A cannabinoid found in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) was first isolated in the 1940s and chemically analyzed in the 1960s, although it has been studied for over 200 years. Today, it is increasingly marketed and used in oil form for its positive health effects. Indeed, many studies over the past few years have highlighted the relaxing, anxiolytic, analgesic and soothing properties of CBD oil. However, like any product, you have to know how to choose a good quality oil to make the most of its benefits.
For CBD oil to be legally sold in France, it must contain less than 0.3% THC – tetrahydrocannabinol being a psychoactive cannabinoid present in the cannabis plant. And thanks to numerous studies supporting the therapeutic benefits of CBD oil, more and more people are incorporating it into their daily lives.
It's not always easy for consumers to determine which CBD brands and product formulations are trustworthy. With the growing popularity of CBD oil, new brands and sellers are emerging every day with the promise of offering the best, high quality supplement. However, there are few, if any, regulations to help control and regulate these claims.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is an extract from cannabis plants. Although present in marijuana, CBD oil is most often extracted from agricultural hemp. This is because these cannabis strains contain less THC. CBD offers virtually the same health benefits as medical cannabis, making it more versatile and less controversial for users and political authorities.
However, quality matters:lower-grade CBD oil may not offer the same levels of benefits as higher-grade CBD oil due to a variety of factors, and it could even potentially contain harmful toxins. This is why quality is essential when choosing a good CBD oil. To help consumers form an opinion on CBD oil, there are various platforms to compare different brands. Two main criteria must be taken into account:the extraction process and the origin of the hemp.
Unfortunately, due to the young age of the CBD oil industry, there are no regulations that control the manufacturing process. This means that different brands of CBD may have different extraction methods in order to process CBD oil from hemp. Some companies, especially those selling their products at a ridiculously low price, may use cheap methods to extract CBD oil. This requires toxic solvents that are dangerous to our health, such as propane, hexane, pentane and butane.
Other companies use pharmaceutical grade organic ethanol to process CBD. Ethanol, which is essentially alcohol, is used to remove toxins and unnecessary residue from the base hemp plant. This extraction method is generally considered to be the extraction process that produces the highest amount of cannabinoids among the various refining processes, and is considered the safest method of extracting CBD for human consumption.
Additionally, CBD oil can be extracted and manufactured by “supercritical CO2 extraction”. This process involves using carbon dioxide under high pressure in an extremely cold environment. Supercritical CO2 extraction requires expensive equipment, a more complex refining process, and production expertise, but it ensures that the CBD oil maintains its purity throughout the process. This is the most recommended method for choosing a high quality oil.
Like any manufactured product, one of the best ways to ensure quality is to use high quality materials. This is particularly important in CBD oil due to the hemp plant's characteristic as a "hyperaccumulator". This means that the hemp plant easily absorbs whatever is present in the soil where it was grown. If a hemp plant grows in rich soil, the resulting plant will be of high quality and can also produce CBD oil of the same quality.
Being a hyperaccumulator also has drawbacks:if a hemp plant used in the production of CBD oil was grown in soil rich in heavy metals such as mercury and lead, the resulting oils will also reflect the amount of heavy metals absorbed by the plant, which makes it dangerous for humans, especially children or others who are very vulnerable to toxins.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers choose to buy low-quality hemp to process into CBD oil, and that hemp can be polluted with heavy metals. These manufacturers only have profit in mind and do not care about the possible consequences of their products. To ensure the best quality before buying your CBD oil, checking the origin of the hemp plants is strongly recommended.
