How To Interpret CBD Testing Results

While the majority of CBD companies thrive on being on the right side of the law, it’s a growing and changing industry that requires consumers to be particularly scrutinous.

Just what are they looking for in the gamut of products though? Today we will give the lowdown on testing and how to read CBD testing sheets and certificates. ​

If you want to know what’s in your CBD and why you need to know, then keep reading.

Recent testing of cannabidiol compounds has revealed something rather startling and we’re happy to link you right to those reports. The condemned version is this:

Basically, all of the United States is undergoing a boom in the popular compound that is helping to treat epilepsy, arthritis, inflammation and the like. However, it’s difficult to know the mechanisms involved in the therapeutic compound. Terpenes have been shown to be effective, as is THCA and other cannabinoids that exist in the hemp plant chemical structure.

The real issues arise from knowing just what exactly is in the isolates, e-liquid, and other infused items.

Recently, there were traces of melatonin and K2 found in store-bought CBD tinctures. Testing in reputable labs found these to be present and the media is having a moment with them.

K2, is found in synthetic cannabinoids and has shown to be harmful in clinical trials. With the resulting legislature making the so-called “spice” or synthetic compounds to be harmful. Some research even suggests they could be responsible for cause seizures. This is obviously the exact opposite effect one would want in an anti-epilepsy agent. While it’s not possible to know just how widespread this kind of chemical creation is, the every-man or every-woman can combat it in their own way.

Why CBD Testing Is Important

Every distributor of CBD worth its cents should have lab results for the consumer to review. And this is often times easily found. But if you’re like me, the chemistry class didn’t come easy.

Just how does one go about interpreting those lab sheets.

Revival CBD is derived from industrial hemp which is sourced from the finest quality cultivator of ECO certified organic hemp with a Proprietary Hydrocarbon process that is non-toxic and THC-Free.

Unlabeled CBD products are common and even worse there are reports of harmful synthetic knock-offs. As a consumer, this means you need to be very careful when shopping around.

On the other hand, labels can be tricky to understand with terms like carbamate insecticide and Methyl parathion. Knowing what those terms mean alone is a very difficult task. Knowing how much should be present? What’s even more “inside baseball”. Check this out:

Naled 0.250 0.5 < LOQ ppm Oxamyl 0.500 1 < LOQ ppm Carbamate insecticide Paclobutrazol 0.200 0.4 < LOQ ppm Azole plant growth regulator Permethrins 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Phosmet 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Organophosphate insecticide Piperonyl butoxide 1.00 2 < LOQ ppm Prallethrin 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Propiconazole 0.200 0.4 < LOQ ppm Propoxur 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Carbamate insecticide Pyrethrins 0.500 1 < LOQ ppm Pyridaben 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Unclassified insecticide Spinosad 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Spinosyn insecticide Spiromesifen 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Keto-enol insecticide Spirotetramat 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Keto-enol insecticide Spiroxamine 0.200 0.4 < LOQ ppm Unclassified fungicide Tebuconazole 0.200 0.4 < LOQ ppm Thiacloprid 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Thiamethoxam 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Neonicotinoid insectide Trifloxystrobin 0.200 0.2 < LOQ ppm Strobin fungicide

That's just a section of what you'll find in a testing certificate for CBD. But decoding it, at first, seems as foreign as Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

Let us start out simple.

PPM: this translates to parts per million.
LoQ: is the lowest concentration at which the analyte can be detected.
ND: This term comes up frequently. This is the abbreviation for 'none detected'. If you’re looking for THC-free cbd oil, then this is a good term to see.

Since, CBD extract is a thick, oily substance containing the naturally occurring cannabinoids found in the plant. This extract also contains terpenes, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, fatty acids, and other compounds from the source material.

CBD isolate is a crystalline substance produced by further processing a CBD extract to remove all other compounds, leaving only the single CBD molecule - usually 95%+ pure CBD. This is what makes high cbd extracts different than medical marijuana.

The contents of an extract or an isolate will vary depending on the hemp source and extraction method used.

Lab reports allow you to determine the cannabis content, quality and verify that your product is free of contaminants including heavy metals, mold, pesticides and more. In some cases, lab reports may even be provided for other ingredients in a CBD product, like carrier oils.

CBD Lab Reports

Now that you understand why we need lab reports, and what portion of a product these reports are targeted at, let's dive in and look at how to read them! Let's start with some terminology:

Reporting Source

There are two potential places that a lab report can come from - 1st party and 3rd party.

Between the two, 3rd party reporting is the most common and the preferred of the two. The difference between the two lies simply in the trustworthiness of the data. Here’s why:

A 1st party lab report is directly by the company selling the products and are seen as slightly less trustworthy simply because they are more likely to be skewed or modified.

A 3rd party lab report is generated by an independent company. They are seen as more trustworthy because they are less likely to be skewed or modified since the independent lab's reputation is on the line.

Third party lab reports are what consumers want to see.

The most preferred testing scope is for a company to provide batch-level lab results for every product. By providing this data, a consumer can quickly and easily look up the exact contents of their product.

Screenings Provided:

When a lab test is performed, there are a number of possible screenings that can be run on a given sample. These screenings are used to determine what is in, and what is not in the end product. Below we dive into all the possible reports you'll run across.

Cannabinoid Profiles

​Cannabinoids are the cannabis-derived molecules that provide the main health-benefiting properties of a CBD product. These compounds include well-known examples like CBD or THC and lesser known like CBG, CBC, or even the raw acid forms.

The cannabinoid profile is the most commonly offered across all the screenings. This report displays the cannabinoid content levels found in a given product. From this report you can determine:

The spectrum of a product by observing the presence of measured cannabinoids.

The potency of a product by observing the concentration of measured cannabinoids (often presented as percent of weight or mg/mL).

If a product contains non-decarboxylated raw material.

A full spectrum product contains a wide range of cannabinoids whereas an isolate-based product contains only CBD (and potentially a trace amount of CBDV).

Terpene Profile

Terpenes are the aromatic oils found in cannabis that are present in full-spectrum CBD extracts. These compounds offer potential health benefits and additionally interact with the cannabinoids and other contents of an extract to provide the entourage effect.

Terpenes are stripped during the process used to create a CBD isolate, but are sometimes added back in to create what the industry calls a 'terpsolate'.

A terpene screening displays the presence and concentration of terpenes in a given product, often measured as parts per million (PPM). These reports are generally straightforward to read:

Heavy Metal Screening

Not a screening for the 1981 cult film, but this test screening verifies that a CBD product is free of heavy metal contamination. The report measures metals like arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead against allowable limits.

Microbiology Screening

This screening verifies that a CBD product is free of microbes like yeast, molds, E-coli, and salmonella:

Microbial Screening

Cannabinoids are the cannabis-derived molecules that provide the main health-benefiting properties of a CBD product. These compounds include well-known examples like CBD or THC and lesser known like CBG, CBC, or even the raw acid forms.

The cannabinoid profile is the most commonly offered across all the screenings we will discuss. This report displays the cannabinoid content levels found in a given product. From this report you can determine the spectrum of a product by observing the presence of measured cannabinoids.

The potency of a product by observing the concentration of measured cannabinoids (often presented as percent of weight or mg/mL).

If a product contains non-decarboxylated raw material by observing the presence and ratios of acid forms to non-acid cannabinoid forms.

Hopefully this has been an eye-opener for those using cbd products. Try to read our own product testing certificate on the site, and if you have further questions, reach out in the comments.