CBD, or cannabidiol, is a central point of media focus with cannabis right now. The non-psychoactive component of marijuana is linked to relief from pain, anxiety and chronic conditions and acts like the quiet older sibling of THC. It doesn’t mind sitting in the background and letting the more rambunctious cannabinoid do its classic work. Its spotlight continues to grow as governments allow more testing. While there are new ways cropping up to consume CBD, the tincture method is the most convenient for the average user. A CBD tincture is a concentrated herbal extract that’s typically produced by soaking the plant in some type of alcohol-based solution. They can be made from any type of herb, but have been commonly associated with cannabis in recent years. So much so, in fact, that there are dozens of new companies producing their own CBD tinctures every year.
CBD tinctures are so popular because of the subtlety and ease of use. Each bottle comes with a dripper, usually with measurements on the side, that lets you control how many milligrams you ingest. There’s no reason to worry about getting high, but medical patients have varying needs that require different doses, so it’s helpful to have the information. Even if you’re not drifting toward CBD tincture for a medical condition, it can still act as a sleeping aid, anxiety relief and mood stabilizer for casual users. Some smokers even claim it helps tame the high from THC if you’re consuming large amounts too quickly and need help climbing back down the ladder. It’s hard to sift through all the information floating around out there, but we’ve collected ten of the top CBD tinctures tailored to your specific needs. Thankfully most states allow you to purchase and possess CBD tincture, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get any of these products.
Best Tasteless CBD Tincture: Medterra
Most companies outsource their tincture internationally. China, Russia and South Korea are three of the top producers of industrial hemp for example. There is high-quality hemp being grown in the United States and Medterra sources their CBD-rich hemp from the fertile soil of Kentucky. This gives it the benefit of being, organically grown, tested and approved by The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which is known for its strict Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. It requires certain diligence to be a part of this group, as only 250 companies are enrolled in the program. It’s great to know you’re getting clean, filtered CBD tincture free of bacteria and mould, but the real draw of Medterra is its taste, well, really its lack of taste. Medterra is a solid choice if the strong smell and sometimes overpowering tart flavour prevent you from using other brands of CBD tincture. This is more accommodating though, allowing you to drop your dose in practically any liquid you want without altering it.
Best CBD Tincture for Pets: Canna-Pet’s
Humans aren’t the only ones to benefit from CBD tincture! That loving animal that’s plopped nearby could become more active, mobile, and get relief from his or her ailments too. Pet owners have reported their dogs and cats acting years younger than their actual age once on a consistent CBD tincture regimen. Canna-Pet’s MaxCBD Liquid is a viable option because they have strict guidelines to avoid getting any unwanted psychoactive chemicals into your pet’s bloodstream. The only cannabinoids that make it into their final product are CBD, so you don’t have to worry about your pet getting high and scared of the treatment. While they do warn that cats don’t care for the taste, it’s a great way to administer joint relief to your ageing dog or calm a puppy’s anxiety during a bad thunderstorm. Much like the human forms, these CBD tinctures are an alternative to taxing pharmaceuticals with potentially harmful side effects.
Best CBD Tincture for Sleep: Green Roads
Not all CBD tinctures are created equal. There are multiple ways to extract the CBD from the plant and CO2 extraction is widely recognized as the cleanest practice. This process allows you to only extract the cannabinoids you want to include in your product, which usually means leaving the THC behind. That’s a key component when creating CBD tinctures that provide sleep aid. THC can sometimes cause nervousness and activate the mind, which isn’t beneficial when you’re trying to rest. Green Roads uses CO2 extraction to make CBD tincture for just this purpose: to give comfort and ease you into slumber. Their CBD tincture gives that extra punch that’s conducive to sleep because it combines its full spectrum tincture with crystalline isolate, a more concentrated version of CBD. That’s funky science talk for “you better be ready for bed when you take this”.
Best CBD Tincture for Anxiety: CBDistillery
Besides being a great name, Colorado-based CBD company CBDistillery is a great choice for anxiety relief and alleviating symptoms of nervousness. A full-spectrum CBD tincture, CBDistillery uses a fast-acting carrier oil to deliver its effects quickly, which is why it’s great for anxiety relief. You don’t always have a couple of hours to wait for CBD tincture to kick in so you can go about your day relaxed and ready to focus. CBDistillery uses coconut oil which, in addition to having antibacterial and antiviral properties, is an MCT oil. I won’t bore you with the deep science, but they contain healing elements for a range of ailments and they’re quickly absorbed by the body. With respect to anxiety, speed is this is the most important factor in choosing a CBD tincture.
Best CBD Tincture for Flavor: Koi CBD
While many of the CBD tinctures featured here are full-spectrum CBDs, meaning they don’t just contain CBD but other cannabinoids, Koi CBD is an isolate. As the name implies, CBD is the only active ingredient. What Koi does is combine the pure CBD extract with different vegetable oils, such as coconut oil, to provide a variety of flavours to its customers. Instead of the earthy smell that people associate with CBD tincture, these bottles explode with the scent of strawberry milkshakes and vanilla custard. Other flavours include a blue raspberry and watermelon sour apple. The choice is you need the health benefits of CBD but your palette is used to e-liquid vapes.
Best CBD Tincture for Appetite: Pure Kana
People use CBD tincture for many things and increasingly it’s to offset the side effects of invasive procedures and treatments like chemotherapy. You might have experience with this personally or through a loved one. It’s heartbreaking to see and one of the consequences is a loss of appetite. Pure Kana CBD Tincture uses full-spectrum CBD, which works to attach to the cannabinoid receptors in your brain and regulate appetite. This research has even been endorsed by the National Cancer Institute. With appetite, it is important to remember THC’s role because it’s the most effective cannabinoid at inducing hunger. So if appetite is your main focus, it could be beneficial to add in some form of THC, though building a strong, regular appetite schedule with Pure Kana. I’d recommend the mint flavour, it’s quite popular and smells great.
Best CBD Tincture for Activity: Populum
It’s great that people are opening their eyes to the wonders of CBD tincture and many still need to be able to function in a work setting while medicating. Populum CBD tincture allows this because of its all-natural ingredients and clean soil. Hemp naturally absorbs the ingredients of the soil around it, so if it’s grown in low-quality soil, the oil could pass on those toxins to you. Populum has rigorous testing methods that are visible right on the bottle to assure you there’s no toxins or additives that will inhibit your ability to function throughout the day. Using a mixture of oils from virgin coconuts, grapeseed, hemp and oranges create an all-natural flavour and experience that won’t inhibit any pressing work.
Best CBD Tincture for Pain: Elixinol
Cannabinoids seem to work better when coupled with each other. No one can give an exact reason why, but the entourage effect is a documented phenomenon where the presence of terpenes and other natural compounds from the cannabis plant enhance the known therapeutic benefits of CBD tincture. Elixinol is a wonderful example of those terpenes being put to use to help with ailments like arthritis and chronic pain. While some companies will cite one sample of their batch from a few years ago, Elixinol tests every batch separately and keeps you updated with the results so you know exactly what’s in your bottle. This combined with its quick absorbing liposomes that work to shoot the medicine into your system whether dropped directly under the tongue or mixed with a liquid.
Best CBD Tincture for Energy: Select
Most of us need the energy to get through the day and coffee or energy drinks are common tools to fuel that need. Select CBD works as an alternative to the potentially anxiety-inducing caffeine and sugary drinks. Sprinkled with a good amount of natural flavouring from turmeric, ginger, lemon and stevia, Select works as a calming buzz that gives you the extra push for the after 3 pm workload. Their CBD tincture also has a reputation for being fast-acting which is great if you’re in a pinch and need some quick focus without the inevitable crash-and-burn of other methods.
Best CBD Tincture for On-the-Go: Vape Bright
Alright, this isn’t a tincture, but sometimes it’s not viable to carry around a dropper and whip it out after a meeting to drop on your tongue. Vape Bright’s CBD Vape allows you to inhale the same relief in a discreet way without having to explain your health regimen to the person sitting beside you. Because, you know, everyone seems to vape now. Vape Bright uses the CO2 extraction to get their CBD tincture from organic hemp and is one of the few vape companies that doesn’t add propylene glycol (PG) or any carrier oils to their liquid. These carrier oils tend to give vaporizers a larger cloud, which is what fans of traditional smoking like, but some say they can have toxic effects on the body. While the toxicity of PG is questioned by some, it’s nice to not even have that debate here. Ultimately, Vape Bright is a reliable, quick method of balancing your day on-the-go with CBD tincture.