CBD Oil Review: Your Buyer’s Guide To Making The Right Decision

You’re a savvy consumer and want the best CBD education so you can make an informed decision about your health. 

Sifting through all the CBD oil reviews online feels a bit daunting, so we’ve put together this trusty guide to help you better understand CBD oil usage, efficacy, dosage, quality, and benefits. 

This step-by-step review of CBD oil leaves no stone unturned, my friend. Armed with the right tools in your belt, you’ll be a CBD Jedi in no time!

What Is CBD?

Before we geek out on the science…

In short, CBD is a natural compound extracted from the hemp plant with numerous science-based medical benefits. 

The rise in legal medical cannabis use has led to a massive boost in popularity for CBD oil. You may feel confused whether CBD is the same thing as marijuana and whether or not it’s safe to use.

To get to the heart of why Feel Good CBD loves this little compound so much, it’s essential to understand CBD is a 100% naturally-occurring cannabinoid located within the cannabis plant—which means high-quality CBD oils use only the best ingredients and processes to preserve the nature of extract. 

Plenty of other cannabinoids reside inside this plant including THCV, CBC, CBG (and over 100 others), but they have less medical benefits than CBD, which has the most benefits of any cannabinoid.

Fun fact: THC and CBD, the two cannabinoids used for medical purposes, make up about 90% of the total cannabinoid content studied in this medicinal plant.

Cannabidiol or CBD is a non-psychoactive component (meaning it won’t get you high like THC) of the cannabis plant. Extensive pre-clinical research and various clinical studies show CBD has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective qualities. 

CBD oil is extracted from the cannabis plant using various methods like CO2 or coconut oil. 

CBD with less than 0.3% THC is derived from hemp, while CBD oil that has more than 0.3% THC (psychoactive ingredient) is extracted from cannabis.

Any CBD oil from hemp can be purchased online, but products with a higher THC content must legally be bought in a certified dispensary. 

When reviewing CBD hemp oil options, you will find products that are either full spectrum, broad spectrum or isolate. 

Full spectrum products (also known as “whole plant” products) include naturally-occurring cannabinoids and terpenes along with trace amounts of THC (up to the 0.3% legal limit). 

Broad spectrum CBD products include other cannabinoids and terpenes in addition to CBD but have 0% THC. 

Isolate products are from pure CBD so do not have any other cannabinoids or terpenes.

If you are subject to drug testing, broad spectrum or isolate products are the way to go since they do not contain detectable levels of THC, according to manufacturer labels.

What Are The Benefits of CBD?

How does CBD benefit thee? Let us count the ways! The non-trippy quality of CBD is appealing to many, but the health-assisting superpowers can’t be overlooked. 

These are several of the science-backed benefits CBD oil offers:

Pain relief– Though pain-relieving properties of cannabis have been known for centuries, recent studies show CBD can help you say buh-bye to pain. 

Your body has the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which has a hand in regulating a variety of functions including sleep, appetite control, plus pain and immune system response.

Endocannabinoids produced in your body are neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors in your nervous system.

Research shows CBD may help reduce chronic pain by impacting endocannabinoid receptor activity, reducing inflammation and interacting with neurotransmitters.

Neat! 

Anxiety and depression management– Remember those little endocannabinoids we are so fond of? These compounds bind to specific brain cell receptors, potentiating the actions of serotonin— our natural mood-booster and stress-buster. 

A study published in the Journal of Pain Research tested therapeutic CBD doses of 600mg against a placebo. The results showed those receiving CBD oil had significantly less anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in their performance, compared to the placebo group.

We think CBD is the bee’s knees for mood-boosting! 

Sooth cancer-related symptoms– When reviewing CBD oil and its effects on cancer treatment, we found a study published in The Journal of Pain Management that gave CBD and THC to 177 people with cancer-related pain who saw no relief from standard pain medications. 

Patients treated with both CBD and THC experienced a significant reduction in pain compared to those who only took THC. 

Not only has CBD combatted pain in cancer patients, but it also wards off nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy drugs. 

The British Journal of Pharmacology treated patients undergoing chemotherapy with a one-to-one combination of CBD and THC administered via mouth spray. Patients reported reduced chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting compared to the standard treatment administered by their healthcare providers. 

Reduce risk and manage diabetic symptoms– Consumers and researchers alike give three cheers to CBD oil in the prevention and management of diabetic symptoms. 

One study published by The National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health strongly suggests CBD may have “great therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic complications” by restricting oxidative and nitrative stress, which is considered the leading cause of chronic diabetic complications.

Researchers with animal models of diabetes published Autoimmunity that CBD, along with THC, inhibits the onset and severity of diabetes. In fact, another long-term study showed those who regularly used cannabis derivatives showed a reduced risk of obesity, storage of excess visceral fat, and onset diabetes despite having a higher caloric intake.

As the old adage says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  

Neuroprotective properties– CBD is a potent antioxidant, which means it provides all sort of protective benefits to our cells by neutralizing oxidizing agents that cause oxidative stress. 

CBD helps reduce damage to the brain and nervous system while encouraging the development of new neurons. Oxidative stress caused by ischemia, head trauma, or autoimmune and genetic disorders can cause temporary or permanent neural damage.

However, studies show that CBD is able to protect against this damage and improve recovery. 

These incredible findings suggest CBD could be therapeutically beneficial for traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, spinal cord diseases, and strokes. 

The neuroprotective properties in CBD are also potential rock stars in helping to prevent and limit the progression of neurological disorders like MS and Parkinson’s.

The list of benefits CBD provides is vast… but we’ll leave the rest for another article. Carrying on. 

What Are The Physical and Psychological Effects of CBD? 

The big question: Will CBD get you high? Nope. 

CBD alone contains no psychoactive properties, so you are safe to take it without worry of impairment. You won’t get high, faded, buzzed, tripped out, or stoned. 

Zero. Zilch. Nada. 

In fact, through our extensive CBD oil reviews, we found that CBD can actually counter the anxiety caused by consuming too much THC depending on the type of CBD product used and your natural biology. 

Many CBD users report a wave of relief and relaxation when ingested or consumed through other methods. Others don’t ‘feel’ anything, but 30-90 minutes after taking CBD notice stress, anxiety, and pain have vanished. 

So, why is CBD an effective complement to our body’s checks and balances?

It all has to do with homeostasis within the endocannabinoid system or ECS. Your body is continuously keeping a multitude of complex systems in check including the brain, heart, nervous system, and digestion (just to name a few). 

The ECS plays a critical role in our survival by serving as a ‘master regulator’ within these systems. 

Recent studies show the endocannabinoid system not only respond to the endocannabinoids produced inside your cells, but also respond to external cannabinoids like cannabidiol, or CBD. 

Introducing CBD to the body can help reduce the symptoms of a wide range of illnesses because CBD acts upon receptors located throughout the body to produce a variety of potentially positive outcomes.

By stimulating the ECS, CBD promotes harmony among your systems, reduces pain sensation and decreases inflammation.

In other words: If you have symptoms of chronic disease, inflammation, or are feeling blue, CBD can kick start better regulation within the systems responsible for making you feel better. 

Better yet, if you feel good already taking CBD regularly can ensure you keep feeling that way! 

How Do I Use CBD?

The jury is still out on proper dosing based on symptoms and conditions based on our reviews of CBD oil research. Scientists suggest dosing it has a lot to do with trial and error of the patient. 

One study notes that different conditions may require different dosages to be effective. 

This is likely because CBD is binding to many different receptors throughout the body. At a relatively low dose, it will interact with the receptors that are the most densely expressed. 

At higher doses densely expressed receptors will become saturated, so the remainder of the CBD will interact with other receptor systems. 

This is where different effects may take place. 

We recommend starting with a low dose between 15-30mg per day of CBD oil. We also recommend talking with a specialist trained in CBD to help make the right decision on dosing your needs. 

Is There a Difference In CBD Quality?

Yes, absolutely. Like any product on the market, it’s essential to research the manufacturer to ensure you purchase the highest quality ingredients. The CBD industry is young, and regulations aren’t set in place to control the manufacturing process. Carefully review CBD oil manufacturing practices when searching for your products online.

Lower priced CBD oils typically cut costs by using cheap methods of extractions like chemical solvents dangerous to your health. 

Another extraction method uses organic, pharmaceutical-grade ethanol. This generally yields the highest amount of cannabinoids and is considered the safest way of extracting CBD for human consumption. 

In addition, CBD oil can be extracted and manufactured through “supercritical CO2 extraction.” Supercritical CO2 extraction requires a great deal of expertise and expensive equipment, but it ensures that CBD oil maintains its purity all through the process. 

Research the vendor’s production methods. We suggest investing in CBD processed through ethanol and/or supercritical CO2 extraction. 

Check that your CBD oil is made from organic hemp and tested to ensure it’s pesticide-free.

Putting It All Together

This CBD oil review guide serves as your roadmap to finding high-quality CBD products that meet your needs. 

The good news is we’ve taken all of the criteria listed above into consideration when producing our Feel Good Hemp CBD products. 

Essentially, the hard work was done for you as we developed products from high-quality hemp plants, processed them in the safest way possible to ensure the CBD oil is of the highest quality, and we put our products through rigorous testing… 

Because your health matters. As does the health of our family, who also uses our products! 

“Representations regarding the efficacy and safety of [CBD Oil] have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA only evaluates foods and drugs, not supplements like these products. These products are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease. Click here [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394018304099] to find evidence of a test, analysis, research, or study describing the benefits, performance or efficacy of [CBD Oil] based on the expertise of relevant professionals.”