What are the differences between high quality CBD and low-quality CBD? And is there a reason why one is better than the other?
How to Look Out for Low-Quality CBD
High Quality CBD - is it a matter of opinion or is there science behind it?
With the boom in popularity that CBD has experienced over the last few years, it comes as no surprise that a surge of low-quality products would follow. Sometimes the cheaper alternative is not necessarily better, CBD products that contain low-quality CBD may give unwanted side effects or no effect at all! It’s important to check out all the information about the CBD product you are looking to buy, before purchasing. Here’s what to look out for…
Where does the CBD come from?
All the best CBD products use hemp oil extracted from plants grown in the US. There are several reasons for this. Hemp farmers in the US are all licensed farmers and have complete transparency with how the plants are grown and processed. Others contain CBD imported from China or Eastern Europe where the same regulations that ensure the quality of your CBD don’t apply. As hemp is a hyperaccumulator type plant, it means it absorbs absolutely everything in the air and soil which leads to our next point.
Cali Greens CBD is sourced from sustainable Colorado farms that produce quality, organic hemp plants. We pride ourselves in sourcing organic CBD from only the most responsible farms in Colorado; one of the best places in the world to cultivate the hemp plant.
Organic hemp vs non-Organic hemp
If you think of organic, you automatically think of expensive food items that are usually half the size of other versions but it’s a lot more than that. Something grown organically means that the item was grown without the use of pesticides, man-made fertilisers and other chemicals that are sometimes used in farming. And for plants like the hemp plant that absorbs everything, those are the last things you want present in your CBD.
Low-quality CBD is often non-organic which means it may contain heavy metals and other toxins from the soil or be treated with pesticides that the hemp plant will soak up. So, you may be on the fence about eating organically but you most certainly want to make sure your CBD is organic.
How CBD is extracted
Once grown, the hemp plants are processed to extract the CBD from the plant to create the oil we are familiar with. The most common method used by reputable CBD companies that ensure high-quality CBD, is supercritical CO2 extraction. This method maintains the purity of CBD oil in an eco-friendly and non-toxic way.
Low-quality CBD is more likely to use a cheaper method that uses petroleum solvents to extract the compounds from the plant. This can leave petroleum-based residues in the CBD oil and can also lead to lower concentrations of CBD.
The presence of THC in CBD
When CBD is extracted from the cannabis plant, for it to be legally sold in the UK and many EU countries, it must contain less than 0.2% of THC, the psychoactive element of the plant. Low-quality CBD is likely to contain higher amounts of THC or, during the extraction process, remove many of the important nutrients also present in the hemp plant that work with CBD.
High-quality CBD should contain no more than 0.2% of THC and will likely also contain the other naturally occurring cannabinoids such as terpenes and more. These essential nutrients and compounds help to magnify the effect of CBD.
Full-Spectrum vs CBD Isolate
There are mainly two ways that CBD will be manufactured: full-spectrum or isolate, with a third type called broad spectrum that works as an in-between. Both have their pros and cons. Full-spectrum includes the whole plant which means it contains CBD, THC, terpenes, flavonoids and more. Isolate which is one of the most popular varieties due to the THC being completely isolated from the CBD, a necessity for retail in the UK market means this form contains only pure CBD.
Now some may argue that CBD isolate is of lower quality due to the lack of other cannabinoids. Primarily it means the CBD may not have as strong an effect as the full-spectrum version that promotes the entourage effect (where the other cannabinoids work together to produce better results). However, our Cali Greens CBD oil made from CBD isolate goes through an extra process after extraction. This process returns the flavonoids and terpenes to the oil so that you get the full effect of CBD without there being more than 0.2% of THC being present.
The key to making sure you end up with high-quality CBD is to ensure that you shop with reputable and clear businesses. A top-quality CBD brand will be able to provide lab reports of their products to ensure clarity in what their CBD contains. At Cali Greens, we test and record the results of each batch to ensure our products remain high-quality CBD products. You can view our test results for our products here.
