Since ancient times Hemp, also known as Cannabis Sativa L., was cherished for it's transformative power to heal, nourish, relax ones body and energize the mind. In today's society we're making a conscious shift in our thinking, habits, and daily rituals embracing the once forgotten traditions of our ancestors.

Let’s dive into the world of quality CBD products, and answer some of the popular questions we frequently encounter.

HOW IS THE CBD EXTRACTED?

The way CBD oil is extracted from the cannabis plant will help in your journey to identify quality CBD products. How you apply pressure to the plant in order to extract CBD oil makes all the difference in the quality of the end product.

Try to avoid companies that use heat or other chemical reactions to extract CBD. Instead, look for companies that use natural extraction methods such as CO2 or food-grade ethanol. These solvents ensure that all the cannabinoids and terpenes remain intact without harm.

WHAT ARE THE HEMP GROWING STANDARDS?

After making sure the CBD oil is extracted properly, it is important to make sure the cannabis plant itself was not treated with pesticides. These chemicals were designed to kill living creatures threatening the plant, which sounds like a good thing.

However, toxic chemicals may also have a negative impact on the properties of CBD products because hemp plants tend to absorb everything in the soil around it.

SHOULD I CHOOSE FULL-SPECTRUM OR ISOLATE CBD?

Well, it depends on your desired results, the most basic form of CBD is an isolate. Isolates contain nothing else but pure, isolated CBD. In other words, there are no other cannabinoids, terpenes or flavonoids.

In contrast, full-spectrum CBD products contain a full range of beneficial cannabinoids. There are hundreds of active compounds in cannabis — meaning that you are getting a healthy dose of all the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.

The idea that the strength of cannabis lies in the teamwork of its many active compounds is called the “entourage effect.”

Although the concept may seem obvious, it took scientists a long time to catch on. Here are some of the findings that helped researchers understand that the entourage effect:

The downside of isolated CBD is what’s known as the bell-shaped response curve. Although purified CBD is effective against inflammation and anxiety in rodent and human experiments, its effectiveness peaks at a medium dose but tapers off for higher and lower doses — which graphically looks like an inverted “U” or a bell. Unfortunately, the bell-shaped curve means that purified CBD has it's limitations — because its effective dose is narrow and difficult to pinpoint.

However, when scientists repeat their experiments with a full-spectrum, CBD rich extract, the bell-shaped response disappears. In a study involving inflammation in the paws of mice, researchers observed that purified CBD was only anti-inflammatory at a moderate dose, whereas a CBD-rich extract became more effective with a higher dose.

Many terpenes and phenolics found in full spectrum extract have effects similar to those of CBD on mood, pain and inflammation. Although CBD has more than 65 targets throughout the body, its activity at each individual target varies. Other members of the entourage could be even more effective than CBD where you need it most.

The primary concern of full-spectrum CBD products regards THC. However, due to federal laws all CBD products must be extracted from hemp and not marijuana. By definition, hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, meaning that the extract will also only contain negligible amounts of THC. These trace amounts will definitely not get you high but there is a possibility they may show up positive on a drug test due to the fractional THC content. The negligible amounts are likely to be dismissed in a follow-up test, but that possibility still exists and consumers should be aware.

Full-spectrum CBD is often considered closer to the original plant, and is therefore the most authentically natural. It undergoes significantly less chemical processing when compared to CBD isolate.

WHERE IS THE CBD SOURCED?

Many aspects of the environment such as soil pH and climate can help you identify quality CBD. Before you buy, make sure you look into where the company sources its products.

We suggest always buying CBD from the United States. Hemp is a heavily regulated product in the US, so your CBD products are most likely to be Farm Bill Compliant.

DOES THE CBD HAVE HIGH BIO-AVAILABILITY?

Anytime we consume a product, our stomach acids need to break down the substance and distribute the nutrients into our bloodstream. Unfortunately, many nutrients from our foods, drinks, and supplements get lost before we can absorb them.

That’s why it is crucial to choose CBD products created to increase bio-availability. How this works is, when you consume CBD with nano-sized emulsions, you significantly decrease the risk of losing valuable nutrients.

DOES THE CBD AVOID UNNATURAL SUBSTANCES?

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to additives. If you are going to get flavored CBD products, it's important to make sure the flavors such as essential oils are all-natural. Check that they don’t have gluten or other potential allergens as well.

Studies are still being conducted on the long-term effects of using genetically modified products. However, when it comes to an all-natural product like CBD, why risk it? There’s no need to ruin the benefits of CBD with foreign substances.

CBD PRODUCTS FROM HEMPRESTO

We believe it's crucially important that your hemp CBD comes from a trustworthy source, otherwise, synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and even heavy metals could make a surprise appearance in your daily dose of CBD. All products created by us are put through rigorous safety measures and tested with reputable US licensed 3rd party Labs to ensure their safety and top quality. The same high standards are applied to our partners who's products we distribute. We make sure our customers are able to enjoy a wide variety of awesome products by partnering with carefully selected, reputable, US based manufacturers that share our values of high quality and impeccable customer satisfaction.

For our CBD Hemp Flower products we partnered directly with licensed hemp farmers in the pristine Northeast Kingdom, Vermont proven to practice sustainable, organic growing methods without the use of pesticides, herbicides or commercial fertilizers, producing some of the finest artisanal hemp available on the market today. Our hemp flower is hand picked, properly dried and cured to ensure potency and freshness.

If you’re looking for premium CBD products that meet all of these requirements choose HEMPRESTO. We’re excited to give you an all-natural, top quality solution.