You're looking for the most effective CBD oil because you need real relief, but how do you pick? After years of experimenting with different CBD oil products to help manage my chronic pain, and going through training to become a certified Medical THC and CBD Specialist, I’ve come to understand that it boils down to the CBD formulation. I'll also share a few tips and you'll be a pro in no time! Let's jump in.

My first tip is to be aware that nearly all of the terms CBD companies use to describe their products are empty buzzwords. This includes things like, “potent”, “extra-strength”, “strongest”, “clinical”, and so on. The CBD industry is currently unregulated so CBD oil companies can say whatever they want about their products, whether it’s accurate or not. Buzzwords may seem convincing but don't be fooled. It's just marketing babble.

Keep in mind that the hemp plant naturally produces over 400 chemical compounds (besides CBD). This includes things like other cannabinoids (e.g. THC), terpenes (what gives hemp its distinctive smell), and flavonoids (where the taste comes from). By themselves, these compounds offer therapeutic benefits. Working together, they produce additional benefits that are more robust and potent (THC is particularly valuable in this process). This is referred to as the "entourage effect" and it’s where the magic happens!

Let’s look at the main differences between the three CBD formulations - full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate:

• Full-spectrum oil has up to 0.3% THC, the legal limit. There’s little to no processing so it retains the most hemp plant material, and is often marketed as “full-plant”. It's got the best entourage effect and is the powerhouse of the three formulas.
• Broad-spectrum oil doesn’t contain THC although it can have up to 0.1%, and still be marketed as “THC free”. While the refinement process to remove the THC, often removes additional hemp plant material, it does have the entourage effect.
• Isolate is 99.99% pure CBD. It doesn’t have any THC, other cannabinoids, or any other hemp plant material. It’s literally the CBD chemical compound that’s been isolated, hence the name. This means there’s no entourage effect.

That being said, I want to be clear that CBD in any form, is potent medicine. For example, years ago, after successfully managing my chronic pain with full-spectrum oils, I accidentally ordered a CBD isolate. After a few weeks, I convinced myself that it was barely working. However, when I ran out, my pain levels shot through the roof and I could barely function!

Finally, I strongly recommend verifying what formula the CBD oil is by looking at the Certificate of Analysis (COA) lab test results. This will tell you exactly which cannabinoids are in the product, including THC, and how much (some companies do terpene testing as well). I’ve seen way too many examples of companies advertising full or broad-spectrum when it’s really an isolate, and vice-versa

Whew! That took a hot minute but now you can shop with confidence and avoid wasting your time and hard-earned money.