The Next Generation Of CBD & Smart Supplements Is Here

Our phones are getting smarter and so are our supplements and CBD products. It makes sense — after years of bunk outcomes from old-school vitamins, we’re ready for something truly new and improved, and we have unlimited info at our fingertips to help us find it. 

Supplement improvements have been in the works for years. Here in the first chapters of the 2020s, supplements have truly (and finally) come into their own. 

So has CBD, which isn’t a dietary supplement according to the FDA. But CBD upgrades have been happening in parallel to supplement innovation, and folks are turning to cannabis-based solutions to optimize their health, which makes it a part of this conversation.

It’s safe to say that the days of blindly trusting bottles of pills and tinctures from the drugstore are over. Say hello to science-backed CBD and supplements.

Next-Gen CBD & Supplements: What Sets Them Apart

Calling something a supplement implies that it fills a gap with an essential need, like vitamin C, magnesium, or potassium — aka essential vitamins and minerals. But what people consider essential has evolved as we’ve learned more about ingredients, individual needs, and the environment. 

The modern approach to supplements asks: Why should our products hyper-focus on one concern when they can support our unique needs for whole-body health?

What we value in supplements carries over to our CBD products, and the companies acknowledging this are rising to the top. 

Here’s what you’ll find in the crème de la crème of supplements and CBD. 

Fully-Optimized Active Ingredients

As anyone who’s ever gotten a tummy ache from a low-quality supplement can attest, the quality of active ingredients matters. That’s because bioavailability — the body’s ability to absorb a substance — varies widely depending on the form of that ingredient.

There are some general guidelines that modern makers of supps and CBD follow for the best bioavailability. 

Each vitamin and mineral has its own best practices for the best bioavailability, as do many herbal supplements. For example, magnesium and other minerals should be chelated for better absorption. And,CBD should be nano-optimized, making the particles smaller and easier for the body to soak up. 

Ultimately, it’s top-shelf or bust for active ingredients.

Less Is More 

There was once a time when the focus was on the active ingredient in a product, never mind the other ingredients or their implications. That time has passed.

Non-active ingredients are calledexcipients. They include emulsifiers, moisture inhibitors, flavor enhancers, colorants, and carrier oils — just to name a few. 

Some excipients are absolutely necessary, like the carrier oils inCBD oil and binding agents that hold pills together. However, some are downright unnecessary and some are of such low quality that it’s laughable they be included in anything promising to support your health. 

In addition to opting for shorter ingredient lists whenever possible, steer clear of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, refined and hydrogenated oils, titanium dioxide, TBHQ, and BHT, as well as allergens. Cutting-edge products don’t settle for these old-school options. 

Ingredient Synergy

Ingredient synergy happens when ingredients work together to create a greater effect than they do on their own.

A popular example of ingredient synergy is turmeric and black pepper. Curcumin in the turmeric and piperine in the black pepper team up to improve absorption, ultimately improving the anti-inflammatory and digestive benefits of turmeric.(1)

Science is giving us all sorts of new combinations like this to try. Some are baked into the product formulations. Think herbal supplements that leverage complementary herbs and vitamin and mineral combinations that up the ante on results.

Some forms of synergy already exist in nature, but we’re able to enhance them.Broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD products are a great example. Extraction allows producers to weed out high THC concentrations while preserving terpenes, flavonoids, and traces of THC. Together, these compounds may create a more noticeable effect than CBD alone.

Want to learn more about the synergy of cannabinoids? Use the search bar to add this article to your reading list: What Is The Entourage Effect?.

Plant-Based Formulations

Concerns about the environment, animal welfare, and health are driving more people toward plant-based or plant-centric diets, and supplement makers are paying attention. Whereas the aim of supplements for vegans and vegetarians was once to “fill in the gaps,” supplements are now loading up on plants to feed demand. 

Vibrant powders chock-full of fruits and veg make it easier to go beyond basic nutrition and level up your wellness game. Products that were once off-limits to vegans are transformed by plant-based makeovers, likevegan hemp gummies made with pectin instead of bovine-derived gelatin, and omega-3 sourced from algae. 

With these ingredients typically carrying more antioxidants and other things that do a body good, it’s a win for plant-based eaters and omnivores alike. 

Full Transparency

After so many publicized call-outs on diet drug lawsuits and phony retail remedies, consumers have learned plenty about the scams and misconceptions that could be associated with supplements.

Modern supplement and CBD producers have opted to wise up. (At least, the ones worth their salt have.) They lead with transparency about production practices, testing, and ingredients. 

Nowadays, we see producers telling the stories of their products from start to finish, making it easier to identify choices that are not only better for your body, but better for the environment. This goes hand-in-hand with brands providing education about their practices, which is upping expectations on quality across the board.

Discover how CBD oil is made and learn about our practices in From Seed To Sale: How CBD Oil Is Made.

Customization Capabilities

“Take a multivitamin” used to be blanket advice for pretty much everyone. Turns out some multi-vites don’t jibe with everyone, nor do they always cover all the bases.

Enter: Choices. From personalized vitamin packs and probiotics to different forms of supplements andCBD products, you’ve got lots of ‘em. 

Advancements in genetic and clinical testing are ushering in this new age of wellness support, but some of it is based on personal preference, self-observation, and healthcare pro assistance. 

So while you can expect to see even more personalized supplements in the future, there’s no need to wait on seeking out custom products for gut health, detox, nutrition, and more. 

There’s No Looking Back Now

Supplements and CBD are here to stay, but that doesn’t mean they’ll remain the same. We’re already in the midst of a new era of products designed with holistic health, personalization, and the planet in mind.

As we continue to lead the way in hemp-based products, we at Pure Craft expect to find ourselves in good company among CBD and supplement companies that share our ethos that only the best will do. 

This is the new normal for supplements and CBD, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 

References

1. Goodson, A. (2018). Why Turmeric an Black Pepper Is a Powerful Combination. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turmeric-and-black-pepper