We started Cannabuddy to find the best cannabis and CBD products available in South Africa. Our goal is to shed light on which suppliers we can trust and which ones we can’t. We did this to protect the buyers in this ever-expanding industry.
We then thought to ourselves, we have a fair amount of knowledge in the cannabis and CBD trade, we are looking out for customers, why don’t we bring the best CBD product to market?
After going through months of research and looking at the current best brands, and what they had to offer, we decided to pursue this dream of having the best CBD oils in South Africa.
We started off by looking at the test results of all the products we have recommended over the past couple of years. Just to see what the other CBD suppliers were doing, and what we would have to do to provide even better products.
The results of the tests were extremely interesting. We looked specifically at two different types of CBD, pure CBD isolate and full-spectrum products, and then compared them according to the mg/Rand cost.
What we found is that brands that are in pharmaceutical retail stores are R4.20 per mg whereas the best value brands online come in under R1 per mg.
These are the questions we asked:
- Do the CBD products we recommend have CBD in them?
- How much is there?
- Which brand is the best value for money?
Well, it turns out that it is quite difficult to answer these questions – especially for the standard user. But we’ve done it all for you!
Rand Value/CBD mg Table
| Brand, with linked Lab test | Size ml | Price | Label mg | Actual mg result from test | Rand value of label/mg | Actual Rand value from test/mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand 1 | 30 | R1195 | 1000 | 1881 | R1,19 | R0,63 |
| Brand 2 | 30 | R1195 | 1000 | 1722 | R1,19 | R0,69 |
| Brand 3 | 20 | R930 | 468 | 1202 | R1,98 | R0,77 |
| Brand 4 | 30 | R1295 | 1000 | 1464 | R1,29 | R0.88 |
| Brand 5 | 10 | R500 | 400 | 422 | R1,25 | R1,18 |
| Brand 6 (In pharmaceutical retailers) | 15 | R799,75 | 225 | 306 | R3,55 | R2,61 |
| Brand 7 (In pharmaceutical retailers) | 10 | R294,95 | 100 | 150 | R2,95 | R1,96 |
| Brand 8 (in pharmaceutical retailers) | 10 | R420 | 100 | 115 | R4,20 | R3,65 |
Our Goal
Our goal is to have superior quality products at affordable prices. So we set off in search of suppliers that make our dream a reality.
When looking at extracting CBD from the cannabis plants, you need to make sure that the plant you have grown has a high ratio of CBD to THC. This means, after the extraction process, you would yield a higher amount of CBD.
We looked at one of the strains we grow being CD1. This strain has a high CBD count between 11-20% and a low THC count of 0.5% so we thought this would be a good place to start and make our own CBD tincture. We made our sample product and shipped it off with great excitement to get it lab tested along with a variety of other brands.
The results of the test that came back for our sample product were disappointing to say the least. It turns out that our stain didn’t have the exact characteristics of the traditional CD1 plant therefore the extract had little to no CBD present!
With this knowledge, we turned to the industry suppliers. We explained our company’s ethos and what we wanted to achieve medically/therapeutically, while still being great value for money.
After receiving our first batch from the GMP-certified suppliers, we immediately sent them off to get tested at a 3rd party lab. Our supplier had sent their own Certificate of Analysis but we wanted to get a 3rd party involved.
After receiving the results back from the 3rd party lab we were not happy with the quality of the one product and sent it back for replacement. Our main goal is to have a product of high quality and standard. We were extremely disappointed with the result and are working tirelessly with the supplier to get them to produce a product we are happy to put the name Cannabuddy on.
Cannabuddy CBD Products
You will see the two products that passed through our approval process are the Cannabuddy 600mg full-spectrum sleep oil. This product is full-spectrum meaning it contains the cannabis profile of the pant after extraction. These other cannabinoids work together with CBD to produce something called the entourage effect.
This effect happens when cannabinoids and terpenes like CBG, CBN, THC, Mycerene and Linalool support the CBD compound allowing for better communication in the body’s endocannabinoid system. This results in far greater medical and therapeutic benefits of CBD.
We are also currently running a 300mg full-spectrum CBD oil for pets. We have used full-spectrum for the same reasons as mentioned above. We have gone with a lower concentration of the CBD oil, because animals have more sensitivity. Full-spectrum CBD oil acts on the CB1 (central nervous system) and CB2 (primarily in the cell of the immune system) receptors, The CB1 receptor has a direct effect on memory, emotions, movement, appetite.
It is very important to follow the dosing instructions for your pet. When introducing CBD oil, it needs to be a slow and steady adjustment to their lives. Closely monitor your pet to see what changes are happening, whether positive, negative or none, as you increase the dosage week by week.
This will have numerous advantages to your pet.
1) They start to build up CBD in their system at a steady rate.
2) It allows the pet to get comfortable with CBD.
3) You can monitor what dosage is working best for your pet.
When thinking about using CBD oil always consult with your doctor or your pet’s vet. It is very important to communicate with your medical professional about the use of CBD products.