You have probably heard a great deal about, or even experienced for yourself, the benefits of CBD. It helps your body maintain homeostasis and doesn’t get you high—what’s not to love? Well, depending on who you buy from, a lot. According to anecdotal evidence, CBD can help treat conditions like insomnia, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and more—but that’s only if you get the real deal from a trustworthy business.
While the CBD molecule itself is promising, the industry is a shady place populated with reputable growers, fraudsters selling snake oil, and enterprises in between. You only want to do business with the former, or else you risk purchasing products that either do not work or are outright hazardous to your health. Here are a few tips for becoming a more informed buyer if you seek CBD benefits instead of detriments.
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Learn Why And How CBD Works
Let’s begin with one of the best ways to educate yourself about anything: learn how it works. There are abundant resources online for people new to CBD or folks wanting to dive deeper. Resources like Project CBD, CBD Central, and CBD Oil Review provide information regarding your body’s endocannabinoid system, how phytocannabinoids interact with it, and what makes it different from THC.
Knowing more about why you are putting cannabidiol inside your body can help you and your doctor determine a proper dosage—and in some ways, it makes you harder to take advantage of. Thinking of CBD like some miracle elixir might make you more susceptible to falling for lies and misinformation. Does CBD cure ailments? No, it doesn’t—it only treats symptoms, so you know to avoid companies that suggest otherwise. Understanding other molecules related to CBD (such as THC, CBG, CBC, and more) will also help you know what to look for when shopping.
Understand The Difference Between CBD Isolate And Full-Spectrum
On a similar note, educate yourself about the different kinds of products you are bound to see while shopping. What does it mean when a product is noted as “isolate” or “full-spectrum”? In simple terms, CBD isolate is what it sounds like: pure CBD, and usually nothing else. Full-spectrum products include multiple cannabinoids, like CBC, CBN, etc.—and yes, even THC (though it should be equal to or under the legal limit of .3 percent).
Studies show that these molecules work best together, so full-spectrum is ideal for reaping CBD benefits, but people may choose isolate if they are particularly worried about passing a drug test. Double check a company’s Certificates of Analysis from third-party laboratory testers to verify that products labeled full-spectrum do indeed contain at least three cannabinoids.
Keep In Mind That The Industry Is Unregulated
As a CBD customer, another one of the most important things you can do is keep in mind that the CBD industry is unregulated and understand how that affects practices. Though industrial hemp is no longer classified as a Schedule I substance, the FDA nevertheless maintains that CBD is illegal (it has only approved one brand, Epidiolex, which is used to treat two kinds of pediatric epilepsy), and states may make their own rules that vary from place to place.
Joe Dolce from Leafly says, “In the absence of an authority to police the brands, though, consumer awareness guarantees nothing. Reputations can be built on unsubstantiated claims. In 2015, the FDA tested 26 CBD products produced in California, Washington, and Arizona and discovered that many contained minuscule amounts of CBD—or none at all. One year later the FDA related the test on 22 CBD products from other states: same result.”
Kurt Forstmann from Dixie Brands also tells Joe Dolce that many brands simply squirt CBD into coconut oil and label it medicine. Others are even more dangerous: they use pesticides and other chemicals on their hemp (which absorbs heavy metals and toxins from its environment) that end up in derived CBD products and can be detrimental to people’s health. Do your research into companies claiming to sell the best CBD for pain relief. Before you buy CBD, be confident in who you are doing business with.
Know What To Look For In Reliable Brands
How can you become confident, though? Joe Dolce even noted that customer awareness means nothing. How do you know what makes a reliable brand, like Verma Farms? Some signs of trustworthiness include transparency about farming and manufacturing processes (you’re looking for organic, pesticide-free hemp from places with high standards for cannabis). The best brands also have their products tested with third-party labs for potency and purity, sometimes more than once, and publish the results on their websites (these reports should detail products’ chemical breakdowns). It’s also helpful if brands note the amount of CBD in each serving instead of the content within the whole bottle.
Before you search for the best CBD oil and CBD for pain relief, educate yourself as much as possible. You do not want to waste your money, or far worse, ingest something that harms you. CBD can be wonderful, but it’s imperative to be vigilant (even if a company offers fast shipping, like Emjay, be sure that it’s worth it). How do you plan to become are more informed CBD buyer?
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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