Potential of CBD
The recently discovered therapeutic benefits of CBD for various psychotic conditions have made cannabidiol immensely popular worldwide. The evidence of countering effects of CBD against THC impairments and the potential therapeutic benefits in conditions like schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and substance abuse disorder have pushed cannabidiol from being seen as a taboo addictive drug into a possible miracle cure researchers have been searching for a long time. Results also show that CBD oil in UK is helpful for children and in curing lifestyle and other health problems like anxiety and insomnia. Many studies and research are still going on to understand the full medicinal properties of CBD.
Lack of Regulations in the CBD Industry
With the increasing interest of scientists and people in CBD, the rapidly flourishing CBD industry has its problems. Lack of regulations is one problem that allows bogus vendors with many inferior products and over-stated false claims to enter the market. These vendors pose a severe threat to the credibility of CBD as their inferior products will not only break customers’ trust, but they can be dangerous to their health as well.
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Risk of Contamination
Cannabis is a bioaccumulator, and therapeutic CBD oil is a concentrated solvent extract from cannabis flowers or leaves dissolved in edible oils. There are multiple types of solvents used by manufacturers. Solvents can be harmless organic solvents like ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, or harmful solvents like petroleum-ether and fluids of butane and CO2. It is known for its ability to absorb substances from its surroundings, including harmful elements. Moreover, when grown in unsafe conditions, it can readily absorb heavy metals and other contaminants from soil, dangerous for users.
What is Third-Party Testing?
Third-party testing means when the manufacturer sends their product to a third-party accredited, licensed laboratory for testing the quality, safety, and claims. As the third party is not affiliated with the manufacturing companies, they are not interested in any profit mongering by tempering the results or making false claims. Their tests are reliable, and they communicate the results they found.
Importance of Third-Party Testing
The studies and research on CBD are still going on. The use, composition, harvest, and sale laws vary between states and countries. In the UK, the USA, and Germany, CBD is technically legal for medicinal use. Still, manufacturers have to meet respective safety and quality standards. To maintain a transparent and trustworthy environment, many CBD oil vendors choose to get their products tested by a third party and publish the reports online for customers to see.
Third-Party Testing of CBD Oil
Taking a step toward making CBD a responsible industry, many cannabidiol manufacturers send a product sample to a separate (third-party) company for testing. Independent from the manufacturing company, the test outcomes are untampered and unbiased. You can find a third-party report or a Certificate of Analysis (COA) on the vendor’s website.
As already mentioned, hemp is highly prone to contamination, and extracting CBD oil itself is complex and prone to further contamination. So, a third-party test signifies the manufacturer’s credibility and reliability.
Various Tests of CBD Oil
A laboratory test of any cannabidiol checks its various aspects. While testing CBD Oil, the researcher tries the cannabidiol profile, Terpene profile, contaminations, and metal levels.
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Cannabidiol Profile
Any cannabis product contains myriads of cannabidiols in it. A cannabidiol profile of a cannabis product tells us about what cannabidiol is present in what quantity in the product. CBD oil might contain cannabidiols like THC, CBG, CBC, etc.
Avoiding THC
Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is a psychoactive compound responsible for causing the ‘high’ that cannabis users experience. THC is usually associated with an increased risk of psychotic disorders and SUD (Substance Use Disorder) in cannabis users. Studies also show that it causes cognitive impairments in cannabis users.THC and CBD both act opposite on the brain. While THC induced psychosis, CBD counters it.
While you are looking for cannabis products such as CBD oil that can be used in different ways, you must make sure that it has no to lowest THC concentration. In the UK, cannabidiols must contain less than 0.2% THC content.
Terpene Profile
Terpenes are the small aromatic compounds found in plants. They are responsible for the smell of the cannabis plant. Besides providing aroma to a plant, terpenes also have other therapeutic benefits like muscle relaxing, stimulating, sedating, and anti-nauseating properties. Terpenes are a powerful component of CBD. Its many benefits depend on terpenes, also enhancing the absorption of cannabidiol. While full-spectrum CBD might have low contents of THC in it, broad-spectrum CBD has no traces of it.
Contamination Tests
Heavy Metal Test
Hemp (cannabis) can readily absorb harmful substances from the environment and the soil and concentrate them in its leaves and stem. Heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury from soil can also get absorbed and stored in cannabis plants. A heavy metal test is necessary to check these metals’ traces in the products. If found, the test will determine whether the concentration is safe for human consumption or if it will cause any harm or not.
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Biological Contamination
Besides heavy metals, a contamination test of biological contaminants like bacteria, molds, fungi, and parasites is also essential. These contaminants can infect the cannabis plant. Thus, the final product extracted will also be contaminated. These biological contaminants can induce an allergic reaction in the user.
Pesticides Contamination
Pesticides used while harvesting hemp can also get absorbed and stored in stem and leaves. Pesticides above a certain level have toxic effects on the human body. They are known to cause cancer. It is a pass if the pesticide is not detectable in CBD oil.
Conclusion
The newly known therapeutic potential of CBD and its products like cbd tinctures, cbd oil, cbd gummies etc. is raising its popularity among people. But, in such an unregulated environment, this popularity comes with great responsibility—the responsibility of accountability and credibility. The CBD manufacturers and vendors are taking a step forward to provide evidence of their products’ quality, safety, and potency. It would help if you chose a trustworthy and reliable brand that offers a Certificate of Analysis of their products.