Understanding the Ingredients in CBD Products and What to Pay Attention To
If you’re new to CBD and you’re looking for CBD oil products, it’s important to check out the ingredients listed on the labels of the products before you purchase because not every CBD oil product is made up of purely natural ingredients. Therefore, one should be mindful of what he/she is buying.
The Food and Drug Administration also hasn’t approved the CBD products so the consumer has to research to check if the product is genuine or not. This guide will help you in understanding the ingredients present in CBD and what you should look for before you make your perfect purchase.
Check your Cannabis Vocabulary
- Difference between CBD and THC
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two different types of cannabinoids that interact with your body to achieve physiological effects. CBD is safer as compared to THC since it doesn’t have a psychoactive reaction, whereas THC can get you high as it’s found in marijuana plants in high concentrations.
Both compounds have similar chemical structures but different effects on your body.
- Difference between Hemp and Marijuana
Hemp and Marijuana both belong to the same family of cannabis plants. However, the major difference lies in the percentage of THC found in the plants. The hemp plants have 0.3% of THC, while, marijuana contains a higher percentage of THC.
CBD can either be extracted from hemp or marijuana. Depending on the laws in your country, you can purchase both of them or you may have access to anyone kind of CBD product. It’s important to understand the difference between hemp and marijuana since marijuana-based products can have a psychoactive effect, unlike hemp-based products.
Remember both CBD and THC should be used in combination instead of using them separately.
- What is Full-spectrum, Broad-spectrum, and Isolate?
The next thing you should look for is how the CBD oil is extracted. If a product has the label full-spectrum, it means that the product contains natural ingredients of the cannabis plant and a fewer concentration of THC. In broad-spectrum, there is no trace of THC and lastly, CBD isolate, is the purest form of CBD free from THC and other cannabinoids. Research says that CBD oil is more effective when it has more than one ingredient.
It’s up to you which one do you prefer to choose. Some people go for CBD isolate because they are scentless and tasteless and doesn’t include other compounds other than CBD.
Understand the ingredients that come from hemp – Terpenes, flavonoids, and Cannabinoids
The cannabis plants consist of more than a hundred compounds, out of which cannabinoids, flavonoids and Terpenes are used in the products. Here is what you should know about the three ingredients:
Cannabinoids like THC and CBD are chemical compounds that work on the Endocannabinoid system of your body which checks up on your nervous system and immune system.
Terpenes are organic compounds that are produced by plants. They are well known for the distinct scents in perfumes and essential oils. In the cannabis plant, there are 120 terpenes which is what gives cannabis it’s distinct smell and taste.
flavonoids are a diverse group of phytonutrients. they are commonly found in green tea and almost all fruits and vegetables. These flavonoids make up the largest group of phytonutrients consisting of 6000 types. In the cannabis plant, there are around 20 varieties of these flavonoids.
Final Checklist
Before you’re buying the product, make sure you check the label of the product and see the ingredients. You need to ensure that the product does include CBD. If you see hemp-extract on the label, it means that it does contain CBD.
However, if there is no mention of CBD/hemp extract and lists hempseed oil/hemp seeds, the product doesn’t have CBD as these ingredients are different.
The main ingredients found in the product are MCT oil, olive oil, and grape seed oil that are used to preserve the CBD oil and allows your body to absorb it. Best is if you chose the CBD oil that contains these core ingredients.
Lastly, you will want to check if your product has been lab-tested for CBD content. This information should be readily available on the product itself or the website.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/reading-a-cbd-label#ingredients
