Don’t Get Burned: How to Tell If You’re Buying Real CBD

Products containing CBD are becoming more prominent in the mainstream market. You may have considered buying some for yourself. The hemp extract has the potential to relieve pain, anxiety, increase focus, and help with much more. 

However, as a beginner, you may find yourself lost trying to figure out which CBD products are authentic, genuinely beneficial, and choosing a formula suit you best. You also wonder what to expect when you do take it and how much you actually need. 

Reading and understanding CBD labels may be confusing for the first-timer. We’re here to help shed light on how to read most brands’ packaging to assist you and ensure we’re on the same page.

Understanding the CBD Labels on Your Products

The packaging will have basic information to help you decide if it’s the right option to fight your needs. While there aren’t any standardized CBD label requirements, most brands offer the same information vital to making purchasing decisions. The most common include,

• Potency (total MG per gummy)
• Formula (full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate)
• Total product weight or number of CBD gummies per container
• Ingredients
• Suggested serving size
• THC amount (Less than 0.3% THC per CBD gummy)

When choosing the product, pay attention to the additional ingredients. Our edible hemp extracts at Golf Gummies contain green tea extract and vitamin B12. 

Reviewing the Certificate of Analysis (COA)

At Golf Gummies, we always like to lead with the most important thing upfront. Although it’s not part of the CBD label, it’s essential to ALWAYS LOOK AT THE LAB REPORTS. Every credible CBD manufacturer takes pride in its levels of CBD and will post that on their site. 

It’s important on a few fronts, 

1. To make sure you’re actually buying the advertised amount of CBD
2. See levels of other Cannabinoids the product contains and
3. To make sure there are no impurities or higher levels of THC than you may desire.

The COA is completed at an independent lab that reviews the validity of the CBD gummies. The third-party facility checks for pesticides and other contaminants, such as heavy metals and residual solvents. It also certifies the potency and THC level. 

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is an active chemical component extracted from hemp (a cousin of cannabis). Cannabidiol (CBD) is one cannabinoid among hundreds found in plants. It’s essential to know the naturally occurring chemical component does not cause a “high.” Hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states thanks to the Farm Bill of 2018, which defined the difference between hemp and cannabis.

CBD vs. THC

Speaking of “high,” it’s important to know that the chemical component responsible for it is THC or tetrahydrocannabinol. CBD may be extracted from hemp and cannabis plants, while THC is primarily extracted from the cannabis plant. Only trace amounts of THC, less than 0.3%, are found in hemp.

Because of this difference, you have to remember that CBD extracted from cannabis plants may cause some psychoactive effects due to THC’s presence. But the small amount of THC in hemp extracted CBD gummies isn’t enough to produce a high. 

Apart from these two, there are at least 140 different cannabinoids in a hemp plant. Apart from cannabinoids, the two other critical compounds are flavonoids and terpenes.

Terpenes are credited for the distinct aroma and flavor of cannabis. They support cannabinoids in producing their desired therapeutic and health-boosting effects. 

Flavonoids are plant chemicals that are present in teas and fruits. They are similar to terpenes in that they are partly responsible for a plant’s aroma and flavor profile. Flavonoids may offer unique therapeutic effects to the user, such as an immune system boost and increasing resistance to disease. 

Why Do Golf Gummies CBD Labels list it as Hemp Extract?

You may wonder why Golf  Gummies CBD are labeled as hemp extract instead of being labeled as CBD.

CBD Oil and hemp extracts are typically one and the same, as long as they are derived from the hemp plant. They are derived from parts of the hemp plant known to have high concentrations of cannabidiol, which is responsible for anti-inflammatory effects and pain relief. BUT ALWAYS CHECK YOUR LAB REPORTS.

Full-Spectrum, Broad-Spectrum, CBD Isolate

Now that we have discussed the differences between hemp and cannabis and CBD vs. THC let’s talk about how products are classified according to the presence of these chemicals.

A is labeled as full spectrum when it has all the components: CBD, THC (although limited only to 0.3%), flavonoids, and terpenes. The CBD label reads broad-spectrum if it has all the chemical components, except for THC. Finally, as the name suggests, CBD isolate only contains CBD and is deemed the purest form of CBD. 

The Best Part

Now that you already know the basic definitions, the difference between CBD and THC, and CBD’s different classifications according to preparation, you may already know what kind of CBD product suits you best.

A legitimate CBD product should have a COA (Certificate of Analysis). This is proof that the CBD label matches the hemp extract in the container. It also means it’s gone through the necessary las testing to accurately determine its components. 

Without one, chances are, these products may not be accurately labeled (which happens 69% of the time). CBD Labels should always show the ingredients and potency and match the COA. 

Finally, you need to know you’re purchasing a hemp extract that contains CBD. There are brands on the market that claims to be hemp-derived. More often than not, these are products that claim to have CBD are misrepresentations of the real thing. Ensure that the label clearly states that it contains cannabidiol. Hemp extracts from hemp seed, hemp seed oil, or even Cannabis Sativa oil aren’t CBD-based gummies.

However, some CBD products may contain oils to stabilize and aid in absorbing CBD oils once ingested in the body. Grapeseed oil is one such oil that is commonly used, along with MCT oil, olive oil, and cold-pressed hemp seed oil. 

Potency and CBD Labels

As for concentrations and servings, there are usually two items with numbers found on labels.  The first is the amount of CBD present in the entire container. Next is the concentration per ml. 

For example, suppose the CBD label states 2000 milligrams. This number simply means that for the whole package, 2,000 milligrams are present (regardless of the container size.) Suppose you see something like 50mg/ml. In that case, that means that there are 50 milligrams of CBD incorporated for every milliliter of the product.