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How to read a label on CBD products
Having complete knowledge about your CBD product will lead to the highest quality positive experience. CBD products are becoming more and more popular, meaning that consumers should be paying more attention to the labels to make sure their product is exactly what they think it is. Unfortunately there has been an influx of low grade CBD products, through which companies essentially trick their customers into thinking their product is something it is not.
However, if you know how to read a label on CBD products, you won’t be caught out. There are several things to look out for on a CBD label, to help you know exactly what you are taking. In this article we will go through the components of a label on CBD products and what they mean for you.
Daily Dosage of CBD Products
There are a couple of ways to think about the daily dosage and potency of your CBD products. On the label you should see displayed a number in mg of the total amount of CBD in the entirety of this product. However, you will not be consuming the whole product at once, which is why you need to consult the recommended serving size on the label. This will let you know how many servings are in a bottle, and also the amount of CBD in each serving.
CBD extract specification for CBD Products
You might think that all CBD extract is the same, but this is not the case. There are actually 3 types of CBD extract:
- full spectrum CBD
- broad spectrum CBD
- isolate
CBD is one of over 100 cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Isolate extract takes only the CBD molecules, ending up with what was previously thought of as a purer product.
However, it was then revealed that keeping all the cannabinoids (as well as terpenes and flavonoids) together actually improved the extract’s effectiveness; this is known as the “entourage effect”. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive element found in marijuana. THC levels in industrial hemp (from which CBD is extracted) are extremely low, and legally must be less than 0.2%. Broad spectrum extract ensures that there is no THC present.
Batch number and manufacturing date of CBD Products
Displaying a batch number and manufacturing date of CBD Products offers transparency and trust to the consumer. Batch numbers show accountability on the manufacturers side, all batches can be traced in their laboratory testing, and if there are any issues - recalling a batch is easy. Without a batch number there is no way of tracing and tracking where a product has come from.
Dates are also incredibly important for knowing the quality of your CBD product. CBD can breakdown and become ineffective overtime, especially in certain conditions. The fresher the better, so check for the most recent date.
Ingredients for CBD Products
You want your CBD product to be as pure as possible. Of course, in CBD oils you will find the carrier oil listed in the ingredients, and this is an essential part, but look out for any additional chemicals which seem out of place. Another way in which customers are sometimes caught out is the use of hemp oil and hemp extract. Although they are both made from the same plant, hemp oil has no therapeutic properties, is much simpler to obtain, and is consequently much cheaper. Low grade operations sometimes try and mislead customers by labeling and pricing hemp oil as if it is CBD oil (which is also sometimes referred to as hemp extract).
If you have any doubts or concerns about how to read your label on CBD Products, even after reading this article, feel free to get in touch with your manufacturer with any concerns. As a general rule of thumb, the more transparent a company, the higher quality their operation. If it’s all good, then there’s nothing to hide!