Are You Making these 6 Common CBD Mistakes ?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is quickly becoming the most talked about ingredient of 2020. Even Virginia (our home state) recently announced that it will invest in a large scale hemp extraction facility that plans on purchasing over $30 million worth of raw hemp material. But the rise of popularity and use of CBD indicates the potential increase in misuse and mistakes in the industry…
Here are 6 common mistakes you may be making when purchasing and consuming CBD products & how to correct them:
1. Buying CBD off Amazon, eBay, or online marketplaces
Majority of us may find online corporations to be trustworthy, however when we shop on these marketplace platforms we’re typically not buying from the company but rather third-party sellers. These third-party sellers may be unverified and would be violating their Amazon’s Sellers Terms of Service by selling CBD on Amazon’s platform.
In addition to purchasing from an unreputable company, you may not even end up receiving CBD! There ha
ve been numerous accounts of Amazon and eBay sellers offering counterfeit CBD products, which only contain hemp seed oil. Hemp seed oil contains no CBD and is used mostly for cooking. These scheming online salesmen will attempt to cover this up with vague and misleading descriptions.
This is why it’s important to only purchase from CBD sellers who publicly display their Certification of Analysis (COA) from a third party lab, such as CBD Livity. COAs will inform you on exactly what’s in the product you’re purchasing from batch potency to unwanted metals.
2. Intial Dosing
CBD affects everyone on an individualized scale, which is based on a number of different factors including weight, severity of condition, and body chemistry, so it’s important to understand that there is not a perfect dose that fits all. When beginning your CBD journey it’s essential to start at a low dose and gradually increase dosages to find your CBD “sweet spot” that works with these subjective factors.
Often CBD beginners will enthusiastically consume too much sublingual, gummies, or other CBD products without properly gauging their tolerance and the unique effect it will have with their body chemistry. While you are unable to overdose on CBD, since it’s non-toxic and our bodies have a capacity to only absorb a certain amount, taking an excessive amount (especially on your initial dose) may lead to negative side effects such as sleepiness and/or headaches.
We suggest starting at half of the recommended dose then gradually increase.
3. Consumption Technique
Sublinguals are one of the most popular ways to consume CBD due to the medium’s high bioavailability, or the absorption rate of CBD that actually enters your bloodstream. Since CBD oil soaks into your mucous membranes in your mouth, if you immediately swallow or place it on your tongue you may not be getting the full effect. Mucous membranes are located in the bottom of your mouth (not on the tongue) and need at least 60 to 90 seconds to be fully absorbed.
Additionally, don’t expect the same bioavailability effectiveness for all oral CBD methods, especially gummies and capsules, which have a relatively low absorption rate. CBD edibles enter the bloodstream only after going through the digestive tract resulting in a weaker, delayed effect in comparison to sublinguals.
4. Spectrum of Product
The cannabinoid spectrum is vast with chemicals including CBD, CBG, CBN and THC plus the added essences of terpenes, flavonoids and cannaflavins. Hemp has the ability to create an array of spectrum products to meet varying consumer needs, so it’s essential that you’re able to select the correct spectrum that will address your concerns.
Full Spectrum – Includes all of the natural hemp plant and cannabinoids, with a THC content cap <0.3% (which could still potentially engender a nominal psychoactive response in sensitive individuals). The combination of naturally occurring compounds produce a synergistic effect in the body aimed at balancing the endocannabinoid system, often called the “entourage effect”. Full spectrum is often favored by consumers with more severe conditions.
Broad Spectrum – A THC free, third-party tested alternative to full-spectrum. Broad spectrum has all of the natural compounds and essences that assist in anti-inflammation, anti-anxiety, etc. but it does interact with the body chemistry slightly differently due to the extraction of a natural compound. It is great for those who are prone to anxiety and/or concerned about drug testing due to the absence of THC.
CBD Livity’s Synergy + Broad Spectrum Oil
Some companies may claim that their broad spectrum is THC free but could still contain <3% THC! Additionally they may use isolated cannabinoids and terpenes to create their own “broad spectrum” formula which wouldn’t be naturally occurring. That is why it’s crucial l to check a product’s COA before purchasing to ensure that you’re getting what you asked for.
We create our own Broad Spectrum Oil with the raw hemp substances that contain naturally occurring cannabinoids and terpenes and then simply remove THC from the batch.
Isolate – High quality isolate is comprised of over 99% pure CBD and free from terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids. There are currently studies being conducted over whether CBD concentration heightens the beneficial properties of CBD. Isolate has become the preferred CBD spectrum for those whose body chemistry interact well with CBD but not other cannabinoids.
Our Synergy Elixir, Synergy + Broad Spectrum Elixir, 70-90% CBD Distillate, and 99% CBD Isolate are all great options that contain no THC.
CBD Livity 70-90% Distillate
CBD Livity 99% CBD Isolate
5. Batch Lab Reports
To ensure you’re receiving the same quality of product each time, it’s important to review a CBD’s company batch lab report to understand any shifts in product potency and levels of cannabinoids and terpenes. These reports are crucial in comprehending a brand’s consistency in CBD production and the effect that specific batch will have on you.
Virginia legislation has just recently been updated requiring batch lab reports to be public to provide transparency of the authenticity of each product batch. CBD Livity plans to release our batch lab reports in the upcoming months so be sure to verify those once they’re available!
6. Adjusting Expectations
While CBD is an effective ingredient to relieve discomfort, anxiety, or a number of different concerns, it may take time for new users to really experience it’s healing effects. Only a handful of users will report feeling immediate benefits which will often taper off quickly. As mentioned before, CBD is a chemical that affects each person’s body chemistry differently.
It may ultimately take up to 2 weeks for first time users to feel the full effects of CBD because the benefits are initially subtle. It may even take skipping a dose to realize a recurrence of a symptom. With CBD, it’s often about what you are no longer feeling rather than what you expect to feel!
We encourage you to discuss CBD with your physician or healthcare practitioner if you have any specific health related questions or concerns. There are also many independent research studies about CBD available on the internet.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease.