Why do Some Companies Sell a Product with 1500 mg of CBD while others are so much less?

There is no single right answer to this question, so several reasons will be considered. First, we should ask why any company would sell 1500 mg of CBD, to begin with.

While studies have shown good toleration of CBD at 1500 mg for at least a few weeks¹, the common reason many businesses pack so much CBD in is because their product is poorly absorbing. Because CBD is an oil, it tends to clump together with other CBD molecules when introduced into water, such as in the digestive tract or bloodstream. This clumping reduces the ability to be absorbed through tissue and decreases its ability to reach cellular targets. To overcome this, many businesses will bloat their CBD product with excess, hoping that just some will absorb and provide an effect.

Often, getting 1500 mg of CBD is also a sign of a very cheap product. When CBD comes from the hemp plant directly (as part of an extract) it can get pricey. Even a few hundred milligrams can reach well over $100. However, there are other ways to get ahold of CBD that doesn’t involve plant extracts. These methods tend to be very cheap and involve only the CBD molecules by themselves. These “isolates” are typically given no additional way to absorb into the body at all, commonly coming in the form of a powder or being carelessly shoved into some random oil. Not only this, but many cannabinoids have shown synergistic effects with the full plant extract², and these isolate products completely miss out on such benefits.

Now that we’ve discussed why some CBD products contain so much, let’s discuss the products that contain less. More and more products are emerging on the market that contains barely a few hundred milligrams of CBD. Why is this? Well, it is very possible some are just trying to take advantage of the market and hope they can charge more for less. But some CBD businesses have also found a way to make that smaller amount go a lot further.

The main dilemma with CBD is that it doesn’t absorb well, and even when it does get into the blood it doesn’t necessarily hit its targets well. Some businesses have decided to address this issue by making their CBD water-soluble. This allows the CBD to not only absorb much more quickly into the bloodstream but to stay diffused in the blood and thus reach its many targets, providing its many benefits.

The same studies that suggest CBD is well tolerated at 1500 mg also fail to establish how much is being absorbed¹.With the absorbency increased, a simple 250 mg CBD can very much compare to a 3000 mg CBD! Thus, the actual amount of CBD is only one small factor in determining the best product. The best product will, in reality, contain just enough CBD with a strong enough absorption to provide you benefits. So, don’t immediately dismiss a product with less CBD in it – it may end up being the best product of them all!

¹ Iffland, Kerstin, and Franjo Grotenhermen. "An Update on Safety and Side Effects ofCannabidiol: A Review of Clinical Data and Relevant Animal Studies." Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 2, no. 1 (2017): pp. 139-54. doi:10.1089/can.2016.0034.

² Luciano De Petrocellis et al., "Effects of Cannabinoids and Cannabinoid-enriched CannabisExtracts on TRP Channels and Endocannabinoid Metabolic Enzymes," British Journal of Pharmacology 163, no. 7 (2011): , doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01166.x.