Is CBD oil safe

More people are using CBD oils than ever before. While the media seems to be highlighting a new potential health benefit of CBD almost always, there have been questions around exactly how healthy these oils are and whether they are safe.

For a lot of people, CBD oils have proven to be a great alternative to cigarettes and often sound like a much healthier option. Some CBD oils do still contain nicotine, however, raising questions as to whether they are actually better for you.

When shopping for any CBD product, it is essential to understand what it is and the effects it can have on your body, both positive and negative. So, before you buy CBD juices in the UK, let’s take a look at precisely what they are and whether they are safe to use.

How is CBD oil made?

Just like other CBD products, oils can be made from both hemp and cannabis plants. Hemp plants tend to be the most popular source of CBD in countries such as the UK, where there are strict regulations as to how much THC a CBD product can contain.

Hemp plants do not contain THC making it much easier for companies to ensure their products are both safe and legal to use.

Once CBD has been extracted from either hemp or cannabis plants and processed, it is combined with a carrier oil and usually a thinning agent. Both the carrier oils used and the thinning agents are what set regular CBD oils apart from the rest.

Oils will either contain vegetable glycerin or propylene glycol as a thinning agent and, in some cases, a combination of both – as is the case with Provacan’s oils. It is these thinning agents – in particular, those made from artificial ingredients – which have received a great deal of bad press and are thought to be potentially bad for your health.

So, what are the risks associated with it?

Potential risks of CBD oil

With the rise in popularity of CBD oils, researchers are increasingly looking into the effects that these oils have on both our long term and short term health. There has been concern around some of the thinning agents that are used in making these oils, especially those that are made using artificial chemicals such as polyethene and propylene glycol.

When chemicals like polyethene and propylene glycol are burned at particular temperatures, they begin to break down into carcinogenic polymers, which are known to have long term effects on the human body. Some carcinogenic polymers have been linked to the body’s production of cancerous cells.

The main problem with CBD oils is that they have not been around for long enough for scientists to be able to investigate the effects of the artificial thinning agents appropriately used. Some cancer-causing carcinogenic polymers can take years, if not decades, before their results are noticeable.

There is also the concern that some contain nicotine, causing the same long-term damaging effects that have been linked to cigarettes. Nicotine is extremely addictive, meaning that, unlike other CBD products, using CBD oils could become just as addictive as cigarettes. 

For a large number of people who look into this as an alternative to cigarettes in the hope of tackling a nicotine addiction, oils that contain nicotine might not be the best solution

Final thoughts on CBD oil: Is it worth it?

There is no clear answer as to whether CBD oils are safe to use, as it very much comes down to the ingredients that each brand uses. It is essential to carefully check the listed ingredients and look out for brands that only use natural ingredients within their oils.

One important thing to remember is that CBD oils are still relatively new, and research into both their positive and adverse health effects is still very much ongoing. It will be decades before scientists will be able to confirm one way or another whether chemicals such as polyethene and propylene glycol have long-term adverse effects on our health.

For those who are worried about the potentially damaging health effects of artificial thinners, it is possible to find CBD oils that are made with 100% natural thinning agents such as vegetable glycerin, which are thought to be safer to use. 

The editorial unit

The material contained in this article is of the nature of general comment only and does not give advice on any particular matter. Recipients should not act on the basis of this article’s information without taking appropriate professional advice.