Guide to CBD Oil

We’ve put together this ultimate guide to CBD oil to help you understand the benefits of CBD and how to select the best CBD oil based on your personal needs.

CBD Oil: The Ultimate Guide

Over the last few years, the CBD market has exploded with hundreds of new brands offering an incredibly wide range of products. From CBD oils and CBD capsules to CBD gummies, CBD vapes and even CBD bath salts or CBD suppositories (yes that’s a thing), there’s something for everyone.

But whilst CBD all products have similar properties as they are extracted from the hemp plant and contain Cannabidiol, they are available in different strengths and are absorbed differently by the body.

In this ultimate guide to CBD oil, we tell you more about all the great benefits of CBD products and why we believe oil is the best and most effective way to get your daily dose of CBD. And if you are still unsure about what CBD product is right for you, simply take our CBD Quiz which has been designed specifically to identify the product and strength that is best suited to your personal needs.

CBD oil is the best and most effective way to consume CBD as it by-passes the digestive system and gets to work quickly.

CBD Unboxed

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol — also known as CBD — is one of the multiple chemical compounds found in hemp (cannabis sativa) or marijuana plants. It is also known as medical cannabis, which is a broad term used to encompass any product, treatment, or medicine that includes cannabis-derived ingredients.

It is not however, the same as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in marijuana and contains none of the psychoactive properties associated with it, which means CBD won’t get you “high”.

So what’s the difference?

Different parts of the cannabis plant are either defined as hemp or as cannabis and marijuana.

  • Hemp: hemp is the stalks, stems and sterilized seeds of cannabis sativa (“Cannabis Sativa” is the scientific Latin term that defines hemp, cannabis or marijuana plant species).
  • Cannabis and Marijuana: the leaves, flowers and viable seeds of cannabis sativa.

The varieties of cannabis that are regulated, legal and available in the UK are those that produce less than 0.2 percent THC. And given the fact that most THC is in the flowers, CBD products are primarily made from hemp (stalks, stems and sterilized seeds of cannabis sativa) which contain very little THC and are safe to consume.

This is why CBD products are legal in the UK if they contain less than 0.2% THC.

CBD has therapeutic properties

There has been a lot of interest in CBD from both the research and medical community over the last few years, due to its range of health applications – including but not limited to pain relief, fighting the side effects of cancer medications, alleviating insomnia, lowering stress levels, improving acne outbreaks, counteracting heart disease, or reducing seizures in patients with epilepsy

Products containing CBD come in many different forms, with the most common including CBD oils, CBD gummies, CBD capsules, CBD creams, CBD vape pens and CBD buds & flowers. Some forms are more fast-acting than others, some have different flavours, some contain differing proportions of CBD extract, and so on, so the type you choose depends entirely upon your personal preferences and the condition you wish to treat.

What is CBD Oil?

CBD oil can be used for a number of different reasons, including but not limited to pain relief, to improve sleep and insomnia, or for anxiety and depression.

CBD oil is simply an oil that is derived from the hemp plant. CBD extract from the hemp plant is mixed with a carrier oil (MCT oil, hemp seed oil and olive oil are the most common carrier oils for CBD products), in various concentrations to create the finished product.

Although some CBD oils use extracts from marijuana plants (leaves, flowers and viable seeds of cannabis sativa), most brands use hemp extracts to keep the THC level below 0.2 percent and make their products legal for the UK market.

To extract the CBD from cannabis sativa, a complex process involving CO2 extraction or solvent distillation (natural solvents like ethanol and olive oils or hydrocarbon solvents like butane or propane) is used, resulting in clean CBD extracts.

The carrier oil is intended to have no effect on the effectiveness of the product but can alter its taste. CBD oil is sold in bottled form and known as a “tincture”, literally meaning something that is imbued with an amount of something else – for example, hemp seed oil that contains CBD extract.

CBD oil can also be flavoured (for example with mint or lemon) which can be beneficial if you don’t like the taste of the pure extract. However, if the grassy or earthy taste of CBD oil doesn’t bother you too much, we would always recommend going for an unflavoured CBD oil.

Many products use full-spectrum extracts which contain a range of other helpful cannabinoids and terpenes as well as CBD. If using full-spectrum CBD oil, be sure to check that it contains less than 0.2% THC to comply with the UK legislation.

Others CBD oils use CBD isolate which separates the CBD from every other component for maximum purity. More on this below.

Different Types of CBD Oils

Before buying CBD oil, it is important to understand the different types of CBD available in the market. These fall under three main categories:

  • Full-Spectrum CBD: CBD products labelled as “full-spectrum” contain all the phytochemicals that occur naturally in the cannabis plant, including other cannabinoids, terpenes, and oils. It also contains some trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound in marijuana that produces the “high” effect. However, the total amount of THC for the UK market is limited to 0.2% so full-spectrum CBD gummies will provide all the benefits of CBD without the “high”.
  • Broad-Spectrum CBD: CBD products labelled as “broad-spectrum” contain all the phytochemicals that are in the cannabis plant but does not contain any THC.
  • CBD Isolate: CBD products labelled as “isolate” is the pure form of CBD and contain no other cannabis plant compounds such as other cannabinoids, terpenes, and oils. CBD isolate is a good option for those who want to take CBD gummies, but who do not want to benefit from the “entourage effect” of other plant compounds or ingest any tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which are present in full and broad spectrum products.

10 Best CBD Oils

With over 150 brands offering CBD products, it can be difficult to choose the right CBD oil. This is why the CBD Unboxed team has tried and tested hundreds of CBD oils. Below is our selection of the 10 best CBD oils on the market.

CBD
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Advantages of CBD Oil

CBD oil has many advantages over other CBD products such as CBD capsules or CBD gummies.

  • Increased bioavailability – One of the main advantages of CBD oil over other products is the fact that CBD oil increases bioavailability – which means the amount of product that can be directly used by your body. When placed under the tongue, it comes into contact with the sublingual gland which speeds up the process of absorption and quickly enters the bloodstream. The faster the CBD is absorbed, the sooner it can get to work. Gummies, capsules and edibles will take some time to be processed and broken down by your digestive system, making oil the fastest way to gain the benefits of CBD.
  • Easy to Consume – When taken orally, CBD oil is very easy to consume and it also gives you the ability to use doses of the exact strength required thanks to the individual droplets.
  • No Sugar – When CBD is used in the form of gummies, chocolate or other edible products, it may not be in the best health interests of the person to eat such products. For example, people suffering from diabetes will need to carefully manage the food that they eat, and therefore CBD oil may be a better option.
  • No addictive or withdrawal issues – Finally, CBD gummies are a natural remedy that can be taken by almost anyone and possesses none of the addictive or withdrawal issues that other pain management or anxiety medications may present.

Disadvantages of CBD Oil

Whilst there are mainly advantages in using CBD oil to get your daily dose of CBD, there are unfortunately a few drawbacks which are worth considering.

  • Earthy or Grassy Taste – CBD oil can have a very earthy or grassy taste which some will find unappealing. Although CBD oil is one of the fastest-acting forms of CBD, the flavour can deter many from using it to its full potential. However, broad spectrum and flavoured CBD oils are often more palatable.
  • Less Convenient – If you need to take CBD while in a public place, using CBD oil can be much less discreet and convenient than using capsules, gummies or edibles. While using CBD is not something that you need to hide, using a dropper to place the oil under your tongue may not be the most practical option when out an about.
  • Interaction with other medications – It’s also worth noting that CBD may make it harder for your body to process certain medications, so if you are taking any other medications, be sure to check with your GP before taking CBD products.
  • Minor side effects – Finally, CBD can cause side minor effects in some people including drowsiness, changes in mood, nausea, and changes in appetite. Every individual will be affected differently, and in most cases, there are no side effects to worry about.

Therapeutic Properties of CBD Oil

CBD oil, along with other CBD products, possesses a number of therapeutic properties that are backed by various scientific research papers and double-blind studies. Some of the most discussed health benefits amongst the public and the medical community include:

Pain Relief (Analgesic Properties)

CBD appears to have Analgesic properties, meaning that it helps relieve pain. But how?

The human body contains a specialized system called the ECS (the endocannabinoid system), which aim is to regulate a variety of functions such as sleep, appetite, pain and immune system response. The body also produces endocannabinoids, which are simply neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors in your nervous system.

CBD is believed to interact with specific receptors, specifically the CB1R and CB2R.

  • CB1 receptors, which are located in various regions of the body, with a large concentration in the central nervous system and brain, co-ordinate mood, emotion, appetite, and other functions.
  • CB2 receptors are more commonly found in the immune system and are responsible for controlling inflammation and pain. CBD stimulates these receptors and induces the body to release serotonin.
    Serotonin, or 5-HT, is a neurotransmitter that carries signals from one neuron to the other. CBD increases the level of serotonin, which, in return, helps reduce pain, reduce inflammation in the body and possibly reduces the cramping experienced during period pain.

According to Researchgate, a study published in November 2019 shows improvement of physical discomforts such as headaches and various signs of physical pain. According to Teitelbaum J, there have been multiple studies showing patients found relief of menstrual pain, back pain, spinal pain, joint pain (e.g. arthritis) or fibromyalgia pain.

Reduce Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety will manifest itself differently for different people, but symptoms of anxiety tend to include changes in thoughts, behaviour and can also often involve physical feelings such as restlessness, feeling of dread or being on-edge, churning feeling in your stomach, feeling light-headed or dizzy, having pins and needles, experiencing headaches, backache or other aches and pains as well as faster breathing, nausea or hot flushes.

Not only are the symptoms of anxiety varied, but so are the ways in which anxiety can be experienced. Some of the more commonly diagnosed anxiety disorders that CBD can help with include:

• Generalised anxiety disorder – also known as GAD
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder – also known as OCD
• Social anxiety disorder – also known as social phobia or SAD
• Panic disorder.
• Phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder – Also known as PTSD
• Health anxiety – people experiencing obsessions and compulsions relating to illness
• Body dysmorphic disorder – Also known as BDD
• Perinatal anxiety – Also known as perinatal OCD

Most people who suffer from anxiety will experience a hyper-active amygdala, a collection of cells near the base of the brain.

CBD helps to ease the symptoms of anxiety by regulating the functions of the amygdala and the hippocampus and therefore their effects on how our brain processes potentially anxiety ridden situations. But how?

CBD has been proven to increase cerebral blood flow to areas of the brain associated with memory processing, specifically the hippocampus. The findings identify a potential mechanism for the use of CBD to treat disorders associated with altered memory processing, including Alzheimer’s disease, PTSD, and schizophrenia.

Put it simply, a single dose of cannabidiol (CBD) helped increase blood flow to the hippocampus, an important area of the brain associated with memory and emotion, which means that CBD has been proven by several scientists and medical professionals to help smooth the cognitive processes of this part of the brain.

According to Dr Michael Bloomfield from UCL: “Cannabidiol is one of the main constituents of cannabis and is gaining interest for its therapeutic potential. There is evidence that CBD may help reduce symptoms of psychosis and anxiety as well as improve memory function. Additionally, CBD changes how the brain processes emotional memories, which could help to explain its reputed therapeutic effects in PTSD and other psychiatric disorders.”

These finding have been backed by double blind studies where on different occasions, separated by at least a week, each participant was given a 600mg of oral CBD or a placebo. The doses came in identical capsules, so participants did not know which one they were taking on which occasion (https://neurosciencenews.com/cbd-hippocampus-16806/)

Researchers measured blood flow to the hippocampus using ‘arterial spin labelling’ – an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scanning technique which measures changes in the blood oxygen levels.

In another double-blind study in Brazil, 57 participants received either CBD oil or a placebo 90 minutes before they underwent a simulated public speaking event. The researchers found that a 300-mg dose of CBD was the most effective at significantly reducing anxiety during the event.

Reduce Side Effects of Cancer Treatments

CBD has been proven to have not only analgesic properties (to relieve pain) but also antiemetic properties, meaning it helps prevent vomiting.

This discovery has been particularly useful for cancer patients for whom CBD has been proven to not only help them reduce the symptoms and side effects of cancer and cancer medication, such as pain, nausea and vomiting.

In one study focusing on CBD extract and THC extract given to patients with intractable cancer-related pain, it was found that of the 177 people with cancer-related pain who did not experience the adequate relief from traditional pain medication, those treated with an extract containing both the CBD and THC compounds experienced a significant reduction in pain compared to those who received only THC extract. This would therefore suggest that CBD had a net positive effect when it comes to reducing pain in cancer patients.

A separate study also showed that cancer patients who suffered from the various side effects of chemotherapy – including nausea and vomiting – experienced little relief from traditional anti-emetic treatments. Patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) were administered a one-to-one combination of CBD and THC via mouth spray. The results showed that chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting symptoms were reduced in comparison to standard treatment alone.

Help with Arthritis

As we’ve already seen, CBD has analgesic properties (relieves pain) but it also appears to have antiarthritic properties, meaning that it helps relieve or prevent arthritic symptoms.

The two most common types of arthritis are:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition wherein a person’s immune system attacks their joints, causing inflammation. It commonly affects the hands and feet and leads to painful, swollen, and stiff joints.
  • Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that affects joint cartilage and bones, causing pain and stiffness. It often affects the hip, knee, and thumb joints.

According to a poll conducted by the Arthritis Foundation, 29% of 2,600 patients with either osteoarthritis (52%) or rheumatoid arthritis (45%) for 10 or more years, stated using CBD in liquid or topical form to manage their arthritis symptoms, especially pain.

Of those using CBD, most reported improvement in physical function, sleep, and well-being:

  • 67% reported improvement in their physical function
  • Over 30% said it provided relief from morning stiffness and helped them to get moving
  • 71% reported improvements in their ability to sleep
  • Over 30% said it helped relieve symptoms of fatigue

But CBD also helped those suffering from arthritis improve their overall well-being, with people who used CBD reporting emotional and mental health benefits, in addition to relief of physical pain.

  • 41% reported a better overall sense of well-being
  • 77% reported a lower level of anxiety
  • 67% reported effectiveness in improving depressed mood

From a research standpoint, while there are various studies suggesting CBD might be a promising approach, and animal studies showing anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects, well-designed studies demonstrating compelling evidence that CBD is effective for chronic arthritis pain in humans do not yet exist.

Fight Neurological Disorders

CBD appears to have neuroprotective properties, meaning that it helps protect nerve cells against damage, degeneration, or impairment of function.

This is particularly interesting for patients suffering from neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or children with Dravet syndrome.

Researchers believe that CBD can act on the ECS (the endocannabinoid system) as well as other brain signaling systems to provide benefits to those patients and early studies show promising results.

When it comes to MS (multiple sclerosis), an oral spray called Sativex and consisting of CBD and THC has been proven to be an effective way to reduce muscle spasticity (muscle spasms) in patients. The study found that Sativex reduced spasms in 75% of patients with MS who were experiencing muscle spasticity and for which traditional medications were not working.

When it comes to Epilepsy and according to the Epilepsy Society, medical cannabis has been proven to reduce the number of seizures in patients suffering from epilepsy.

Three separate double-blind randomised controlled trials of pure CBD (CBD isolate) in children and young people with epilepsy have shown a reduction in the number of monthly seizures experienced by patients compared to those that received placebos. Additional studies have shown that it may also have an anti-epileptic effect in the epilepsies in general, not just in children and young adults.

As for patients suffering from Dravet syndrome, a complex epilepsy disorder experienced by children, it was found that children with severe epilepsy who were given between 0.9–2.3 grams of CBD oil per pound of body weight, saw a median reduction of their seizures of 36.5%.

Help With Epileptic Fits

CBD appears to have anticonvulsant properties, meaning that it helps prevent or reduce the severity of epileptic fits or other convulsions. What is the research behind this?

According to the Epilepsy Society, medical cannabis – a medicine that contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative and that is produced for medicinal use in humans – has been proven to reduce the number of seizures in patients suffering from epilepsy.

Three separate double-blind randomised controlled trials of pure CBD (CBD isolate) in children and young people with epilepsy have shown a reduction in the number of monthly seizures experienced by patients compared to those that received placebos. Additional studies have shown that it may also have an anti-epileptic effect in the epilepsies in general, not just in children and young adults.

Improve Heart Health

CBD appears to have anti-inflammatory properties, meaning that it helps reduce inflammation (redness, swelling, and pain) in the body.

But what is inflammation? Inflammation is a natural process occurring in your body whereby your white blood cells and what they produce, protect you from infection from bacteria and viruses.

However, in some people, their own body’s defense system (i.e. their immune system) is deregulated and triggers inflammation when there are no infection from bacteria or viruses to fight off. Called autoimmune diseases, they attack healthy tissues as if they were infected, causing damage to these tissues in the process.

Inflammation can either be acute (i.e. short-lived) and go away within a few hours or days, or chronic (i.e. long-lasting) and last for months or years.

Inflammation is known to lead to many heart related diseases, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) may cause shortness of breath or fluid buildup, inflammation of the small tubes that take air to your lungs may cause shortness of breath and inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis) may cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.

There is some evidence that CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and that it may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system, with CBD having direct actions on isolated arteries, causing both acute and time-dependent vasorelaxation (reduction of vascular tension).

According to existing studies, CBD protects against the vascular damage caused by a high glucose consumption (sugar), inflammation or the induction of type 2 diabetes in animals. It has also been proven to reduce the vascular hyperpermeability associated with such environments. Vascular hyperpermeability is the excessive leakage of fluid and proteins from blood vessels to the interstitial space which often leads to multiple organ failure resulting in patient death.

A common theme throughout these studies is the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effect of CBD. In the heart, in vivo CBD treatment protects against cardiomyopathy associated with diabetes.

Other studies have shown that CBD can have a protective effect on the heart. This was the case with one study showing the benefits of CBD in rats after a heart attack and in mice with heart damage associated with diabetes.

Studies also indicate that CBD may be beneficial for patients with high blood pressure.

One study of nine healthy men, who were given one dose of 600 mg of CBD oil, found that it reduced resting blood pressure, compared to patients who had received a placebo. The same study got the patients to go through a stress test to assess the impact of the test on their blood pressure. It found that patients who had received a single dose of 600 mg of CBD experienced a smaller blood pressure increase in comparison to those who had received the placebo.

This would suggest that CBD reduces the stress and anxiety of patients, ultimately leading to a lower blood pressure, even when put under a stressful situation.

Improve Your Sleep

Whilst the Mayo Clinic emphasies that most adults need seven to eight hours a night, nearly 23 per cent of people living in the UK only sleep between five and six hours at night. That’s an estimated 34.5 minutes less than the rest of the world.

Various conditions prevent people from getting a good night’s rest.

  • Insomnia – Studies in the UK show 31 per cent of adults have insomnia. Many consumers take CBD to reduce anxiety and high-stress levels. Anxious and racing thoughts are the leading cause of insomnia. Dr Herve Damas, an endocannabinoid expert, explains to Prevention Magazine, “CBD has been shown to have anxiety-relieving effects, and anxiety disorders can be a cause of insomnia.”
  • Circadian rhythm disorders – Fewer citizens in the UK have circadian rhythm disorders. Research is available about the potential benefits of CBD for CRD. As mentioned, the ECS helps regulate sleep cycles. The few participants in studies saw improved sleep with cannabidiol.
  • Restless legs syndrome – The few reports available show CBD may help consumers losing sleep to movement disorders. Medical researchers don’t know much about the cause of the condition. Many patients need narcotics to reduce the movements, which aren’t safe for long-term use.
  • Idiopathic hypersomnia – The uncommon disorder is dangerous because it leaves suffers groggy and sleepy nearly all the time. One study proposes that in the right doses, CBD can act as a wake-promoting agent.
  • Parasomnias – Another rare condition that causes people to complete tasks in their sleep, taking away from their rest, and putting them in potentially dangerous situations. Experts have been studying CBD and NREM sleep disorders for a few years. A 2014 report reviewed the connections between NREM sleep disorders, nocturnal seizures, and CBD. Researchers already know the value of CBD as a treatment for seizure disorders.

Most sleep disturbances occur because of stress and anxiety. Calming down the mind is the best way to help people who can’t fall asleep fast or stay asleep get the relief they need.

There is extensive research on the effectiveness of CBD oil when used to treat insomnia and improve sleep.

CBD works with the human body to increase calm, decrease stress, and lower anxiety levels. These responses indirectly improve your sleep. In the 1990s, researchers confirmed the body has an endocannabinoid system or ECS. Researchers have only found a link between the cannabinoids found in hemp with the ECS, making it an unusual reaction.

The ECS is a complex cell-signalling system consisting of endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors, and enzymes. Scientists believe it plays many roles, including maintaining balance in the body. When it comes to sleep, the ECS helps regulate sleep and sleep cycles. Also, relating to sleep, a potential function is boosting anandamide to reduce depression and anxiety.

The cannabinoid receptors interact with endocannabinoids and cannabinoids. The CB1 is located in the nervous system and brain. Additionally, the CB2 is found mostly in the immune system and most organs.

A recent surge in scientific publications has found preclinical and clinical evidence documenting value for CBD in some neuropsychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Evidence points toward a calming effect for CBD in the central nervous system.

In 2019, a large case series was published in the Permanente Journal about CBD’s calming effects on the central nervous system. The studies showed patients taking CBD saw lower anxiety levels, experienced less stress, and slept better at night. Additionally, most participants experienced no or few side effects.

How To Use CBD Oil?

Drops of CBD oil can be placed under the tongue and held there for 30 to 60 seconds before being swallowed. This allows the fastest absorption of the oil as sublingual use is faster than allowing the oil to progress through the digestive tract.

The oil may also be added to food and drinks before consumption, or alternatively, CBD oil can be directly applied to areas of the body to treat aches and pains, etc. This is more common with products that are specifically created for topical use, such as creams and balms.

How Much CBD Oil Should I Consume?

When using CBD oil for the first time, we would always recommend starting with a small dose and working your way up. Most people will start with a 3% or 6% sublingual oil taking 1 or 2 drops under the tongue (sublingual) and holding it there for at least 30 seconds so it can absorb into the bloodstream.

It is recommended to start with just 1 drop in the morning on an empty stomach to see how your body reacts to it. If you are not seeing any major benefits with a single drop, increase your intake by a single drop every 2 or 3 days until finding the right balance to treat your personal symptoms.

As a rule of thumb, a person weighting between 10.5 and 17 stones (approximately 150 and 240 lbs) may need between 18mg and 27mg of CBD per day depending on the severity of their symptoms.

How Many Drops of CBD Oil Should I Take?

Whilst it may be confusing at the beginning, it’s incredibly simple to work out how many drops of CBD oil you need to take depending on your daily requirements and the strength of the product you bought.

Most bottles of CBD oil contain 10ml of product and come in strengths ranging from 300mg to 2,400mg – also known as 3% and 24% CBD oils. This simply means that in a 1ml drop of the 300mg bottle, you will have 30mg of CBD, whilst the same 1ml of the 2,400mg bottle will give you 8 times that amount for a total of 240mg of CBD.

So assuming you need to hit 25mg of CBD per day with, you will need:

CBD / Bottle CBD / Drop # Drops
500mg 1.25mg 20 drops
1000mg 2.5mg 10 drops
1800mg 4.5mg 5.5 drops
2400mg 6.0mg 4 drops

Assuming you are using the 500mg CBD oil for a daily dose of 25mg, you will need to take approximately 20 drops per day (25mg divided by 1.25mg per drop). You could break this down throughout the day by taking 8 drops first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, 6 drops early afternoon and 6 drops at night before going to bed.

If however you bought the 2400mg CBD oil for a daily dose of 25mg, you would only need to take 4 drops per day (25mg divided by 6mg per drop), which you could also spread across the day – 2 in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

As with everything, start with a small amount of CBD oil daily to make sure there’s no reaction, then increase slowly by a drop every 1-2 days until finding the right balance

If you want to find out more check out our article about How Much CBD Should I Take?

How To Choose Quality CBD?

As with anything you ingest, the source and quality of your CBD products are important. We would always recommend looking at five main aspects before choosing your CBD gummies.

CBD Oil from Organic Hemp

Hemp can be grown in just the same way as any other plant – mass-produced and using pesticides and GMOs for the greatest profit, or grown organically with care and attention to provide a fantastic end product.

The best CBD is produced from organic hemp that has benefited from plenty of rain during the growing process. While hemp can physically be grown in many countries, it grows best when the temperature is in the low twenties Celsius. Therefore, the location of the hemp farm is important to ensure the optimum environmental factors are accommodated.

And seeing as cannabis plants can be stressed out by the weather, resulting in a higher THC content (above 0.2%), it’s important to ensure that your CBD oil comes from organic hemp which has been grown in the right part of the world.

Less Than 0.2% THC

Cannabis flowers and extracts usually contain two cannabinoids known as THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). Yet the exact percentage of each can vary greatly, depending on the plant variety and the growing technique used.

THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the high sensation, while CBD has been associated with health benefits.

The EU common agricultural policy states that cannabis plant can be grown for industrial uses, provided their THC content does not exceed 0.2 %. That’s in the plant, not in the CBD product you buy.

So when buying CBD oil from a shop or online retailer, be sure to check that their products contain less than 0.2% THC.

Clean Extraction Method

Once the hemp is grown and harvested, the CBD needs to be extracted from the plant. There are several methods for doing this, including the use of carbon dioxide (CO2). This produces the cleanest and purest CBD extract but can be expensive to do as the machinery required is not cheap.

Alternative methods include using solvents such as ethanol or plant oils (eg olive oil) to extract the CBD.

This can lead to less-pure CBD extract, as small amounts of solvent or oil can remain, although most companies using this type of extraction method will usually test their CBD extracts to ensure they are solvent free and safe to consume.

Tested by Independent Labs

Another thing we would recommend checking is whether or not your CBD oil has contaminants. That’s because cannabis plants readily absorb heavy metals, pesticides, and other potentially harmful chemicals that may be in the soil or water.

To ensure your CBD oil is free of those harmful chemicals, it should be tested frequently while the hemp is growing, and finished products should also be tested, using validated methods.

The extract should be tested and certified by a third-party laboratory to confirm the quality of the CBD. Organic CBD should be GMO-free, pesticide-free, and as pure as possible. In the UK and EU, CBD must register THC content of 0.2% or lower.

Most reputable companies selling CBD oil in the UK publish their lab results on their website. Below are a few examples of some of the CBD companies we have reviewed that play the transparency card with their customers and share their lab results for each batch of CBD they produce:

Strength to Match your Needs

Finally, the CBD level within any product should be of a suitable strength to match your needs. Every person is different and their body will respond in a slightly different way, so the level may partially be down to personal preference.

However, higher concentrations might be more suitable for treating different ailments to lower concentrations, and it is wise to check the level of CBD in every product you use.

As a rule of thumb, people looking to use CBD for sleep, anxiety, digestion, relaxation or stress might take between 10mg and 25mg of CBD daily and use the lowest strength (300mg to 600mg), whilst those using CBD as a pain relief for conditions such as severe arthritis, back pain or migraines may want to take 30mg to 50mg of CBD per day and use higher concentration products (1200mg to 2400mg).

So remember that CBD oil comes in different concentration and that this will impact how many drops you need to take – for example Blessed 500mg CBD oil (5%) contains 1.25mg of CBD per drop, whilst their 1800mg CBD oil (18%) contains 4.5mg of CBD per drop.

Take the CBD Quiz

If after reading this article, you are still unsure about what CBD oil is best for you, simply take our CBD Quiz which has been designed specifically to identify the product and strength that is best suited to your personal needs.

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Take the CBD Quiz

To see what CBD product is best for you.

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