Tips on How to Choose the Right CBD Product
The CBD.market offers CBD oil products from numerous brands, and each brand has unique qualities, like the type of CBD used, the carrier oil chosen, additional ingredients, price, and much more. The common question is, “What CBD oil should I buy?” You must know what to look for in CBD oil and other CBD products.
Following is a summary of best practices when you want to know how to choose CBD oil.
1. Determine the Reason You Want to Start Taking CBD
What CBD is right for me? There are many CBD products available for sale, and they are designed to address different needs. Some people take CBD because they say CBD increases feelings of calm. There are many CBD products that are blended with other ingredients known to help people with particular issues. For example, Dr. Peter Grinspoon, writing for Harvard Health, says CBD studies suggest CBD may help with falling asleep and staying asleep.
Some of the formulations today address different needs.
- People use CBD oil because they say it helps increases feelings of calm
- CBD capsules for relaxation may have ingredients proven to promote relaxation, like chamomile and L-Tryptophan
- CBD products for sleep usually include CBD and melatonin
- CBD for muscle recovery includes ingredients like Arnica and Vitamin B
The point is that you need to determine the reason you want to try CBD to select the best product for your needs. Another point is that CBD products are made with different CBD oil types.
CBD Spectrum
- CBD full spectrum – contains all cannabis plant extracts like other cannabinoids, terpenes and essential oils and up to 0.3 percent THC
- CBD broad spectrum – contains all cannabis plant extracts but no THC
- CBD isolate – pure CBD that contains no other plant compounds
If you want to avoid consuming any THC, then the best form of CBD is CBD broad spectrum or CBD isolate.
2. Choose the Appropriate Consumption Method
The European Journal published an oft-quoted study that indicated a CBD topical could lower discomfort. If you want to see if it helps with skin irritation or joint stiffness, then a CBD topical might be your best product choice. The one thing CBD brands are not legally allowed to do is make promises their products will help with a medical condition.
CBD products are made in a variety of forms for consumption and application. Following is a sample of some things to consider when choosing a CBD product.
- Use CBD topicals to address skin irritation or dryness
- Use CBD edibles for ease of use anywhere and any time of day
- Use CBD capsules for ease of use also but prefer to avoid any sugar content or sweetener like that found in gummies
- Use CBD tinctures for rapid absorption
- Use CBD oil for direct consumption or to use in baked goods, smoothies, teas, etc.
CBD gummies and CBD capsules are popular as consumption methods because you know how much CBD you are ingesting. You know how much CBD is consumed with a CBD tincture as long as you carefully measure the amount in the dropper provided.
3. Consider CBD Bioavailability
CBD bioavailability is the rate and extent to which CBD and other compounds and elements enter your circulatory system and reach an intended site. It is normally expressed as a fraction of a substance (in this case CBD) taken up by your system in relation to the total substance amount available.
Different forms of CBD products have different bioavailability. When the CBD must pass through the digestive system before entering the bloodstream, it undergoes a “first-pass metabolism,” and some metabolites are lost through excretion.
Transdermal patches and inhalers are shown to have the highest bioavailability as these methods bypass these systems and go directly into the bloodstream. Smoking or vaping also bypasses these systems and enters the bloodstream through the lungs; therefore, they have a high bioavailability.
CBD Bioavailability Chart
| Method of Ingestion | CBD Absorption Amount | CBD Bioavailability Rate |
| Sublingual | 13-19% | 5 – 20 minutes |
| Oral | 10-20% | 30 – 120 minutes |
| Topical | 2-45% | 24 – 45 minutes |
| Nasal | 34 – 46% | 10 – 20 minutes |
| Transdermal | 95% | 24 – 45 minutes |
The bioavailability of CBD orals is generally low. Orals include CBD oil, CBD capsules, CBD gummies and other CBD edibles. CBD oil and capsules are often combined with essential oil and herbs with higher bioavailability. Some CBD and other compounds are lost because the kidneys excrete them. CBD orals usually have a minimum bioavailability of 10-20%.
CBD tinctures are usually taken sublingually, meaning under the tongue, because it is the fastest way to experience the effects of CBD. The CBD quickly enters the bloodstream through the thin membranes under the tongue. CBD sublingual bioavailability can be anywhere from 13-35% depending on the product’s formulation.
Except for CBD transdermal patches, CBD topicals have a low bioavailability because no CBD enters the bloodstream. It only interacts with the skin’s local receptors.
CBD intranasal vape oils and CBD vaporizers have the highest bioavailability (34-56 percent) because the CBD goes directly into the lungs. In the lungs, CBD quickly enters the bloodstream. However, many people are reluctant to inhale anything into their lungs.
4. Find the Right CBD Strength and CBD Potency
People respond differently to various CBD doses. The CBD marketplace has a variety of CBD strengths, so it is important to understand CBD potency on the labels. Each CBD is stated in milligrams. To determine CBD per serving, divide the total CBD per container by the number of servings.
A single serving size of CBD oil is 1ml. A single serving of CBD capsules, CBD softgels and CBD gummies is one capsule, softgel or gummy.
A high-quality brand will state the amount of CBD per serving on the product label. For example, 1ml of CBD oil is approximately 20 drops. Depending on the amount of CBD in the product, a single dose could be 10 mg, 20 mg, 25 mg, 33.3 mg, 50 mg and higher.
Today’s products range from 100mg to 5,000mg per bottle of CBD oil. New users should start with a low-potency product, like a 300 mg bottle of CBD oil. They can work their way up to a higher CBD potency as needed. Generally, 35 mg of CBD per serving and higher is considered high potency.
5. Check the Label
CBD brands that have earned a good reputation among consumers adhere to excellent product labeling best practices. Reading the label delivers a lot of information.
- Whether the product has CBD full spectrum, CBD broad spectrum or CBD isolate
- The total amount of CBD milligrams per container
- Dosage or serving amount, i.e. mg per serving
- Number of servings per container
- Amount of CBD per serving
- Other ingredients, i.e. carrier oil, herbs, minerals, etc.
- Many now have a QR code to scan that takes you to a third-party lab report where you can read a detailed analysis of the product’s batch
- Name of the company that distributes the product
- Manufacturing date
- State license number
- Warnings indicating things like, “should not use if allergic to coconut”
- Company contact information
6. Investigate the Hemp Source
There are two aspects to consider as to the source of hemp. One is that farming practices determine whether the plant absorbs harmful chemicals from the soil. The second aspect is the amount of CBD and THC the plant contains. CBD, by federal law, must be harvested from industrial hemp that is defined as having less than 0.3 percent THC.
A quality company will have full transparency about the following.
- Country and state or region where hemp is sourced
- Farming best practices
- CBD extraction method
- Process for ensuring harmful contaminants are minimized during the growing and harvesting of hemp
- Hemp testing procedures to ensure there are no unsafe levels of contaminants, like heavy metals, pesticides and even THC Lead and introduction
7. Compare Prices
Like you should do for any product while shopping, compare prices based on the per-serving price, some companies strive to keep their prices as low as possible to encourage more people to try CBD. Some companies are considered expensive. The higher-priced CBD products are sold by companies that go to extraordinary measures to ensure quality, i.e. quality testing at every step of the manufacturing process, multiple independent third-party testing, etc.
Be a Smart CBD Consumer
The CBD market in the United States is already enormous. Market analysis indicates it was valued at $553.7 million as of 2020, but exponential growth is predicted. Projections indicate the CBD market will reach $4,268.3 million by 2026.
The implication is that you should be a smart CBD consumer by knowing how to find good CBD oil among a growing number of products. You want to purchase from a market-tested CBD brand that gets high marks from consumers. The brand should be transparent about the hemp source, farming practices, testing procedures and product contents. Select your CBD oil and other CBD products carefully, and you will have a pleasant experience.
Sources
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejp.818
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/bioavailability
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6275223/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6309462/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20545522/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2689518/
- https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/what-you-need-know-and-what-were-working-find-out-about-products-containing-cannabis-or-cannabis
- https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/cannabidiol-cbd-market-2021-share-size-future-plans-growing-at-a-cagr-of-335-leading-players-updates-progress-insight-gross-margin-by-forecast-to-2026-2021-05-03
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