The Importance of Reading and Understanding CBD Lab Results
Watch the video below to learn how to:
- Find the lot number on products
- Find our lab results
- Read and understand our lab results
In a saturated marketplace, not all CBD products are created equal. Even though there are many positive anecdotes of CBD’s benefits, the industry is still largely unregulated. This can leave customers with lots of questions about the products they want to try.
How do you know if the product is safe? Does your CBD oil actually contain the amount of CBD it claims to have? What exactly is inside the CBD oils, topicals, and capsules you’re buying?
You can find the answers to all these questions with a lab report. If you can’t find third party lab reports on a company’s website, this can be a major red flag about the quality of their CBD.
At Head & Heal, we’re committed to total transparency from seed to bottle. That’s why we post our third party lab results for all our products. We grow our own hemp on our Certified Organic farm, so that we can ensure the highest possible quality from our plants to the final product.
These three steps will help you read and understand lab reports as you shop for safe, effective, and high quality CBD.
3 Steps to Understanding Lab Reports
1. Know the Different Types of CBD Products
Are you looking at an isolate, broad spectrum, or full spectrum CBD product? Each type of CBD will have different results on a lab report.
CBD Isolate:
Just like the name suggests, CBD isolate separates the CBD cannabinoid from other compounds in the hemp plant. This means a lab report should reveal virtually no traces of other compounds (like THC) and should show up to 99% of CBD.
Full Spectrum:
Full spectrum CBD will contain small amounts of other beneficial cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. It may contain traces of THC up to 0.3% (which is the legal limit from the 2018 Farm Bill and is not enough to create “intoxicating” effects).
At Head & Heal, we specialize in full spectrum organic CBD. There are a variety of methods for creating full spectrum CBD, which means there can be significant difference in the quality of different products.
All of our hemp is harvested by hand and hung dry, which preserves the intergrity of each bud and reduces the risk of microbial contamination. It may take longer for us to harvest hemp this way, but the extra effort is worth it, because the end product is rich in cannabinoids and terpenes that are lost in other methods of extraction.
Broad Spectrum:
Like full spectrum, broad spectrum CBD will contain trace amounts of other cannabinoids. Some studies suggest that these other compounds work with CBD to make it more effective, in a phenomenon known as the “entourage effect.”
However, some people are skeptical of ingesting the THC compound, either because they’re concerned about intoxication or drug tests.
Broad spectrum CBD goes through an additional process to eliminate the THC compound from the product. This means THC should not appear on a lab report for broad spectrum CBD.
2. Check the Cannabinoid Profile
A 2017 study showed that 26% of CBD products the researchers tested had less CBD than advertised. By checking the cannabinoid profile in lab reports, you can make sure you’re getting the amount of CBD you paid for.
The cannabinoid profile will show up near the top of most lab results. This can tell you the amount of each major cannabinoid in total percentage per volume, milligrams per milliliter, and total milligrams.
You can cross-reference the amount of CBD advertised in the product description with the total amount of CBD in the lab results to make sure you’re buying an effective product.
Here's an example from one of our lab results. At the top of the page you can see a general breakdown of the cannabinoid profile, including the amount of CBD and THC present. On the second page (below), you can see the full cannabinoid and terpene test results.
Try your hand at reading lab results here.
3. Watch Out for Contaminants and Toxins
If you’re hoping CBD will help you find relief and feel better, the last thing you’ll want to do for your health is ingest harmful contaminants and toxins. All third party lab results should show that the batch has passed all tests for pesticides, residual solvents, microbiological impurities, foreign materials, and heavy metals.
With an underregulated market, it’s sadly too easy for some companies to manufacture CBD in unsafe conditions, which means their customers may end up ingesting harmful contaminants and toxins. Lab reports are an important measure for consumer safety.
Our CBD is Certified Organic, so you can check out our lab results for an example of a clean, contaminant-free product.
Why Lab Results Matter: The Head & Heal Commitment to Quality
As a CBD customer, you have a right to know what’s going into or on your body when you use CBD. If a company isn’t willing to share their lab results or answer your questions about the safety and quality of their products, they may only be interested in making a profit and not supporting the health of their customers.
As a non-GMO, Certified Organic farm, our philosophy at Head & Heal is to support the health of both people and the planet. We produce sustainable and high quality CBD, starting with the hemp grown on our farm, all the way to the CBD oil, lotions, and capsules in your homes.
You can check out our lab results to see our commitment to creating clean, high quality CBD. If you have any questions about our products, reach out!
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