Knowing how to choose CBD edibles is no easy task for a novice. Properties, such as CBD potency, spectrum, THC content, and labels should all be taken into consideration. This guide will help you in choosing the right CBD oil by briefly examining the use cases, and pros and cons of each of these properties.
CBD potency
Potency, or strength, is the measure of how pure or diluted a CBD product is. Novices may be tempted to choose a low potency CBD edible if they’re apprehensive about the effects that CBD may have on their health. On the other hand, novices may also be likely to purchase high potency cbd edibles so they feel like they’re getting more value for money.
Neither extreme of the scale is ideal; the weaker potency products may not contain enough CBD to be detectable in your bloodstream, and the stronger potency products have been through more extensive chemical processing to achieve their strength, increasing the risk of contamination.
Instead of choosing one extreme or another, we recommend going for something in the middle potency range (a minimum of 35 mg) to ensure you’re getting a significant dose without risking ingesting impurities.
CBD isolate
CBD isolate is 100% pure product, which is chemically extracted from hemp plants. Isolate is most commonly found in a white powdered or crystalized form.
One common reason for purchasing CBD isolate is to test the benefits of CBD alone without the ambiguity of other ingredients being thrown into the mix; you’ll know for sure if it’s the CBD that’s helping or not without wondering if it’s anything else doing it. Purists may get turned off by the lengthy chemical extraction process required to produce CBD isolate, however.
Full-spectrum
In the context of CBD, ‘spectrum’ refers to the variety of different ingredients within a product. A CBD product described as full-spectrum contains the most ingredients compared to other CBD products. Full spectrum CBD edibles may contain:
- Essential oils.
- Cannabinol and other cannabinoids.
A full-spectrum CBD product’s large ingredient list makes it more likely that it will contain THC, however it will only be a proportion so tiny that it will have no psychoactive effects (up to 3%). As mentioned above in the CBD isolate section, you may feel benefits from a full-spectrum product but you’ll be less certain which ingredients are working – a problem that you won’t have when taking isolate instead.
Broad-spectrum
Broad-spectrum CBD products are almost indistinguishable from their full-spectrum counterparts. The key separation is that broad-spectrum CBD products contain less THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that produces the high feeling, than full-spectrum products, which have up to 0.3%.
THC content
While CBD edibles do contain THC, the proportion is often so small that even products on the stronger side (around 0.3% THC) won’t have any psychoactive effects similar to ingesting cannabis. Therefore, the THC content shouldn’t determine your choice of product unless you have negative reactions or allergies to THC.
Labels
It’s often a legal requirement that CBD product labels contain accurate and not misleading information. When examining a label look out for the following:
- Brand name.
- THC content.
- Expiry date.
Conclusion
Now you should be equipped with the knowledge necessary to purchase the most appropriate edible CBD products for your needs. Remember to take into account the potency, the spectrum, and less important, the THC content (unless allergic) before making your purchase from a CBD store, and you will be rewarded with a superior CBD experience.
