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Ask A Doctor – CBD Samplers, Purified Vs. Plant CBD

Ask a doctor
Written by Dr. Leah Zachar

Testers who were lucky enough to receive our initial round of CBD samples had some questions of clarification on the CBD products they received. This week we discussed details regarding the quality of those products, as well the difference between purified and plant-derived CBD.

Question: How do I know that the CBD I am getting from CBD testers is 100% plant-derived CBD & that the dose on the label is the exact same dose as what is inside the bottle?

Answer: Before we order any CBD, we verify the all the ingredients in the bottle we receive from any supplier with an independent third party. A quality control study is always performed to assure us that the CBD is free of any contaminants, that the dose is the same from bottle to bottle, and that what is printed on the label is exactly what is inside the bottle. Be careful whenever you order any CBD product. Over 70% of CBD products sold on line are not checked for quality and dose reliability.

Question: Which is better, purified CBD or plant derived CBD and why?

Answer: The best study evaluating which is superior was published in the July 2016 issue of the European Journal of pain. This study showed that plant based extract is better than purified CBD. Plant based extract is better because the trace amount of the other components of the cannabis plant that remain in the CBD after it is extracted from the plant increased the efficacy of the CBD. This is called the “entourage effect.”
On a practical level this means is that dose for dose, the plant based CBD is stronger than the purified CBD because of the contribution the trace components of the cannabis plant make to the CBD provided to the patient. Purified CBD is produced in a lab. There are no trace components, just pure CBD. Therefore, there is no synergy, or “entourage effect”, resulting in a “weaker” CBD than the plant-based. Purified CBD when taken also produces a response in the patient called the “bell-shaped” effect.

Example: Purified CBD at 10 mg may give no response. Purified CBD at 50 mg may give a good response. Purified CBD at 100 mg may give an even better response, but then when the patient takes purified CBD at 105 mg, he then gets almost no response.
The term “bell-shaped” effect is used, because if you plot the response of the patient’s improvement on a graph, it looks like an upside down “U”, or a “bell” shape.
In purified, lab derived CBD, there was no benefit was seen when the dose was too low, and no benefit when the dose was too high.

In summary: Plant based CBD is superior to purified CBD because: 1- Plant based CBD produces an “entourage effect”. 2 – Purified CBD when given in increasing amounts, produces a “bell-shaped” effect. We supply plant-based CBD only.

Question: I have just received the Ciitech Provocan sample, called “Calm time”. It is supposed to be able to help me sleep and help my psoriatic arthritis. Can you explain to me how this happens?

Answer: I’ll divide my answer into two parts. Sleep: CBD works directly on the sleep-wake cycle. It increases the 3rd phase of sleep (deep sleep), thus giving you a deeper sleep and a longer sleep, in other words, a more refreshing sleep.
Therefore, by taking CBD, the result is a natural and homeostatic recovery of sleep.
Psoriatic arthritis: CBD binds to GPR55. GPR55 blocks the pain of the arthritis. CBD also binds to TRPA1 & TRPV1. The result, is blockade of the pro-inflammatory cytokine from being released and in this way the inflammation that occurs in psoriatic arthritis is reduced.

I am confident that Ciitech Provocan will both help your sleep as well as your psoriatic arthritis. Be generous. Though the sleep will improve on a low dose, you may need to continue increasing the dose every day or so until you get full benefit for the arthritis. The CBD we supply has been thoroughly vetted by a third-party quality control for its safety & reliability.

Question: I use medical cannabis – combination of THC/CBD for PTST & chronic low back pain. I’m on day 3 using the Viva 300mg CBD tincture. I think I need a lot of CBD to get benefit, because I’m taking 6-7 drops, which I believe is around 70mg. My back pain subsides for about 1 ½ hours, together with a reduction of my anxiety and stress level. However, I think the 1500 mg tincture would be better, as I require higher dosages.

Answer: You are under-dosing yourself! You are not taking a lot of CBD. You are taking very little CBD. One bottle of Viva 300 mg tincture has 30 cc of CBD in it, or in other words, one ounce. Each drop has 1 mg, not 10 mg. You are only taking 7 mg, and it seems you are already getting benefit. One bottle of CBD tincture at 300 mg in one ounce has 1 mg per drop, and 300 drops in the bottle. If, after you finish the sample you feel that you need a higher potency, we will be happy to supply it to you.

As per your request, we are moving the weekly In-house doctor session from Thursday at 1 pm EST, to Thursday at 3 pm EST (That’s UK’s 20:00, NYC’s 15:00 and LA’s 12:00)

If you want to read more from Dr Zachar, check out: ‘Ask A Doctor – CBD Interactions And Neuropathic Pain

[maxbutton id=”10″] [Image credit: Pixabay]

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About the author

Dr. Leah Zachar

Dr. Leah Zachar, M.D. is a physician who worked for nearly thirty years in Internal Medicine.
She currently is a scientific adviser to CBD Testers. Dr. Zachar believes that there is much that medical cannabis, and cannabidiol in particular can offer to traditional medicine.