(FOX 2) - It seems like CBD products are everywhere, from bottled water to gummy bears. It promises to cure everything from aches and pains, to anxiety.
But how do you know what you're really getting? There are three letters you need to know.
Let's start with a little biology. CBD is extracted from the flowers or buds of marijuana or hemp; it's not the compound that makes people feel high. So, what does it do? There are a lot of questions about this recent explosion of CBD products.
"How do I know that when I purchase CBD anywhere in this country I'm actually getting what it says on the label? And the answer is you don't," said University of Michigan Dr. Mark Moyad
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Here's the most important things you need to know about CBD
CBD is sweeping the nation and the accompanying hype has made it a difficult thing to ignore. CBD is extracted from flowers or buds of marijuana. It's not the compound that gets you high, but it does have many medical uses. However, if you're going to be ingesting the ingredient you should know where to buy it and that's not always easy. Dr. Mark Moyad from the University of Michigan explains what you need to know.
Moyad is considered one of the world's leading experts on supplements, and he's got some concerns. One is quality control. If you're buying CBD, ask for a COA.
"A COA is a certificate of analysis. This is proof by a third party that what they're selling you is actually in the container itself. If the clinic or the place that you go says, 'What's a COA?' or 'We can't provide the COA,' you may want to run, and run away quickly," Dr. Moyad says.
Another concern for Dr. Moyad is the possible of drug-to-drug interaction.
"Which means it's possible for CBD to increase the amount of another drug you're taking to a dangerous level, or decrease that," he explains. "So the chance for liver toxicity when you're combining CBD with other prescription meds, and maybe even supplements, is higher than normal."
CBD has worked in treating seizures in certain epilepsy patients, but what else can it do? More research is still being done.
But here's the problem. Many are excited about the possibilities, and sometimes that hype can lead to inaccurate responses and research.
"So what we're seeing in clinical trials is a placebo response rate is extremely high. People taking it for all sorts of conditions and immediately going, 'Hey, this works! This is incredible!' and this kind of gets discounted," Moyad said. "So this is why you want to wait for the hype to go down a little bit, to see what it really works for, what it's dangerous for, and where it does nothing."
Moyad says wait for the hype to die down a little and wait for more published research to know exactly what the benefits are.
If you are using CBD oil and it is working for you, just do your homework and know exactly what you're buying.