What’s In Your CBD Oil? Making Sense of Lab Tests
If you’ve done any reading up at all on CBD oil, CBD vape liquids, or basically any CBD-based product for pain, anxiety, or depression relief, then you’ve likely heard something at some point about third-party lab reports. But what are they, and how do you read them?
If you don’t know how to read CBD oil third-party lab reports, worry not – we have you covered. We feel it is important to emphasize the importance of lab testing in manufacturing CBD goods.
So, let’s talk about why third-party lab reports are needed in the first place. Since the present-day cannabis industry is largely unregulated today, “manufacturers” and processors of the herb can pretty much get away with whatever they want in terms of how they label their products, what goes into their products, and what DOES NOT go into their products.
Naturally, this presents quite the mystery for the innocent patient or genuine customer who wants to find a good, safe, and effective product that will help them find relief from their specific condition.
As such, CBD third party lab reports are basically a means to provide an unbiased verification of what’s actually in the product that you’re buying. There have actually been CBD companies in the past who have gotten warning letters from the federal government for advertising “CBD” products that were randomly tested to contain practically nothing but coconut oil. When news came of this, it prompted both consumers and the “real” manufacturers alike to demand heightened transparency in terms of what’s actually in the product being sold. This is where the third-party labs come in.
So we wish to give you everything you need to know about buying top-quality CBD goods online without getting deceived.
Understanding Why Third Party Lab Testing Is So Important.....
Before you learn how to read CBD oil third-party lab reports, let’s focus on the essence of lab testing. Lab reports are generated by independent laboratories to check the overall quality of a given CBD product. Independent labs are more trustworthy, as they are fully responsible for the results, with no influence or input by the end retailer.
As the popularity of CBD oil keeps gaining pace across the world, quality controls are scant, to say the least. This, in turn, makes finding a reputable manufacturer a hard nut to crack these days. The market is flooded with a range of low-quality, unlabeled CBD products. Some of them contain no CBD at all, while others come with harmful synthetics to cut down on the manufacturing expenses.
So, when buying CBD oil, you need to take extra caution. CBD oil third party lab reports will tell you everything about the content of the product. Moreover, they also provide customers with the information of CBD concentration. A lab test result should also show the information about the presence of other cannabinoids. And to cut the long story short, lab reports reflect the content and the quality of the CBD oil you are researching – this is why they are paramount for your experience with Cannabidiol.
What to Look For in A CBD Lab Report
Now that you understand the importance of choosing a manufacturer who is open about its third-party lab reports, let’s go through the list of compounds that such a report carries so that you know what to look for in your lab sheet.
Potency
Simply put, potency reflects the exact amount of cannabinoids in a particular CBD product. Although cannabidiol is the main ingredient of all CBD-infused goods, it’s not the only active substance present in the hemp plant.
That being said, lab tests prove invaluable for determining the level of cannabinoids and the potency of the product. Many companies test their goods for the presence of CBD, CBDA, CBD, THC, THCA, CBG, and CBN.
CBD
It goes without saying that the level of CBD will be your main concern when reading a lab test report. The CBD content is fairly easy to read, and it is usually listed in mg/g or displayed in percentages. Of course, the more CBD, the stronger the oil, but there are also other factors that can impact the efficacy and potency of your product, such as bioavailability or ingestion method.
More concentrated CBD oil is better for people who need a greater influx of phytocannabinoids but cannot absorb that much liquid.
And don't count out the benefits of CBDa.
Other Cannabinoids
Like we said, CBD can be accompanied by a range of other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Based on the above, I am going to distinguish three types of CBD-infused products:
Isolates, which are often referred to as pure CBD. As you may have guessed, a CBD isolate contains nothing but Cannabidiol. No terpenes, no other cannabinoids – 100% of CBD.
BROAD-spectrum extracts. They contain a range of cannabinoids, but with no traces of THC.
FULL-spectrum extracts. They come with a wide range of cannabinoids, including THC, and a mix of terpenes. THC, however, comes in trace amounts – full spectrum hemp extracts carry less than 0.3% of THC for the US market, 0.2% for the international market.
Other cannabinoids, such as CBG, CBC, or CBN are found in CBD oil in smaller concentrations, but they still create a synergy with Cannabidiol and terpenes, which is known as the entourage effect. Often referred to as the whole-plant medicine, the entourage effect theory states that cannabinoids work together when they are in the presence of one another. Although science is scant on the entourage effect, hemp breeders and geneticists support the theory.
Microbes
Basically, it’s not advisable to have any microbes in your CBD oil, even though not all microbial organisms can cause harm to your health. If any ‘unwanted guests’ show up in the third-party report, you may want to consider changing your CBD supplier.
If you want to make sure your CBD oil is free of microbes, look for such positions as molds, salmonella, yeast, and E-coli. The result should indicate “None detected.”
Pesticides
Needless to say, a good-quality CBD product must be free of harmful pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or growth hormones that could give rise to an array of negative side effects.
If your lab test report shows any levels of the above substances, the product is a big no-no! On the other hand, when the report confirms that your CBD oil is pesticide-free, it means your manufacturer uses a legitimate source of hemp.
Always buy CBD oil that is 100% organic and free of pesticides.
Heavy Metals
Here’s a quick list of all heavy metals detectable by a third-party CBD oil lab test.
Arsenic, with the acceptable limit of 1.5 PPM
Cadmium, with the acceptable limit of 25 PPM
Mercury, with the acceptable limit of 15 PPM
Lead, with the acceptable limit of 5 PPM
These heavy metals are known to be dangerous for human health, which makes it obvious why you would like to check for their presence in the lab report.
Toxic Solvents
As a conscious customer, you probably know that a good CBD product should be entirely solvent-free, so whenever you grab for a CBD oil lab report, look for a detailed analysis of residual solvents. They are most often used to extract CBD from hemp and turn it into the oil. However, high concentrations of chemical solvents can cause serious health issues.
Don’t know how to read CBD oil third-party lab reports for the presence of chemical solvents? Make sure the lab report confirms the lack of any forms of glycols, especially propylene glycol (PG) or polyethylene glycol (PEG). These solvents break down to formaldehyde over time, a substance that has comes with a high risk of causing cancer.
Your best bet will be to stay away from such ingredients.
Final Thoughts On How to Read CBD Oil Third-Party Lab Reports
To wrap it all up, knowing how to read CBD oil third-party lab reports is essential for separating good-quality products from rip-offs. As long as you have a full understanding of the compounds that you should be looking for in CBD oil, reading a lab report is simple like a walk in the park.
When it all comes down to it, CBD third party lab reports are pretty straightforward and simple to read as long as you know the compounds that you should be looking for, and the ones you should likely expect to find in the raw material.
Now that you know how to read CBD oil third-party lab reports, go ahead and see if your CBD oil lives up to your standards.
Sources: https://www.epa.gov/regulatory-information-topic/regulatory-information-topic-pesticides
Written by: Scott Cook
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