Do You Really Know What’s in Your CBD?
October 5, 2019
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to make it known that cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating component of cannabis, may not be one-hundred percent without risk. While the FDA has misled the public about pharmaceuticals and numerous other food and drug products in the past, it’s worth taking their word with a grain of salt, regarding the cannabis-related substance that’s been touted as a miracle drug.
The FDA has stated that they do not have a clear understanding of the health risks or benefits of CBD. However, the agency has also come out and reported that liver damage is a side effect that their studies have associated with CBD. During clinical trials for Epidiolex, an epilepsy drug, researchers linked the 98% CBD oil-based treatment to liver toxicity. A study from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found high doses of CBD caused liver damage in mice within a single day with many of the mice dead or near it within three to four days.
But the liver is mostly a filtration system for the body — so what exactly is it struggling to filter from CBD?
According to Amir Barzi, CEO of Rogue Valley Alliance Farms, an Oregon-based organic cannabis farm, there are several toxins that can be found in CBD products, some of which can originate from the growing process.
“Cannabis pulls directly from the soil,” says Barzi. “Pesticides, petrochemical residues, heavy metals, and anything you can think of, will work its way into the plant if the grower isn’t extremely attentive. The same way that people expect their food to be clean, for this industry to become fully legal, growers need to aim to be organic. We own a warehouse where we cure and dry other cannabis farms’ products. You wouldn’t believe the mold and stuff we see on it from the way it’s grown. It’s like serving a guest old meat at your restaurant.”
The CBD industry is still mostly unregulated, which leaves room for contamination of the product sold to the customer. Many manufacturers introduce preservatives, flavorings, thinning agents, coloring, and other non-cannabis substances into the CBD. After testing 84 products produced by 31 different companies, researchers found that roughly 70 percent of CBD products contain less of the substance than the label states. Contributing to the problem of mislabeling is the fact that companies are not required to adhere to a particular measurement. A CBD bottle can read a certain amount, yet it can be unclear if it means per ounce, per bottle, or per dose.
Barzi recommends searching for American-grown CBD products.
Having said what needs to be said, CBD can also have some pretty remarkable health benefits (whether the FDA wants to acknowledge them as proven or not) — so how can you make sure you’re getting them without ingesting the impurities?
“Almost half of the world’s commercial hemp is over in China and they have no restrictions to protect consumers or the environment in which product is grown in,” says Barzi. “Don’t be shy or hesitate to ask for third-party test results from any brand you’re thinking about putting in your body. There should be plenty of info on the sourcing and growing conditions and independent testing to verify the ingredients and lack of contaminants.”
Barzi also recommends checking to see if the product contains the actual amount of CBD the company claims.
“If they can’t get that right, all bets are off that they’ll provide honest results about their process and the impurities in their product,” adds Barzi. CanIDeal, the first fully-legal B2B cannabis e-commerce platform, has hundreds of CBD products that have been rated, reviewed, and filled out with descriptions, including third-party test results, and information about their growing process. Select CBD, for instance, is one of the CanIDeal-verified brands. Part of the issue with making sure your CBD is pure is the sheer amount of research that goes into checking it. However, platforms like CanIDeal reduce the inconvenience of having to hunt down information that should be readily available to begin with.