Rules for determining Quality CBD product: from having USDA organic seal, legal amount of THC, and making sure CBD product is made from the flower and not whole plant.
In the crowded marketplace of dietary supplements, it’s often hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. This is especially true for CBD products because the market for CBD is largely unregulated, and you can’t rely on the kind of oversight that supplements typically receive.
So, what should you be looking for when you’re shopping for CBD products? How can you quickly tell which ones are good, and which ones aren’t worth your month? CBD products aren’t cheap, and the price tag won’t say whether the product is worth it or not.
In order to make this simple, here are a few quick tips to determine the quality of a CBD product:
1, The USDA organic seal — At the federal level, the CBD market is basically unregulated. The only government body to certify CBD products is the USDA’s organic program. The USDA organic certification is the highest standard in American agricultural products. In this way, the USDA Organic seal is a symbol of trust.
Without the seal, there is no telling what could be in that CBD oil. The seal is difficult to earn and is the mark of a company that has done its due diligence and proven to a third-party certifier that every ingredient in their CBD product is organic.
To obtain this organic certification, a CBD producer must prove that the soil in which the hemp is grown has been free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers for three years, and that no synthetic materials have contaminated the soil since then. Additionally, every ingredient in the supply chain, including the carrier oil, is audited to prove they are organic.
Offering USDA certified organic CBD products isn’t easy. It takes time, money, and a whole lot of effort. But it’s how you know that a company appreciates how important it is for consumers to have confidence in the CBD oil they buy. There are thousands of CBD brands out there, but only a handful have obtained the USDA Organic seal.
2. Full Spectrum — When it comes to CBD, “full spectrum” means a hemp extract that contain a legal amount of THC, not more than 0.3 percent. Full spectrum CBD also contains other minor cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes, but generally speaking, “full spectrum” has become the term that means that the CBD product contains THC.
CBD products that do not contain THC are called “broad spectrum,” “THC-free,” or made with CBD isolate. These products are less effective than full spectrum CBD products because even a modest amount of THC can help CBD perform better inside the body. This happens because full spectrum CBD products maximize the effect of other cannabinoids through the “entourage effect.”
3. Flower Only, not Whole Plant — CBD products made from the hemp flower alone are rare in the CBD marketplace, even though they taste substantially better than products made with “whole plant” extract. Most CBD brands make their product using the whole plant — stalk, stems, leaves, and all. By making CBD this way, manufacturers can produce more extract, but it’s low quality and tastes bitter. That’s why most CBD oils require a cover flavor like peppermint.
How can you tell if a CBD product is made with “whole plant” or “flower only”? You can tell through two simple methods. First, on the back of the label, the hemp extract will be listed as “aerial parts” on the supplement facts panel. “Aerial parts” is a fancy way of saying every part of the plant that touches the air. The other way you can tell if it’s made with “whole plant” is if there’s a cover flavor like peppermint or citrus.
Put simply, if a CBD product requires added flavors, then it’s hiding the low quality of its hemp extract. A CBD product made from hemp flowers only doesn’t require a cover flavor because it tastes great naturally.
4. Put them all together — When it’s time to spend your hard-earned money on a CBD product keep those markers of quality products in mind as you browse. Whether you’re shopping for full-spectrum CBD gummies, CBD oil products or topical CBD creams and balms, they should all be USDA certified organic, full spectrum, and made with flower only extract.
When you follow these simple rules, you’re certain to buy the best CBD products available in America today.
