Does your CBD actually contain CBD?
The biggest issue with CBD products is it’s hard to know if what you’re ingesting has the claimed amount of CBD or actually has any CBD in it.
So how can you tell?
Unfortunately, there is no easy consumer-friendly way to detect CBD. But there are a few ways you may want to test.
Can you find the Certificate of Analysis (COA)?
The best brands will always have a QR code or some way of linking to their Certificate of Analysis.
What does this do? It lists out the cannabinoids in your product, but it should also list that it’s been tested for pesticides, microbes, heavy metals, etc. You want to buy from companies that do a full panel of tests.
When looking at a COA you should see how many milligrams of CBD, CBG, CBN, or other cannabinoids that have been detected per milliliter. A standard 30mL dropper bottle will hold 1ml per dropper.
Example
In the example COA below you can see that this product contains 5.02 milligrams (mg) per milliliter (mL) of Cannabigerol (CBG). That means if you fill a standard 1mL dropper full you will get approximately 5 milligrams of CBG.
A Certificate of Analysis that this product contains 5.02 mg/mL of Cannabigerol
Unfortunately, not every company makes this document easy to find. So then what do you do?
You can get the lab test done yourself!
Ordering your own CBD lab tests
It seems crazy, but since the FDA market is not regulated, you may want to take the extra step and get a lab test done yourself. If you really need to know what’s in your oil, here are the steps you can take.
Repurpose or purchase a small tightly sealable container. Something that holds at least 1mL of oil and will not spill if you ship it!
Shake up your oil vigorously for at least 1 minute to get all the particulates mixed homogeneously.
Place at least a 1mL sample (a standard dropper full) into your container and seal.
Head to the internet and find your closest cannabis testing lab. In Massachusetts we like ProVerde Labs.
Fill out the form so it accurately reflects the product you are testing. E.g., CBD oil in MCT oil.
Select the type of tests you want to run (typically, each test is priced out separately).
Then pay. The going rate is around $50 for a simple cannabinoid profile test.
The preferred method is to drop off, but if you’re shipping non-THC oil use USPS.
Depending on how busy they are you can expect your results to come back in 2-10 business days.
It seems like a lot of work, but if you really want to know what you’re ingesting this is the most accurate way.
How to test CBD oil without spending money on a lab test?
If the company doesn’t supply an easy to access COA, you should just find a different provider. If you’re really bent on using the oil though, an alternative to purchasing a lab test is to simply try the product and see if it has a positive benefit.