to understand their production process to discover the details.
2. Understand the intensity or potency
A bottle of CBD oil or tincture can have varying levels of potency. So, when you have a prescribed level of dosage, you need to know the potency or concentration of the oil or tincture before you can decide how much to consume. Lower potency products cost high for per mg of CBD. It might also require you to take multiple doses in larger volumes.
High potency CBD offers a comparatively lower price per mg of CBD and is also more efficient even in low amounts. Evaluate the potency concerning the price points to choose the right one for you.
3. Look for a reasonable cost
CBD is still fresh to the market, and hence it is hard to determine the typical price range of the oils or tinctures. Also, the concentration, type, and various other factors come into play to determine the right pricing for CBD. Yet, if you find a bottle sold for prices as cheap as $20, then avoid choosing such products. The chances are that these products don’t contain CBD or contain just traces of it. Again, do not choose very pricy options too. Look for options between $50 and $200, which is the average price range for good quality products.
4. The size of your bottle is something to worry about
The potency of the CBD and the size of the bottle has a relationship that determines the right levels of dosages. The actual dosage varies for the same concentration when the bottle size changes. Hence a 1000mg CBD will require different levels of dosage based on whether the bottle size is 15ml, 30 ml or 60 ml. Evaluate this properly before you decide to buy weed, oil or tincture.
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Interesting related article: “What is Cannabidiol?“