There is probably more poor-quality oil on the market than high-quality. when the oil is poor quality, it does not have the benefits that one is expecting and, in fact, could cause inflammation throughout the body.
Here are a few tips to help you buy a reliable industrial hemp CBD product:
color matters
Both the hemp and the marijuana plant are green. Therefore, the best CBD products will be green. This is the same issue for other plants such as stevia. The more processed the product, the more the color changes and becomes lighter. White colored CBD oil is a red flag for a product that has a lot of fillers. As the color turn farther away from its natural green it has fewer active chemicals.
field of dreams or nightmares
1986 was the year of the Chernobyl radiation disaster. Hemp was planted in the area to soak up the radiation. Hemp is a bio-accumulator, which means it will absorb anything in the ground. If it is planted on old chemical factory grounds it is almost guaranteed to have industrial waste. Finding out where the plant is grown is important. Countries outside of the United States have much stricter laws for organic status and non-allowable pesticides. Some state like Kentucky are turning tobacco farms into hemp farms. The hemp grown on these farms can end up with residue from the tobacco plant.
third party certification
A reputable company should be able to provide a certificate of analysis containing tests for chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, terpenes and a breakdown of the cannabinoids in the product. These tests should be conducted by a third party and not the company manufacturing the product. Without a third-party test there is no way to know if there are contaminants in the product. Heavy metals bio-accumulate in the body. If the product fails any of the tests the product could cause toxicity.
whole better than “some” parts
Full spectrum hemp products are much better than isolates. Full spectrum products contain all of the chemical constituents (THCV, delta9-THC, CBDV, CBG, CBN, CBC, THCA, CBDA, CBGA) in varying amounts, depending on growing conditions, not just the CBD. In traditional herbal practices the whole plant’s chemical constitutes are used and not one isolated chemical. All of the plant’s chemicals work synergistically to create the health outcome. In mice studies, full spectrum CBD oils were more effective than oils containing only a CBD isolate. Full spectrum CBD also contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, protein, chlorophyll, terpenes, flavonoids and fiber. Isolates only contain CBD.
legal battle ground: state vs federal government
On December 20, 2018 the Farm Bill was signed into law which put an end to hemp being considered a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA could no longer interfere with interstate commerce of hemp products that contain levels of THC at or below 0.03%. Although, this can be considered a victory under the new law, each individual state can still determine its own hemp regulation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to maintain the authority to regulate hemp containing ingestible products. As of February 2019, the FDA regulations prohibit CBD from being added to food and drink products. Many states including Maine, New York and Ohio, etc. have confiscated CBD products from restaurants and retailers selling candies, bakery products and drops for coffee. Under the current law a product that is added to food or drink must be approved by the FDA before it can be placed on the market. Currently, the FDA has only approved a cannabis-derived CBD pharmaceutical drug. Because of the flood of products on the market the FDA is getting pressure to reevaluate the entire hemp plant as “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).” The FDA has determined that hulled hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder and hemp seed oil (derived from the hemp seed) are GRAS. The other parts of the plant have not yet been approved. Although the hemp seed contains CBD, the amount is too minuscule to have any benefit.
avoid cbd oil “car” salespersons
Anyone selling CBD oil should know the products and the differences between each one they sell. They should also be well versed on clinical research. Should you wish to find out more about the product, the salesperson should be able to point you in the right direction. When using any supplement, it is important to have a high-quality product. A trained practitioner, not a sales clerk, can help you get the best products.
At Metro Integrative Pharmacy we have licensed practitioners on staff to help direct you to the best high-quality products for you.
Come in to Metro Integrative for a free consultation.
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