How to Research CBD
Depending on who you ask, CBD either sounds like a panacea for common maladies or the modern-day version of snake oil. It doesn’t help that the UK’s CBD market — predicted to be worth £1 billion by 2025 — is still largely unregulated. For instance, according to lab tests by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis, as much a 62% of high street CBD products sampled did not contain the CBD content on the label. All this means the average consumer will need to exercise due diligence before buying CBD. This, however, is easier said than done. With the popularity of CBD, it seems that new merchants and brands are constantly coming out with new products that promise all kinds of health benefits. But you’re not without options. Knowing how to do your research can increase your odds of finding high-quality CBD products from reputable brands.
Consult Your Doctor
First things first: consult your doctor before taking CBD or any other supplements, for that matter. Your doctor is in the best position to explain your medical history, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking CBD, and determine whether it’s safe to use CBD with any existing medications you may be on. While CBD is safe, the World Health Organization warns that “adverse effects may be as a result of drug-drug interactions between CBD and patients’ existing medications.”
Determine Why You Want to Use CBD
Another thing to consider is why you want to take CBD in the first place. While much has been said about the potential health benefits of CBD, it’s worth noting that more research is needed before any scientifically-proven claims can be made. For now, early trials and animal studies show that CBD may have benefits for pain, insomnia, depression, epilepsy and other disorders. Knowing your reason for taking CBD will make it easier to decide what specific type of CBD product to get. For instance, for help with sleep or anxiety, you may choose tincture drops as these may offer the greatest results. For body aches, a topical such as a balm or lotion can be ideal.
Find Out Where the Brand Sources Its Hemp
High-quality ingredients lead to a high-quality product. This is especially true for CBD, which is highly dependent on the quality of the hemp it’s sourced from. The challenge with hemp is it’s a prolific accumulator — capable of absorbing metals like cadmium from soil. Be sure to check where the CBD brand gets its hemp. For instance, you can look for companies that partner with non-GMO farms that follow sustainable practices.
Look for Third-Party Lab Results
CBD brands that publish the results of third-party lab testing are confident in the quality and potency of their products. Third-party labs exist to verify and certify that a CBD product is safe and everything it claims to be. Look for recent certificates of independent lab testing, which show details such as ingredients (useful for verifying THC content) and exact concentrations of CBD and other cannabinoids — like cannabinol and cannabigerol.
Over to You
It’s only a matter of time until CBD regulations and tougher standards will force all CBD brands to deliver high-quality products. But until that time comes, consumers will have to be cautious and do their research before making purchase decisions. At Nutrivive, we’re proud to carry a range of CBD oils and balms that have undergone third-party lab testing to guarantee their potency and purity. We also source our hemp from organic, non-GMO farms to ensure quality and consistency in raw materials.
