display
So much in advance: You can't get high from any CBD product. CBD stands for "cannabidiol", the substance is made from the female hemp plant and does not contain THC. This is the abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, which is also contained in cannabis and is responsible for its psychoactive effects. CBD has been used for years to treat pain, anxiety and depression, among other things. The most hyped product is CBD oil, which can be used as a dietary supplement, as a drop, in an e-cigarette and even as a lotion. Lately it has also been called a miracle cure by Instagram stars and beauty magazines. A large number of creative new products such as CBD lipsticks and bath additives have now arrived in the prominent sales outlets of the drugstore.
The hype began with the legalization of the cultivation of industrial hemp in the USA in December 2018, and the consumption of cannabis as an intoxicant is now legally permitted in eleven US states. Most recently, New York State legalized cannabis possession in April 2021. The cultivation of industrial hemp has been allowed in Germany since 1996, but the trend has started in America: cannabis restaurants opened in Los Angeles that are fully booked months in advance, and it girl Kourtney Kardashian only recently launched her own CBD beauty line Markt and Kim Kardashian celebrated a cannabis baby shower with CBD treatments under the watchful eye of millions of social media fans.
The business magazine "Forbes" rated the overall market for CBD products at one billion US dollars in 2019.
A report by the market research group Brightfield on the subject predicts the market will grow to $ 23.7 billion by 2023.
Not only in the start-up-affine Silicon Valley, but also in Germany, young companies want to take part of these profits.
For the consumer, more choice is initially good, but it also makes it harder to recognize trustworthy products.
What is the difference to hemp oil?
display
"Hemp seed oil", a vegetable edible oil, has been sold in health food stores for decades.
Hemp oil is used as a carrier substance in many CBD oils.
In order to distinguish the products from those that have long been available from health food stores, you have to pay attention to the actual proportion of cannabinoids.
The percentage of CBD can vary from two to 100 percent.
Another value, however, is the THC, which is not contained in conventional hemp oil at all.
In Germany, only CBD products may be manufactured and sold with a THC value of no more than 0.2 percent.
If they do contain more THC, these products are definitely from abroad.
Experts therefore advise against online purchases on dubious websites.
How do you recognize reputable products?
“It is important that you can verify the truthfulness of the information on the pack when you buy CBD products.
In the case of CBD oils from abroad, there are considerable deviations in terms of the promised CBD content, for example ten percent, in reality, which explains the price differences.
Therefore, you should always ask the manufacturer about the 'CoA', the 'Certificate of Analysis', of the batch, ”advises Mario Eimuth, founder of Adrexpharma, with regard to the selection of the product.
display
If you are offered a CBD extract on the Internet, it is not automatically more trustworthy or more effective than the mainstream products from the drugstore. They also pose another problem, as Eimuth explains: "With full-spectrum extracts, you should also be sure that they do not contain any heavy metals or pesticides and that this can be confirmed by an analysis."
If you want to rely on a guaranteed reputable distribution channel, you should only buy CBD products in pharmacies.
Medical cannabis in its pure form is subject to prescription requirements; Adrexpharma products are available without a prescription due to their dosage.
“As before, CBD can also be prescribed by a doctor as a prescription drug.
In principle, it is reimbursable by the health insurance company, but this is subject to the health insurance requirement, ”says Eimuth.
What should CBD products do?
The CBD molecule is said to have anti-inflammatory and relaxing effects, both for the skin and for the mind of the user.
The more concentrated, the more efficient.
But even a small amount is said to help reduce chronic inflammation such as acne, and if well tolerated, CBD can also have a calming and pain-relieving effect.
CBD is recommended for anxiety, menstrual cycle disorders, allergies and muscle tension, as the pharmacist newspaper says.
display
However, there are currently no clear research results on these advertising promises, and no side effects or patterns of dependency have been proven.
Therefore, the WHO classifies CBD as safe.
"The legal evaluation of CBD has received a clear upgrade since the groundbreaking decision of the European Court of Justice in November 2020 that CBD is not a narcotic drug," says the Adrexpharma founder about a ruling by the European Court of Justice in November 2020.
Are the products from the drugstore recommended?
No product that is sold in Germany may be harmful to the consumer. This is guaranteed by the strict EU regulations and controls. That is why the drugstore chains Rossmann and DM had to take their cannabidiol food supplements out of their range for a short time in April 2019, as random samples found that the permitted THC value was exceeded. A few months later, however, the oils were available again, as well as CBD chewing gum from Switzerland, which had also fallen into disrepute. However, that does not mean that the CBD lifestyle products also work as the brands promise.
The EU Commission also maintains a database in which the ingredients approved for use in cosmetics are listed and assessed.
According to this “Cosing” database, anyone who uses trustworthy, high-dose CBD products can rely on the following effects: “According to the database, these effects include skin care, protection of the skin, antioxidants and a sebum-reducing effect,” says Eimuth.
In the case of lifestyle products, in which only very small doses of cannabidiol are used, it is more the additives and not the CBD itself that will produce the miracle effects.
In the beauty industry, these products are mixed with natural substances such as tea tree oil, lavender or rosemary, which enhance the caring effect.
If you want to put this care effect of the CBD products to the test yourself, you will find some products here:
"Adrexol" as a skin care cream, cooling gel and aroma oil in different dosages from Adrexpharma (order here)
Source: Adrexpharma
display
Moisturizing cream from Enecta Cosmetics (buy here) *
Source: Enecta
Bath ball "Relax" with lavender and natural CBD from Vaay (buy here) *
Source: Vaay
"The Hug" body cream for menstrual pain from This Place (buy here) *
Source: This Place / Niche Beauty
Face care "CBD Super Serum" from Aurelia Probiotic Skincare (buy here) *
Source: Aurelia Probiotic Skincare
Body care "Rebalancing Elixir" from Perricone MD (buy here) *
Source: Perricone MD
display
Soothing serum for the skin "CBD Sleep Drops" from Rodial (buy here) *
Source: Rodial
Face and body cream "CBD 300 Visage et Corps" from Chantecaille (buy here) *
Source: Chantecaille
* If you complete a purchase using the links marked with an asterisk, WELT will receive a small commission. You can find our standards of transparency and journalistic independence at axelspringer.de/unabhaengigkeit.
The first version of this article was published in December 2019.