CBD, or cannabinoid, has become one of the hottest health and wellness trends over the last few years. The markets are flooded with endless choices for us the consumers, which is great. But then, how should we choose?

Let’s be clear here – you are choosing to use CBD because you want it to bring you the health benefits it entails. Therefore, it is also important that you spend some time ensuring that the brand you choose will in fact offer you that benefit.

In the US and Europe, CBD products have become very popular over the last few years. Everyone seems to be jumping onto the bandwagon, and launching their own CBD products. When we decided to focus on CBD products, our deep dive tells us that about 80% of products out there do not quite fit our requirements as a quality product. Yes! 80%! That’s a high number for sure. Part of the reason is that the barrier to entry for a private label is relatively low, thus encouraging many smaller brands to sprout and join the trend, but may not have much regard for the quality of the product.

What criteria should we consider when choosing a CBD brand? Here are a few key areas to consider:

§  Extraction Method

§  Consistency in concentration of CBD

§  Formulation – ingredients in the product

§  Independent lab tests

Extraction method

As with most herbs, the extraction method makes or breaks the ingredient. High quality US hemp farms use hydroponic method to grow their hemp, which is a fully controlled farming method that produces hemp that will yield consistent quality hemp.

The brands that Berrybuzz carries use CO2 extraction method at a consistent temperature of -270° F which ensure that the CBD profile will not change. Yes! CBD is very sensitive to temperature changes during extraction. The CO2 will ensure this will not be the case.

Consistency / Formulation

CBD products come in different levels of concentration. If you are a user, you want your product to offer a consistent level of CBD per dose taken. The formulation process is an important one, or what other ingredients are added into the product besides CBD, as chemical reaction (both positive and negative) between ingredients can occur. After all, the higher the dose, the more it costs, so let’s ensure that it is right!

Besides CBD, many brands may add other ingredients from the hemp plant, or other ingredients like turmeric into the product. Check to ensure that these ingredients are what you are looking for.

Independent lab tests

A high quality CBD product will offer a detailed, independent lab test that will show you all the details you need to know, at batch level.

The basic inclusion will be the amount of CBD and THC (the psychoactive element) in the product. This is the basic requirement in most countries, and many lab reports stop at this (since it is expensive to test for other ingredients).

A good brand will offer a report that will also test for (non-detectable) contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, solvents and so on which will have a negative impact on the product and your health.

Some products will test for specific benefits, like the amount of antioxidants, omega 3  and so on – to back their claim that their products do actually offer these benefits.

Other accreditations include manufacturing in a GMP facility, or that the facility is subjected to credible independent audits, like ISO (International Organization for Standardization). In the US, the FDA does not approve any CBD products for supplemental use (since CBD is not considered as medical grade product except for treatment of epilepsy in the US).

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