Gummies are more popular than you might imagine. The soft, chewy, delicious candies bring in billions of dollars (US) in revenue globally each year, with the market expected to grow 20% annually.
Demand for gummy candies is partly driven by demand for snacks and the creation of new and healthier versions of the candies, but also by strong growth in the wellness market. Products like gummy vitamins and gummy food supplements are soaring in popularity.
And that’s not even considering the CBD gummies market.
No data for UK consumers is available, but Forbes reports that 60% of USA residents have tried CBD (cannabidiol). And gummies are their preferred form of CBD product, ranking higher than CBD oil and tinctures, CBD capsules, topical CBD products like creams, and other types of CBD edibles.
Most consumers use CBD products, including gummies, for their apparent health and wellness benefits. The cannabinoid is believed by many to help with chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, insomnia, and even acne. Others say a daily dose of CBD provides them with a general sense of well-being. The most popular CBD gummies are known as “full-spectrum” gummies, which contain not only cannabidiol but all of the natural compounds extracted with it. That includes a very small amount of psychoactive THC, which is said to boost the potential benefits of CBD via what’s known as the “entourage effect.” What else is in full-spectrum CBD gummies? What other types are there? And most importantly, what are those potential benefits? Here’s a comprehensive guide to CBD gummies. The information that follows can benefit all CBD users, from beginners to veterans. CBD is short for cannabidiol, one of more than 100 naturally occurring phytochemical compounds known collectively as cannabinoids. They’re found in plants that are members of the cannabis sativa species, specifically the cannabis plant and the hemp plant. The cannabinoid most readers will be familiar with is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which triggers the psychoactive and physical effects most users want to experience when they smoke or consume marijuana. CBD is the second most common cannabinoid in cannabis and hemp, followed by others like CBG, CBC, and CBN. All are believed to provide unique health benefits. Cannabinoids deliver their effects by interacting with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a network that delivers chemical messages throughout the body and brain. The ECS was only discovered in the 1990s and it’s still not fully understood. But it’s responsible for regulating a wide range of bodily functions ranging from mood and memory to immune responses and sleep. THC and CBD (as well as other cannabinoids) are able to interact with the body’s ECS receptors because their structures are almost identical to those of endocannabinoids, the chemical messengers that humans produce internally. However, THC and CBD act in very different ways once they’re inside the body. THC binds to a large group of receptors known as CB1 receptors, which are responsible for most of the ECS’s interactions with the brain. That’s why THC produces such powerful cerebral effects and can get users high. Cannabidiol, by contrast, doesn’t bind with ECS receptors. CBD’s effects are produced simply by their proximity to receptors, and they interact primarily with the CB2 receptors that control activities like the body’s immune and inflammatory responses. For those reasons, the “CBD experience” doesn’t produce psychoactive effects or the sometimes severe side effects associated with marijuana. CBD gummies and all other CBD products are benign in nature. Some of the apparent health benefits of THC and CBD are similar, but others are unique. We’ll discuss the possible medical effects of CBD shortly. Cannabidiol is simply a cannabinoid contained in cannabis and hemp plants, and it’s often referred to as CBD. However, the term CBD is also used to describe the cannabidiol extract used to create commercial products — and there are three types of CBD extracts. Before discussing them, though, there’s one more important fact about commercially available CBD that must be explained. When you purchase a CBD product in a shop or online, the cannabidiol it contains has been sourced from the hemp plant. That’s because, by law, CBD products sold in Britain can only contain one mg of THC (a concentration of less than 2%) — and hemp contains very low levels of THC. Here’s what that means. When cannabidiol is extracted from hemp, all of the plant’s other naturally occurring compounds come with it, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Bottom line: there’s a small amount of psychoactive THC in what we often call CBD. The full combination of plant compounds works together to increase the effectiveness of cannabidiol through what’s called the entourage effect. But not all consumers want to consume even a low level of THC; some might react badly to it and others might fear taking a drug test. (It’s unlikely, but it is possible to test positive for cannabis after using CBD.) Those concerns have led to the creation of three different types of CBD for use in the manufacture of products: It’s important to stress that these terms only describe the type of CBD that’s in a product; they’re not statements about the product’s quality. Full-spectrum gummies aren’t necessarily the “best CBD gummies.” Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate products can be either high-quality or low-quality, depending on the quality of the hemp plant and the extraction and production methods used. The three types of CBD simply provide users with options that meet their individual needs. Naturally, cannabidiol is the key ingredient in CBD gummies, whether it’s full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate, and the type of CBD will determine the other plant compounds contained in the gummies. CBD oil is most commonly used to make full- and broad-spectrum CBD gummies, and the oil is usually a carrier oil like coconut oil or MCT oil. Most CBD gummy bears and other candies get their consistency from a gelatin base, but some manufacturers substitute pectin or organic tapioca syrup to produce vegan CBD gummies. The CBD sweet treats will also contain a sweetener like sugar, fruit juice, a gluten-free sugar substitute, or in a worst-case scenario, unhealthy high-fructose corn syrup. Additives that contribute color and flavor are almost always found in CBD gummies; food acids like citric acid are often used for their tartness. Berry, orange, apple, lemon, and pineapple are just some of the yummy flavors available; it’s best to look for products that don’t contain artificial flavorings or colorings. It’s a good idea to look for non-GMO certification, too. A full ingredient list should be on the gummy container’s label, along with a link to the product’s certificate of analysis (COA) produced by a third-party lab. Reputable companies always have their CBD lab-tested; the COA lists the cannabinoids contained in the product and their concentrations, along with results of testing for heavy metals and other possible contaminants. The label should also suggest doses of CBD for those who want to use the product in their daily routines. Disclaimer: Before using any type or form of CBD for its purported health benefits, it’s best to first check with your doctor or a healthcare professional. Here’s the simple truth: cannabidiol has only been proven effective as a treatment for a single medical issue. It can ease or prevent seizures caused by two rare forms of epilepsy, and it’s administered in a CBD medication (Epidiolex) approved specifically for that purpose. CBD gummies won’t do the job. With that out of the way, research studies have found numerous apparent benefits to the use of CBD, and gummies may provide many of those benefits. They include: None of those benefits have been established to the satisfaction of government regulators or the NHS, but there’s compelling research supporting each of those possible uses for CBD. Finally, we’ll repeat two points made earlier in this article.
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A. What Is CBD?
B. What Is Full-Spectrum CBD?
C. What’s in CBD Gummies?
D: What Are the Possible Benefits of Using CBD Gummies?
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