Guide To High Quality CBD

Understanding the varieties and uses for CBD takes more than just reading a product label. Far from it, in fact, as nearly 70% of all CBD products are mislabeled. So how do we get our hands in good quality CBD?

Currently unregulated by the FDA, CBD products cannot legally be classified or labeled as supplements. They are also not subject to FDA content and labeling guidelines, putting particular pressure and responsibility on consumers to do their own research. Unfortunately, not all CBD products, brands, and manufacturers have the best interests of their customers in mind, and many of them would take advantage of the lack of official regulations. To put it simply, you are unlikely to find high-quality CBD at your local drugstore.

When considering adding CBD products into your medicine cabinet, the best place to start is identifying which dosage methods will work for you. Legal to purchase and use in all 50 states, hemp-derived CBD is subject to strict US guidelines for cultivation and extraction. CBD crystals derived in this way are 99% pure, THC-free, and has been shown to reduce pain and inflammation. Full-spectrum CBD, on the other hand, may contain traces of THC that are above the federal legal limit, though state laws may vary.

Oil, gel caps, and vaping are among the most popular methods of CBD dosing, but there are countless others as well to help meet a wide variety of needs and conditions. Targeted treatment for arthritis and joint pain may come from topical creams and salves, infused edibles release effects over the course of a few hours, even CBD infused patches release the effects through the skin without ever having to ingest a pill. No matter your conditions, limitations, or preference, there is likely a CBD product out there for you – but they are not all created equal.

Deciding on your preferred product type is only the beginning. Because of its unregulated status, quality and content of CBD products greatly vary. Before you buy, get to know the manufacturers first by identifying their farming practices, extraction methods, product standards, and most importantly, their participation in third-party product testing. Cannabis and hemp are bioaccumulators, a term to describe plants that absorb contaminant in their environments like pesticides and other pollutants.

American sourced CBD is not often classified as USDA, but it is subject to stringent safe-farming guidelines. Trustworthy manufactures will not only submit their finished products to independent lab testing, but they will also make the results available to customers. These results should reveal CBD content, THC content (if any), possible contaminants, and other ingredients. At the end of the day, high-quality CBD products from reliable manufacturers and retailers won’t be cheap, but it will likely prove to be more effective and safe among a sea of mislabeled and misleading “CBD” products.

For the average consumer, navigating the CBD industry and the products it offers can get confusing – here’s where to start. Detailed in this infographic is a deeper look into CBD production, how to find the right products for your needs, identify reliable manufacturers, and start feeling better.