CBD is everywhere! With claims of relieving symptoms of Parkinson’s, PMS, helping with arthritis pain and other chronic ailments, it’s hard to know what you should be taking and how much for your ailment. As with any product, CBD comes in many packages, strengths, and varieties. Knowing which one to purchase depends on a number of questions that you should ask when buying CBD online or in the store.
So Many Options
Different CBD products are designed to exert different effects in the body, so choosing the right one is important. As always, the first question you should pose is to your healthcare professional. Start there to get information on the types of products to use and any possible drug interaction.
For first-time users, sorting through the many CBD options can be confusing. As a result of its booming popularity, manufacturers and marketers have seized on the economic opportunity by flooding the rapidly expanding market with countless new CBD products. Because of inconsistent labeling, lack of meaningful regulatory oversight, and entrepreneurs eager to release new products even when that means cutting corners, finding the right product and/or manufacturer is difficult. New CBD products appear on the market seemingly daily, so keeping up with the developments in this rapidly growing industry is a challenge for even seasoned consumers. To help with the search for the right CBD product, here are 5 tips for what to look for when shopping online or in brick and mortar stores.
CBD Knowledge Nuggets – click here for more
CBD can stay in your system from 48 hours up to one week – or longer.
CBD can affect the cannabinoid receptors in sperm cells and increase the level of testosterone.
There is no evidence that you can overdose on CBD.
Why Are You Taking CBD
Why you’re taking CBD is the most obvious question to start with. Helpful associates at stores will likely start with this question to help orient customers in the right direction. Coming armed with information about what health benefits you are seeking with CBD supplementation, will help you narrow down your choices and make the right selection.
When used therapeutically, scientific studies have shown that CBD can be used to treat the following health conditions:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Seizures
Knowing the reason for taking CBD has important implications for dosage and type (full- or broad-spectrum or isolate). We’ll discuss the different types later in the article.
Related Article Common Uses of CBD
Strength of CBD
Although CBD is safe even in large doses, to get the best results you should titrate the strength of CBD dosage to suit your goals and your pocketbook. For an average adult starting out with CBD supplementation, most doctors recommend 20-40 milligrams (mg) per day with a gradual escalating dosage of 5 mg per day until you find the right dosage with maximum results. Beginning supplementation with a relatively low dose of 20 mg and working your way up offers the benefit of identifying any rare side effects as well as your tolerance to the compound. For seizure disorders, some patients take as much as 1,500 mg per day. Many studies have shown that, even at such high levels, most people tolerate CBD well with little to no negative side effects.
Product Source
If you are interested enough in your wellness to investigate CBD, you probably want to avoid harmful pesticides with proven links to cancer and numerous other health problems. Therefore, always insist on purchasing CBD that is organically grown. This means it was grown without any synthetic chemicals. Hemp grown outside of the USA may contain harmful chemicals because the content of soil in places like China are not regulated. The right CBD manufacturer for you is one that grows its CBD organically, free from pesticides or unnecessary contaminants.
CBD Knowledge Nuggets – click here for more
You can buy hemp seed oil cheaply on Amazon. Hemp seed oil does NOT contain CBD. Click here to see the difference. Hemp Oil vs Hemp Seed Oil
It depends. The 2018 Farm Bill removed industrial hemp from the Schedule 1 list of illegal drugs. Growing the hemp plant is legal but what is done with it is in a gray area.
Vaping/smoking goes directly into the lungs making it the quickest to take effect, within minutes. Tinctures can take about 20 minutes and edibles may take up to two hours. See Ways to Consume CBD
3rd Party Testing
Because many fly-by-night CBD operations use questionable CBD in the manufacturing process, consumers have become understandably skeptical of CBD quality. Independent third-party laboratories can back up manufacturers’ claims of potency and quality. Another complicating factor for quality in the CBD industry is that it remains unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as foods and other drugs are. This opens up the door for companies willing to cut corners for profit or even outright scam customers. Avoid these problems by looking for a certificate of analysis (COA) by an independent third party. These groups do the legwork of verifying quality, looking for contaminants and harmful chemicals, and checking manufacturers’ claims. 3rd party testing checks the compound profile of the CBD. What percentage is actually CBD? How high is the THC percentage? These are important questions that you should have unwavering answers to.
Isolate or Spectrum
CBD comes in three forms, “full-spectrum”, “broad spectrum” and “isolate”. Selecting isolate or spectrum depends on your goals and concerns. Full-spectrum CBD is the more natural form. It contains all the compounds found in the cannabis plant in their natural ratios. In this way, it is more “raw” than its more processed cousin, isolate. Experts believe that, in many instances, full-spectrum CBD is more beneficial because the various cannabinoid compounds work in tandem with one another. This is often called the “entourage effect.” CBD isolate, on the other hand, is run through an extraction process that leaves it with no other cannabinoids, including the trace amounts of THC. It is pure CBD. Broad spectrum is the best of both worlds for some. In formulating broad spectrum, all the THC is removed but the other cannabinoids and flavorings are maintained.
Many people will recommend an isolate product if you worry about drug testing. However, there is no way to guarantee a negative drug test result with any type of CBD product. This is because many tests are not specific enough to just test for THC, they may actually be testing for CBD or another cannabinoid. You should be able to check to see what substances are actually tested.
Related Article Which is Best: Full, Broad or Isolate
Bonus Questions To Ask
There are even more questions to ask when buying CBD.
What is the extraction process? There are a few different ways that CBD is extracted from the hemp plant. On a company’s website, they will explain the extraction process and you can determine which method you think is best.
Is the price reasonable? Reading the labels on products can be confusing as well. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. If you find similar products that you like, you can review the companies themselves and how they process the product to determine which you would be most comfortable buying and using.
Most times an extremely low price will be a red flag to product quality – or even whether you have genuine CBD. There is a difference between Hemp seed oil and CBD oil. Yes, CBD is made from Hemp but not the seeds. There is no CBD in hemp seeds.
Remember these questions to ask when buying CBD and you’re sure to find the right product for you.
CBD Knowledge Nuggets – click here for more
There are hundreds of companies selling CBD, both good and bad. A popular company may not have the right product for you. Sometimes it may come down to just which one feels right to you. You can see our list of partners that we have determined are good ones to purchase products from.
Vaping/smoking goes directly into the lungs making it the quickest to take effect, within minutes. Tinctures can take about 20 minutes and edibles may take up to two hours. See Ways to Consume CBD
On it’s own, CBD does nothing. When partnered with your endocannabinoid system, CBD helps manage stress, anxiety, pain and other bodily functions.
How To Get The Best Product
With all the choices and all the misinformation around, it is best to stick with a nationally known reputable company. Many people will try a CBD product that is of bad quality and then will be negative about CBD because of that experience. Once you know what to expect from your CBD product you can try products from other companies. On this site, we have done much of the work for you. We have researched and bring you information on the company’s background and products so you can have a positive new experience. You can get answers to all the questions to ask when buying CBD online or in the store.
