By: Keri Haugse
With the potential for so many health benefits, the CBD industry continues to develop at an extremely fast pace with a growing consumer base.
Everyday, there are new brands entering the market -hoping to profit from the public’s renewed interest in cannabis products.
With so many brands and products to chose from, (not to mention a lack of oversight by the FDA), the onus is on the individual to get to know the brand and make sure they’re offering safe, high quality products.
To help you out, we’ve complied the three most important elements to look for when shopping for CBD.
Buy Organic and Non-GMO CBD
It is important to know where the company is sourcing their CBD.
Hemp is a bio-accumulator, meaning it absorbs compounds from the soil around it.
This makes it critical that brands extract CBD from organically grown, non-GMO Hemp plants.
When you’re shopping for CBD, look for brands that source domestically-grown hemp (grown in states like California, New Mexico, Colorado, New York, Oregon, and Vermont).
Hemp grown in the U.S. is generally safer than hemp grown overseas. Also look for labels such as Organic and Non-GMO.
Look for Companies with Transparent Sourcing and Farming Practices
If the company is using organic, non-GMO hemp from American farms, it is likely they will tell you that on their website.
It should be a big red flag if the brand you’re buying from makes no mention of where they source their hemp or makes no mention of their farming practices.
The safest brands to buy from are the most transparent ones.
Transparent companies generally have some type of oversight over their entire production process -from seed to shelf.
Meaning they may own the farm growing the hemp, or they may have a very close relationship with a reputable farm and regularly conduct their own due diligence.
For example, the brand FOCL takes a hands on approach to the creation of their product. In 2019, they planted their own hemp farm in the enchanting state of New Mexico.
Their 120-acre farm makes use of organic soil and the best buds are hand- selected during harvest.
FOCL also works with other organic and family-owned farms in the United States to source all the cannabidiol needed to make FOCL products.
Make Sure The Company Uses A Co2 Extraction Process
Look for companies that use a Co2 (oxygen) extraction process. Co2 extraction creates a clean, high quality oil that is safe to produce with little-to-no post-processing.
This is extremely important because if the CBD is not extracted using Co2, it’s extracted using a butane- or ethanol-based process.
The chemicals used in the extraction process could contaminate the product and may require many hours to purge the solvent trapped in the oil.
Co2 is currently the only non-toxic extraction process, ensuring the purest product.
Check out Their Certificate Of Analysis (COA)
Any reputable brand will make their Certificate of Analysis readily available on their website.
If they choose not to link to it on their product page, then it should be available by request via their customer service team.
The Certificate of Analysis (COA) is proof that a third party lab has tested the company’s product and provided a chemical breakdown of their CBD to ensure potency.
Make sure that the level of CBD shown in the report matches the potency of CBD promised in the product.
You can also check the COA for any possible contaminants or toxins.
A presence of toxic compounds may indicate the Hemp was grown using pesticides or extracted using butane or ethanol.
For an example of COA, you can check out FOCL’s website. FOCL tests every batch of their products to ensure quality and consistency.
You can find the third-party test results for all FOCL products on individual product pages.
Now that you know how to buy CBD, you can decide how you want to consume it.
From pill format, to tinctures, to topicals, there are multiple ways to consume CBD.
Because our bodies absorb and process CBD in different ways, it’s mostly a matter of personal preference.
Tinctures, however, are one of the most efficient ways to take CBD.
The effects are generally felt in as little as 10 minutes to an hour. It all depends on the person and dosage.
CBD Tinctures come with measured droppers and thus allow for a very consistent dose.
To use a tincture, you simply squeeze the desired amount under your tongue. For optimal absorption, try to hold the liquid under your tongue for at least 30 seconds.
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Keri is a lawyer by trade and left her job in finance to start West of Wild, a digital publication dedicated to helping women optimize their lifestyle. She has an LL.M. in Media & Entertainment from Pepperdine School of Law.