Everything You Need To Know Before Buying CBD Oil

Maybe you’re considering a more holistic approach to medicine, or you just want to see what the buzz is about.

If you’re thinking about buying CBD oil, then this article is for you. I’m going to share with you everything you need to know before you shop.

Cannabis medicine works. It truly does. That’s why the medical marijuana movement is growing so fast. CBD oil is quickly becoming one of the most successful medicines in the industry.

Just like with any other medicine, it’s important to know all of the associated benefits and risks. As with anything else we put into our bodies, it’s vital to know what your cannabis medicine is made of and where it comes from.

As always, there are salesmen today that have zero qualms about pushing a product with misleading marketing. Uninformed consumers could easily fall prey to deceptive advertising of cannabis medicines. I don’t want that to happen to you.

Cannabis might seem complex, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m here to help people better understand cannabis as a medicine. I want to help people make well-informed decisions about the products they choose.

Consumer Questions

I get a lot of questions about medical marijuana, especially about CBD oil. Many people are just hearing about it for the first time. Those who know about it, for the most part, are still pretty confused. I want to change that.

Take some time to read our other articles on the topic to really learn more about CBD and cannabis as a medicine.

For now, this article is kind of like a crash course on buying CBD products. Here are some questions you need to consider about any CBD medicine before you buy it.

  • Who is the manufacturer?
  • What is the source?
  • How was it extracted?
  • Where’s the full-spectrum?
  • What’s the THC to CBD ratio?
  • Is it free from toxic contaminants?

Manufacturers

If you search for CBD oil on Google today, you’ll get nearly 16 million results in half a second. Every day, another cannabis company joins the already flooded market, hoping to hit the big time with their miracle cure-all cannabis medicines.

There is no doubt in my mind that cannabis is absolutely a powerful medicine. The list of conditions that CBD could be used to treat grows bigger every day.

However, you should be wary of those who would claim that CBD, or cannabis, could “cure” everything, or anything. It’s a safe treatment and possibly a great preventative medicine, but to call it a “cure” may be disingenuous.

That being said, many people will claim cannabis has cured their ailments. However, I advise you to watch out for marketing that seems too good to be true.

Hyped-up medicinal claims could mean that a manufacturer is compensating for a low-quality product. Manufacturing safe, quality medicine should be just as important as making profits, or perhaps even more important.

CBD Source

Manufacturers have found a loophole in federal law that essentially legalizes CBD. Hemp products can be sold nationally as long as they contain 0% THC and no more than 0.03% CBD.

These kinds of products are typically sourced from imported industrial hemp.

Industrial hemp is better used for seed, fiber, fuel, and other resources because it has very little CBD content. It grows tall and fibrous, resembling bamboo more than marijuana.

With such low cannabinoid levels, tons of industrial hemp is needed to produce minute amounts of cannabis extract.

Cannabis is also a natural bio-accumulator, meaning it absorbs things like heavy metals and radiation from its environment. Processing so much industrial hemp for such little extract means that the extract has a great risk of being contaminated with accumulated toxins.

Listed below are heavy metal toxins that have been found in CBD Oil sourced from industrial hemp.

  • Nickel
  • Selenium
  • Silver
  • Molybdenum
  • Arsenic

To learn more about how hemp oil, CBD oil, and how they entered the legal market follow my article linked here .

Cannabis is a plant with three known species: sativa, indica, and the lesser known, ruderalis. Hemp is the term for sativa varieties of cannabis that are generally low in THC.

For at least the past 50 years, medical marijuana growers have been selectively breeding varieties of hemp called high-CBD strains. These kinds of medical marijuana plants are what you want to source your extract from.

Extraction

Cannabis extract is best sourced from hemp grown specifically for its resinous flowers. The medicine is in the cannabinoid-rich resin. Extraction is the process of separating the desired resin from plant material.

There are many ways to extract medicine from the cannabis plant. You can even make some cannabis infusions at home. Check out my article on how to make your own infusions linked here .

Ideally, you want a cannabis medicine that has been sourced from organically-grown resinous flowers, preferably locally-grown and extracted to include a full-spectrum of terpenes and secondary cannabinoids.

Learn more about why full-spectrum CBD oil is important by checking out my article about the entourage effect, linked here .

The methods used to extract cannabis compounds are just as important as the source. Here’s why:

Large manufacturers of CBD oil could be using a number of extraction methods and equipment that can leave toxic chemical residues in your medicine.

This has been the case with RSHO Gold from HempMeds, who’s “Real Scientific Hemp Oil – Gold” was called into question by many patients, professionals, and the FDA.

Their hemp oil was found to have both heavy metals and chemical solvent residues such as hexane, pentane, butane, and ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate is the same thing as nail polish remover.

Ingredients, Analysis, and Regulation

Legal cannabis growers and producers are typically required to have their products tested. In most places, legal cannabis and products must test free of toxins like heavy metals, chemical residues, mold, or pesticides.

The majority of hemp oil and CBD products being sold nationally… Well they aren’t required to tell you what’s in their product. Or how it was sourced and extracted.

Don’t write off all CBD oil, though. There are reputable purveyors of clean cannabis medicine. They will often list their sources, ingredients, and methods of extraction. They’ll also give you a lab analysis of its chemical composition

Having a product analyzed for cannabinoid and terpene composition is important for knowing what affects the medicine will have. This is very important because, although normally predictable, each person will respond to cannabis uniquely.

Conclusion

My advice to anyone seeking clean non-contaminated CBD oil is start looking locally. Talk with a professional if you have access to a legal medical or recreational marijuana dispensary.

Many people still don’t have safe access to legal cannabis medicines. If you’re one of those, you can still find legal hemp oil online that is full-spectrum and toxin free.

Just make sure you ask the important questions, OK? I wish you the best of luck with your cannabis medicine shopping.

Join The Discussion

Have you tried any CBD or hemp oils? What’s been your experience shopping for cannabis medicines? Join the discussion and share your story in the comments section below.