Shopping for CBD – 4 Questions You Should Always Ask

How Clean is Your CBD?

It’s important to know how your CBD is grown and treated when shopping for CBD. Not all CBD is created equal, and not all CBD is sourced from the same variety of the plant species Cannabis sativa. The hemp plant, from which legal CBD is extracted, is grown differently than the cannabis plant that naturally produces THC.

While they are both technically Cannabis sativa, hemp plants are a lower-resin plant and contain negligible amounts of THC.

There are many varieties of hemp grown for a range of uses, from commercial and industrial products like paper, rope, clothing, building materials and biofuel to cannabinoid rich extracts used primarily for topicals and ingestibles, part of the burgeoning CBD wellness market. The purity of CBD extracts is important, particularly when ingesting hemp-derived CBD.

When looking at CBD products, consider this: Hemp plants are classified as “phytoextractors,” meaning they can remove dangerous compounds from soil such as heavy metals or “hyper-accumulators” meaning they can grow in soils containing dangerous compounds and absorb them into their tissues.

Think of the hemp plant as a natural environmental vacuum cleaner, sucking pollutants out of the soil, things you might not want in your body. That’s why knowing that the CBD you purchase has been grown in a non-toxic soil is so important.

4 Questions You Should Always Ask When Shopping for CBD

1. How is the CBD you are Shopping for Grown?

When buying a CBD product “off the shelf,” whether at a retail store or online, think about the entire process of getting the product there – from seed to shelf. Look for how the hemp used to make a particular product was grown. You should be able to trace the origin of CBD or, if not obvious, be able to ask the company selling the product about it. Look for hemp that is grown naturally and free from harmful pesticides and herbicides.

Since CBD became legal with the Farm Bill of 2018, the best hemp farmers are cultivating premium hemp with superior plant genetics, and CBD consumers enjoy the benefits. High quality hemp generally means it is field grown precisely for better quality with an eye toward unique cannabinoid content. Better hemp cultivation means plants are more disease resistant and require less pesticides.

2. How is CBD you are Shopping for Extracted?

You can find out about the purity of hemp-derived CBD by first looking at the extraction method used in the production of the CBD products you’re purchasing and using. Extraction methods using propane, hexane, pentane, and butane are cheaper but can leave toxic residue. Ethanol extraction is considered a safer method for extracting CBD from plant matter. “Supercritical CO2 extraction” that uses carbon dioxide under high pressure with cold temperatures is even better to get a pure, potent, chemical-free product.

3. What Do the Test Results Say About the CBD you are Shopping For?

Look for actual CBD test results. CBD companies are not required to test their products – not for purity or for the amount of CBD present. Reputable companies invest in third-party laboratory testing for solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, and fungus as well as to confirm the concentration of CBD inside. Companies that test their products typically post a Certificate of Analysis or COA on their website to detail what’s in their CBD.

4. What Other Ingredients are in the CBD You are Shopping For?

Look for natural ingredients with no additives such as preservatives and fillers. The most effective CBD products are derived from the whole plant hemp to include other cannabinoids but no more than .3% of THC. Anything added to the products should be safe for consumption, inhalation or application and complementary to CBD and cannabinoids.

While these four questions alone aren’t all the questions you might need to ask to find out if a particular CBD product will work for you, they are the first questions you should be asking to ensure the products are created by people who have your health in mind.