CBD formats compared: oil, capsules, gummies and tea

CBD (cannabidiol) is a compound from the hemp plant, sold in the UK as a food supplement in several formats. The formats differ in how the CBD is carried, how a serving is measured and how it is taken. This guide sets them out side by side as facts about form and amount. It does not cover health claims, because none is authorised for CBD, and it does not give dosing advice.

One regulatory note first. In the UK, CBD food products are novel foods and the Food Standards Agency publishes a list of products with validated applications. The FSA also publishes a precautionary guidance figure for healthy adults of 10 mg of CBD a day. That is a safety guideline, not a serving suggestion. Check the FSA list and your own circumstances, and speak to a pharmacist if you take any medication.

Oil

What it is. CBD extract dissolved in a carrier oil, usually hemp seed oil, MCT (coconut) oil or olive oil, in a glass bottle with a dropper. Oils are described by total CBD in the bottle (500 mg, 1000 mg, 2000 mg) or by percentage (5%, 10%, 20%), and the two say the same thing for a 10 ml bottle: 1000 mg in 10 ml is 10%.

Full spectrum, broad spectrum, isolate. Full spectrum keeps the plant's other cannabinoids and terpenes alongside the CBD, including trace THC within the legal limit. Broad spectrum has the THC removed. Isolate is CBD alone. The label should say which. Cold pressed whole plant oils, like the two on our shelf, are full spectrum by nature.

How a serving is measured. By the drop. A 10 ml bottle holds roughly 200 drops, so a 1000 mg oil carries about 5 mg of CBD a drop and a 2000 mg oil about 10 mg. The brand's suggested number of drops is on the label. Oil is the only format where you can adjust the amount in small steps.

How it is taken. Drops under the tongue, held for a minute or so, then swallowed. Some people add it to food instead.

Taste. Hemp oil tastes grassy and earthy; MCT oil is nearly neutral. Full spectrum oils taste stronger than isolates.

On our shelf: 1000 mg full spectrum oil and 2000 mg full spectrum oil, both 10 ml, cold pressed.

Capsules

What it is. CBD extract in a capsule, usually with a carrier oil or powder. Each capsule carries a fixed amount, commonly 10 mg to 25 mg, and the pack states the count and the total CBD.

How a serving is measured. Per capsule. There is nothing to count or measure, but you cannot take less than one capsule.

How it is taken. Swallowed with water, at the rate on the pack. Capsules pass through the digestive system rather than being absorbed under the tongue.

Taste. None, which is the main reason people choose them over oil.

On our shelf: CBD capsules, 30 at 20 mg each.

Gummies

What it is. CBD extract set into a chewable sweet with pectin (vegan) or gelatine, plus sugar or sweetener, acids, flavours and colours. Each gummy carries a fixed amount, typically 5 mg to 25 mg.

How a serving is measured. Per gummy. Fixed amount, no measuring, but the sweet itself adds sugar or sweetener, and the ingredient list is the place to check how much.

How it is taken. Chewed, one or two at a time as the pack directs. No water needed.

Taste. Fruit flavour; the CBD is hidden.

On our shelf: CBD gummies, 30 at 10 mg each, vegan.

Hemp tea

What it is. Dried hemp leaves and flowers in a tea bag or loose. It is a hemp product rather than a measured CBD product: the pack states the hemp weight per bag (2000 mg on ours), not a CBD figure, and the amount of CBD that ends up in a cup is small and unmeasured. Cannabinoids are fat soluble, so some people add milk or a little fat to the cup.

How a serving is measured. Per bag or per cup. No milligram figure.

How it is taken. Brewed in hot water like any herbal tea, three to five minutes or longer. Caffeine free.

Taste. Grassy and herbal, like a green hay. Takes honey or lemon.

On our shelf: hemp tea bags, 25 to a box.

Balm

What it is. CBD in a wax or butter base, applied to the skin. Topical, not swallowed, and not a food supplement. Described by total CBD in the pot.

How a serving is measured. It is not; you use as much as you choose per application.

On our shelf: a CBD balm with lavender, 1000 mg.

The formats side by side

• Oil: adjustable by the drop; about 5 mg to 10 mg a drop depending on strength; taken under the tongue; tastes of hemp.
• Capsules: fixed amount per capsule, 20 mg on ours; swallowed; no taste.
• Gummies: fixed amount per piece, 10 mg on ours; chewed; sweet; contains sugar or sweetener.
• Hemp tea: no measured CBD figure; brewed; grassy; caffeine free.
• Balm: topical; not measured per use; not a food.

Reading a CBD label

• Total CBD in the pack and CBD per serving (drop, capsule or gummy). If only one is given, work out the other.
• Spectrum. Full, broad or isolate.
• Carrier and other ingredients. The oil used, the capsule shell, the gummy's sugars and setting agent.
• THC. Should be stated as within the UK legal limit or as zero.
• Lab report. A batch-specific certificate of analysis is the proof of the CBD figure. We show report images where a brand supplies them and say when we have not verified them.
• Novel food status. Whether the product is on the FSA list.

Our label guide covers these principles for every kind of supplement. All our CBD formats are listed together under CBD products.

If you take any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a medical condition, speak to a pharmacist or your GP before using CBD. This guide describes the formats; it is not advice.