By now, you’ve probably at least heard of CBD oil.

This popular supplement is reported to reduce inflammation, ease pain, and promote a sound and healthy sleep.

There’s plenty of evidence that CBD works — but there’s a catch.

Not all CBD oils offer these benefits.

There are a ton of CBD oils that contain virtually none of the active ingredients, and many others that even include harmful contaminants that can make symptoms even worse.

Here, we’ll break down three of the best CBD oil options on the market. We’ll cover what makes them such a strong choice, and what options are available when it’s time to place your order.

Best CBD Oil: Top CBD Brands in 2020

1. Royal CBD Oil — Best Overall

Product Details:

Few companies can match the cost to quality ratio of Royal CBD.

The founder, Justin Hamilton, is ahead of the game when it comes to quality control.

Upon founding the company in 2017, Hamilton made three important decisions to keep the quality of his oils as high as possible.

A) Everything that leaves the Royal CBD facility is tested at least twice

B) A no-hassle money-back guarantee backs all orders — if you don’t like it, you can get your money back in full

C) All Royal CBD oils are made from organically grown hemp

The hard work done by the Royal CBD team hasn’t gone unnoticed. Royal CBD has been awarded as the best CBD oil on the market by a variety of different organizations — including LA Weekly, Observer, CFAH, and SF Examiner.

The company’s CBD products have also been awarded by industry experts such as Weed News, and We Be High.

You can order Royal CBD oils in four different potencies. The lower potency options are better for mild to moderate symptoms, or as a daily health supplement. The higher potency oils are going to be a stronger option for more severe or persistent conditions.

Royal CBD Oil Options Include:

• 250 mg CBD oil — low-potency
• 500 mg CBD oil — medium-potency
• 1000 mg CBD oil — high-potency (most popular)
• 2500 mg CBD oil — ultra-high potency (best value overall)

You can also choose between four different flavor options:

• Peppermint
• Vanilla (our favorite)
• Berry
• Natural (unflavored)

2. Gold Bee CBD Oil — Best Value

Product Details:

Gold Bee is a smaller CBD brand that’s been generating a lot of buzz lately.

This company specializes in making organic CBD oils with exceptionally high levels of hemp-derived terpenes.

Terpenes are tiny molecules that evaporate at room temperature. As they evaporate, they give off a characteristic aroma. Hemp contains hundreds of individual terpenes that contribute to the fragrance of the plant. You can find limonene (found in lime and citrus fruits), humulene (the aromatic compound in hops), myrcene (found in high concentrations in mango), linalool (present in tea tree), and much more.

Many of these terpenes have effect profiles of their own — lending themselves to the overall benefits of the oil. Others work by boosting CBD’s effects directly — either by improving absorption in the gut or slowing the breakdown of CBD by the liver.

As a result, Gold Bee CBD oils are more robust than the average CBD oil of the same potency. 1200 mg of Gold Bee oil has an effect comparable to about 2000 mg of an average CBD oil.

Gold Bee CBD oils come in three different potencies:

• 300 mg CBD oil — low-potency
• 600 mg CBD oil — medium-potency
• 1200 mg CBD oil — high-potency (most popular & best value overall)

You can also choose between an unflavored version of the oil with a delicious natural terpene-rich hemp flavor, or a honey version if you don’t normally like the taste of hemp.

3. CBD Pure — Runner Up

Product Details:

If you’re reading this and you live outside the United States, you won’t be able to order Royal CBD or Gold Bee. Both of these brands only ship within the United States.

CBD Pure is based out of the UK and offers some of the best organic, full-spectrum CBD oils in Europe.

These oils are made with the same rigorous quality control standards employed by Royal CBD (third-party testing, organic hemp, satisfaction guarantees). There’s just one major difference between CBD Pure and the other two brands mentioned on this list — the bottle size.

CBD Pure is sold in small, 10 mL bottles, rather than the standard one ounce (30 mL) dropper bottles. This has a big impact on the overall potency of the oil. If you take the same amount of CBD and put it in a smaller bottle, the potency of CBD in every drop increases.

As a result, CBD Pure is some of the strongest CBD oils on the market drop for drop.

You can order these oils in three different strengths:

• 300 mg CBD oil — medium-potency
• 600 mg CBD oil — high-potency (most popular)
• 1000 mg CBD oil — ultra-high potency (strongest CBD oil)

Unlike the other brands listed above, CBD Pure oils only come unflavored. However, the incredible quality of the oil and high terpene count gives these oils an agreeable flavor. If you’re not a fan of the hemp taste, you can simply mix a few drops of these oils with some juice, tea, or coffee to mask the flavor.

What is CBD?

CBD (short for cannabidiol) is the primary active ingredient in hemp (Cannabis sativa). It’s just one out of over 400 compounds produced by the plant. It’s the primary active ingredient in the herb that provides the bulk of the sedative, calming, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and pain-killing benefits.

CBD is classified as a phyto- cannabinoid. This refers to a cannabinoid-type molecule produced by plants (phyto means plant-based).

The human body also produces cannabinoid compounds — referred to as endo- cannabinoids (endo means “inside the body”).

Phytocannabinoids like CBD mimic our endocannabinoids to generate changes in the human body. In the case of CBD, these changes involve a return to baseline.

When we’re stressed, anxious, or in pain, CBD helps us return to a state of normalcy by turning down the stress response and blocking pain.

CBD has similar effects on other organ systems as well. It regulates immune function, reduces excess electrical activity during seizures or muscle spasms, promotes the regeneration of damaged cells in the skin, supports our circadian rhythm, and much more.

What are the Benefits of the Other Cannabinoids?

Hemp manufactures well over 100 other cannabinoids — though in much smaller quantities.

CBD makes up roughly 20% of the cannabinoid profile of hemp. There are about five other cannabinoids that make up the bulk of the remaining percentage, let’s briefly cover each one:

1. CBC (Cannabichromene) — this is the second most abundant cannabinoid in hemp. It has a particularly strong anti-anxiety effect and a mild appetite stimulant action.

2. CBG (Cannabigerol) — often referred to as the cannabis stem cell because it serves as the precursor for CBD, THC, and CBC.

3. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) — the primary psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis plants. This cannabinoid is only produced in trace amounts in hemp and is not strong enough to make users high.

4. CBN (cannabinol) — the opposite of CBG, CBN is the end product of CBD, CBC, and THC as they break down. CBN is a potent sedative, much stronger than CBD.

5. THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) — very similar to THC, but with much weaker action. Hemp doesn’t make enough THCV to have psychoactive side effects.

All of these additional cannabinoids contribute to the overall effect of CBD oil. Most experts recommend using full-spectrum extracts to take advantage of the benefits of these other cannabinoids.

The Benefits of Cannabis Terpenes

Terpenes are another important class of compounds manufactured in the hemp plant. They’re small, volatile molecules that evaporate under low temperatures. Terpenes are abundant in the plant kingdom. They’re especially prevalent in the essential oil fraction of different plants and are largely responsible for the characteristic aroma of different plants.

Hemp shares many of the same terpenes as other plants.

A few examples of cannabis terpenes also found in other plant species:

1. Limonene — found in citrus plants

2. Bisabolol — found in German chamomile

3. Myrcene — found in bay leaves

4. Humulene — found in hops

5. Borneol — found in camphor

6. Terpinolene — found in nutmeg

7. Pinene — found in pine trees

8. Ocimene — found in basil

Each of these terpenes offers additional benefits to the oil overall. Some terpenes are potent anti-inflammatories; others increase the absorption of CBD through the digestive tract.

The terpenes boost the overall effects of CBD oils through a phenomenon called the entourage effect. Through this effect, the benefits of the oil as a whole is much stronger with all these terpenes included, compared to products that have the terpenes removed.

A high-quality full-spectrum hemp extract already contains a high concentration of terpenes, but many users add additional terpene concentrates to boost the effects even further. This is especially useful when using a CBD isolate oil — which has all the active terpenes removed by default.

Who Should Avoid Using CBD Oils?

CBD oil isn’t for everyone. There are a few cases where people may want to reconsider using CBD oils — or at least speak with their doctor before starting a CBD regimen.

1. People taking heart medications — CBD may lower blood pressure and cause heart medications to act too strongly.

2. People on antidepressants — prescription antipsychotics alter neurochemistry in ways that could interfere with the effects of CBD in unpredictable ways.

3. People with low blood pressure — CBD may bring blood pressure too low, causing users to faint.

Other Health Supplements to Take With CBD Oil

CBD has synergistic effects with other health supplements too. For best results, combine the oil with supplements that are specific for the symptom or condition you’re aiming to support.

For example, people using CBD oil for insomnia can combine other herbs like kava kava or valerian or take it with the sleep-supportive hormone, melatonin, for added effect.

Popular supplements to take with CBD oil:

1. Kava — for sleep

2. L-Theanine — for stress

3. Magnesium — for sleep or muscle tension

4. Ashwagandha — for stress

5. Reishi — for immune function

6. Melatonin — for sleep

7. Boswellia — for joint pain

8. Turmeric — for inflammation

9. St. John’s Wort — for mood

Final Thoughts: Best CBD Oil Brands to Choose From in 2020

CBD oil is all the rage for supporting our overall health and wellbeing. Whether you’re an athlete with occasional muscle aches and strains or suffer unrelenting chronic pain and inflammation — CBD has a lot to offer.

It’s important you always order your CBD oils from a reputable source. There are a lot of unethical companies operating in this industry at the moment. It’s not uncommon to waste your money on CBD oils that are underpowered and overpriced.

In order to help our readers avoid the disappointment of ordering ineffective CBD oils — we’ve provided the shortlist above with the best CBD oils options in the industry.

If you’re looking for a popular CBD brand offering excellent value — go for Royal CBD. They’re our #1 go-to source for CBD oils for almost any application.