Before You Try CBD Candies, Take This Nutritionist's Tip Into Consideration

If you've yet to hear about (if not try) CBD as of yet, you could be missing out on one of the biggest wellness trends out there. Said to help with everything from anxiety to acne — and about a million things in between — use of this non-psychoactive extract from the cannabis plant seems to be practically as commonplace as taking a daily multivitamin for some people. But not all forms are created equally, and while there are a ton of things that make CBD candies a particularly desirable natural treatment to try — is it actually the best one for you?

These days you can utilize the alleged benefits of CBD in forms that include skincare, haircare, bottled water, tinctures, and more. But because they're designed to be tasty, portable, and easy to take, candies seem to be a go-to for many people. In fact, CBD confections have become so in demand that you can even shop them via chic wellness and beauty retailers like Fleur Marche and Beautylish. However, depending on your needs and health habits, there are a few things you take into consideration before regularly consuming candies as your means of healing various ailments with CBD.

First of all, you'll want to consider its potential effectiveness. While it's legal to buy and consume CBD products in all 50 states, they're still largely unregulated — which means that brands can make a lot of claims about their product they don't necessarily have to back up. "The CBD market is currently operating in a regulatory grey zone that has no oversight from governing bodies," says Cliff Yeh, co-founder of Encore Labs cannabis testing lab. And unless you're an expert, you probably would have a hard time determining on your own thing like whether the dosages are accurate, or if the candy you're consuming is made of non-toxic ingredients.

That's where Encore's third-party testing comes in handy. "Homogeneity tests are particularly important for correctly dosing CBD candies as they measure the difference in CBD content from candy to candy," says Yeh. "Not only is it imperative to assure the cannabinoid potency is accurate, but also to verify that the product you are consuming is free of contaminants such as harmful chemicals, heavy metals, microbials, and pesticides."

Another thing to consider is the dosage. According to experts like Yeh, the best rule of thumb is to start small when you're initially experimenting, especially due to the fact that edible forms of CBD take more time than others (like tinctures, for example) to take effect, and because they're digested, can have longer lasting effects. "When consuming CBD for the first time, it is always in ones best interest to start off with a small dose, such as 10mg, and work up from there, " advises Yeh.

And Kevin Wachs, co-founder of Earthly Body CBD company (which has created such brands as EMERA and CBD Daily, which is introducing its first ingestible this year), adds that you'll also want to strategize your candy's dosage with a few other factors, including how often you plan to take them and your size, considering they have to be metabolized in the body. "Most companies recommend one to two times per day for CBD ingestibles," say offers. "The dosage amount varies a lot based on size/weight of person, and what they feel they need."

Lastly, if you're very health conscious, you may opt for a different form of CBD altogether, as Los Angeles-based nutritionist Elissa Goodman points out that they often include excess sugar as well as artificial ingredients for color and flavor. "I always recommend a high quality CBD oil over candies because I have yet to find one that does not contain added sugar, unnecessary additives, or harmful preservatives," she explains. That said, if you are determined to try a candy, and want to find the healthiest version possible, she has a suggestion. "If I had to choose one brand for candies, it would be Green Gorilla’s CBD gummies since they are organic, vegan and non-GMO, and contain beneficial ingredients like spirulina, turmeric, and extra virgin olive oil extract." Otherwise Goodman recommends opting for Kikoko CBD tea or a high-quality, organic, third-party tested oil as a healthier alternative.

See ahead for a few options of candies on the market if you do want to try them out for yourself. That said, be sure to do your research and take into account the aforementioned advice to find the one that's best for your needs.