Hemp oil and CBD have taken the country by storm. With so many different available products, it's hard to know where to begin. The key is looking for safety, efficacy, and guidance.
1. Hemp oil can contain contaminants, so be sure to verify testing
Hemp products often contain contaminants which can be pulled from the soil or introduced in processing. To be sure that your product does not contain toxins, look for third-party testing, which credible companies publicly share. These test verify the absence of common chemicals, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
In addition, know where your Hemp comes from and how it is processed. For instance, Bace only uses Hemp from a single farm in Colorado employing organic farming practices. The soil is tested for potential contaminants which could make it into the final product. Bace uses a 100% natural extraction process, which does not utilize any foreign chemicals. Each batch is triple-tested and results are publicly shared.
2. Make sure it's full-spectrum
Hemp contains over 400 valuable phytonutrients, including a group of compounds called "cannabinoids", such as CBD. When looking for a new product, it's important to ensure the product is "full-spectrum". This means the hemp oil is made using the whole hemp plant and extracted to maintain all of the phytonutrients. Scientists have named the benefits of whole plant extract the "entourage effect", as the nutrients work better together than isolated. To verify that a product is full-spectrum, ensure that it contains minor cannabinoids, such as CBG, CBC, and CBDV. These cannabinoids should appear on publicly available test results.
3. Ensure the product includes guidance
With hemp extract, finding your ideal strength is a challenge. This is because hemp is "biphasic" - meaning, benefits diminish if the strength is either too low or too high. That's why it's important to find your ideal strength when starting with hemp. Standard practitioner guidance is to "start low, and go slow". By slowly increasing strength over a series of a week and recording your response, you can find your optimal strength and understand how different strengths impact your body. Bace makes this experience simple, by providing a starter kit which includes a 7-day guided program and journal for recording your response.
We hope this helps you get started with hemp. While it can feel overwhelming, it's easy if you know what to look for.