CBD usage on the rise in the UK: What is it and which city is most interested?

The cannabis extract CBD seems to be everywhere lately and has seen appearances in health products, skincare ranges and even food and drink, but what actually is it? And is the hype worth buying into?

CBD has been creating a huge buzz around the last year in the UK with its name popping up in holistic remedies, skincare, beauty products and our food and drink products.

CBD extraction specialists, Greyhound Chromatography, conducted research to find out which city is most interested in ‘CBD’ and the benefits it holds. By analysing Google Trends to see where it’s searched for the most, they found that Brighton is, in fact, the CBD capital of the UK.

Coming in second place was the ‘CBD’ Capital of the north, Liverpool, whilst the south-west came third as it was seen the people of Plymouth were also highly intrigued by the blaze around the ever-growing trend.

Surprisingly, out of 32 major cities in the UK, London ranked lower on the scale in 22nd place. This could, however, mean that the people of London are already clued up on what CBD is and where to buy CBD related products.

UK medical reports have seen a massive rise in interest in CBD amongst adults with amongst 6 million adults having used CBD with an 11% rise in consumption of CBD products in the last year.

But with all these products now more readily available than ever to the consumer, is all really as it seems?

Greyhound Chromatography is a specialist in the process that is used when extracting CBD from a cannabis plant and have tried to tackle the big question mark surrounding the CBD industry

What is CBD oil?

CBD (cannabidiol oil) is one of the most common elements found in cannabis and hemp leaves that has been recognised as possessing calming, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties due to its interaction with receptors in the brain. Unlike its better-known cousin, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), it is not psychoactive and doesn’t produce the ‘high’ that is associated with cannabis.

What are the claimed benefits of CBD oil?

The science behind most of the claims are still incomplete, but there has been a widespread body of evidence for the use of CBD for sufferers of anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, pain relief and anti-inflammation.

Are they backed by science?

Sue Massie, Marketing Director at Greyhound Chromatography, said: “As things stand, it can reasonably be stated that there is plenty of hard science pointing to the usefulness of CBD oil in a variety of situations.

“There are dozens more that show promise, but on which the science is insufficiently settled for us to offer analysis. While the industry may need to do more to combat the extraordinary claims made by some outliers, there is a lot of extant evidence in support of CBD oil as a treatment, and more will surely follow.”

Can we trust the claims?

With the popularity around CBD products growing more and more, sadly the exploitation of marketing products around CBD is growing along with the rise of snake oil products that have little to no effective medical dosage. It was recently reported that one product advertised as a CBD product which had a retail value above £50 actually contained 0% of the active ingredient.

For these reasons it is better to be wary of most claims even when they are advertised as CBD focused products as it is unlikely they will contain an effective dose. Consumers must do their research in order to ensure they are getting what they are paying for regarding CBD products.

Find out where your city ranks on the infographic below: