How to Find Quality CBD Products!

With the amount of CBD products available today, it’s hard to know what’s actually going to work. How do you tell a quality product from something that just says “CBD” on the packaging?

Here are some things you can look for to help you navigate the market and make sure you’re buying safely and supporting ethical companies. 


Non-GMO CBD

GMO (genetically modified organisms) refers to plants whose genes have been artificially altered. Through genetic engineering, scientists have been able to modify plant structures in ways that seem beneficial.
This includes getting rid of unwanted genes in plants, rather than naturally breed them out.
Or making them resistant to pesticides.

Some people believe that GMO is a good thing for hemp, mainly because you would be able to control and predict the amount of THC in a batch. This solves the problem of harvests “going hot” and suddenly having a THC level higher than the US legal standard of 0.3%.
On the surface, this would make CBD industry regulations easier. But there are still many concerns about using GMO hemp. 

Top Concerns With GMO Hemp

 Many GMO crops have been modified to prevent the plant from absorbing pesticides (“Roundup Ready” plants). But in that process, the nutrients of the plant become less potent.

This effect has been observed among several types of agriculture, with the small animals not being able to survive off of the nutrients of GMO crops. In fact, it’s considered a large part of why bees are dying out. 

Not only do GMO crops potentially harm the environment, but it would also allow big business to take over the industry. 

Say a small farmer worked for years, crossbreeding hemp to create the ideal plant that’s nutrient-rich and contains the right amount of THC to be legal…

But then, in a lab, a corporation artificially created the same strain, and patents it.

Suddenly, the plant is intellectual property, and the small farmer wouldn’t be able to profit off of their hard work.

A race to artificially create the most profitable, legal hemp encourages a game of quick wins, not necessarily what’s best for the earth.

We also don’t yet understand the long-term risks of GMOs in our diet. 
The research is unclear at this moment, with no agreements if it’s harmful or not harmful.

The American Cancer Society has done a lot of studies about the effects of GMOs, as many people remain suspicious that GMOs may be a cause of cancer. Although there’s no evidence it does cause cancer, they have not done studies to prove it does not cause cancer.

Since we can’t be sure about the consequences of GMO CBD on our health, we suggest sticking to non-GMO products. 

Third-party tested CBD

 The next thing you should look for in CBD products is third-party testing. Third-party testing keeps companies accountable and prevents them from taking advantage of a highly unregulated industry. 

Lack of regulations on the industry

Because CBD is newly legal in the US, the industry is still widely unregulated. Companies have been exposed for using shady practices to get bigger profits. This includes selling products made from cheap, low-quality, sometimes infected hemp. Or exaggerating a product to be more high-quality than it actually is.
You can protect yourself from false advertising by only buying from companies that offer third-party testing. If you call the lab and provide the batch number, they will give you the test results themselves so you can know you’re not getting duped. 

Testing for safety 

Third-party lab tests also test for the presence of heavy metals or pesticides.
Unfortunately, there are companies out there who would cut corners that much to buy and sell infected products to make more money.

There’s so much infected hemp because it’s also used as a phytoremediator.
Basically, it cleans the soil it’s been planted in.
It’s been used to rapidly heal the most toxic environments, like Chernobyl and other radioactive sites. 

Not that you’d be getting hemp straight from Chernobyl, but there are many places in the US where the soil contains heavy metals and pesticides. If you stick to third-party tested CBD, you can be confident you’re not putting any nasty toxins in or on your body. 

Non-isolate CBD

You may have heard that isolate is called the “purest form of CBD.” But the truth is, it’s missing a lot of the natural parts of the plant that also gives you health benefits. CBD isolate doesn’t contain some cannabinoids, the terpenes, and the flavonoids present in full-spectrum CBD.

​When you use full-spectrum CBD products, you get all of the health benefits from each part of the hemp. This is called the “entourage effect.” 

The entourage effect is when all parts of a plant work together for one, magnified therapeutic benefit. With CBD isolate, the taste, smell, and some effects are removed to get a “pure” form of CBD.

Think of it like eating an orange for vitamin C...but without the sharp scent you get when you first peel the orange, and without the energy you get just from the flavor. You’d still get the nutrients, but it’s just not the same.

We recommend full-spectrum CBD oil so you don’t miss any part of the synergy of the hemp plant.


CBD Oil From European Hemp  
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Many of the highest quality CBD products come from European hemp. Because they’ve had a thriving hemp industry for years, farmers aren’t under vague regulations like they are in the US. 

The soil in the mediterranean climate of Europe is very rich and nutrient dense. And since hemp farmers in Europe have more experience, they know how to rotate their crops to produce the richest harvest without using GMOs. 

We’re proud to source our CBD from European hemp for these reasons. 

Click here to learn more about our products and how we strive for the highest quality. 

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Sources 
https://straininsider.com/gmo-hemp-weed-of-the-future/ 
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/#:~:text=One%20specific%20concern%20is%20the,organ%20damage%2C%20or%20gene%20transfer. 
https://nutritionstudies.org/gmo-dangers-facts-you-need-to-know/ 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165946/ 
https://dailycbd.com/en/third-party-testing/