MJBizMag May-June 2021 - 14

CBD Pairings Require Transparency
Trends&HotTopics | Dr. Priyanka Sharma
Companies that provide data about product effectiveness will outlast competitors
S
ince the onset of COVID-19,
considerable attention has been
directed toward bolstering the
immune system. Many consumers
are turning to wellness and self-care
products that incorporate adaptogenic
botanicals to alleviate stress and
nootropics to improve brain function.
CBD is among the botanical products
drawing interest, and major brands in
the CBD industry have jumped at the
opportunity to offer products that claim
to support immune system health or
cognitive function.
Lack of Scientific Data
Currently, brands are launching CBD
products that contain other popular
dietary supplements such as turmeric,
melatonin, elderberry and others.
Mixing such compounds is a common
trend in the dietary supplement
industry, and many supplement
manufacturers produce products
with similar hybrids. Although there is
nothing inherently wrong with offering
CBD products paired with popular
supplements, scientific data is lacking
on such products' safety and the
efficacy of their proposed effects.
For example, existing studies show
the potential effectiveness of turmeric
as an anti-inflammatory. There are
also studies that explore the effectiveness
of CBD as an anti-inflammatory.
However, there is a gap in the research
when it comes to how turmeric and
CBD function together as an antiinflammatory,
and manufacturers are
disregarding this gap, assuming that
adding them together will provide
added effectiveness. We all know what
happens when we assume things:
Consumers lose trust.
In terms of safety, it is also
important to think about how different
supplement combinations could
interact with each other in negative
ways. Consider this: Fish oil and
ginkgo biloba are both used to reduce
cognitive impairment, but when
combined, they can cause blood
thinning. Haphazardly combining
supplements-even natural
ones-without testing is ill advised
and possibly even dangerous.
Confounding Consumers
As a consumer, it is extremely difficult
to decide among products that contain
supplements in addition to CBD. Is the
brand that adds the greatest number
of different supplements going to
come out on top? Is the brand that
adds the most popular supplements to
their CBD going to find success?
Another question regarding this new
class of products has to do with the
dosage of each compound. Although
natural compounds such as reishi
mushrooms or echinacea may be beneficial,
there seems to be a glaring lack
of evidence to support whether these
compounds are effective at the dosage
levels being delivered per serving.
Combining supplements because it
is assumed that their effectiveness will
be additive is simply not going to cut it
for consumers who are serious about
wellness and looking for solutions to
their health concerns. For brands, it
is important to begin providing proof
that these products are effective.
Consumers are going to begin losing
trust in CBD and other hemp-derived
cannabinoids if there is not sufficient
evidence to support their efficacy.
The solution to this issue lies in
research and clinical testing. If
brands can present actual scientific
data on the increased efficacy of
combination supplement products,
14 Marijuana Business Magazine | May-June 2021
consumers will have a much more
compelling reason to trust that these
products will actually work for them.
It Should Be About Self-Care
Consumers are more educated about
wellness and self-care products than
ever before. If brands are not providing
evidence for these emerging self-care
CBD categories, consumers will spend
their money elsewhere.
It is time to invest heavily in the
research and science behind these
products, and brands that have the
ability to provide this data are going to
be ahead of the game. As an industry,
if we want consumers to trust CBD
products, then we need to give them a
reason to do so.
Dr. Priyanka Sharma is the co-CEO and
co-founder of Kazmira, a science-based
cannabinoid manufacturer in Colorado.
She leads a team of scientists and
engineers dedicated to improving life
through self-care and cannabinoidbased
supplement products.
MJBizMag May-June 2021

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