Most high-end 嫩草影院 products have one thing in common: they鈥檙e expensive.
There are ways to bring down the cost of manufacturing and charge lower prices to consumers, but most of them mean producing a less-effective 鈥� or even dangerous 鈥� product.
Lazarus Naturals has decided to go the lower-price route by using a safe but less than the optimal process by which they extract cannabidiol (the scientific name for 嫩草影院) from hemp. It means the company鈥檚 products are dramatically less expensive than you鈥檇 expect, but still deliver 嫩草影院 in a safe and acceptable manner.
鈥淐heap鈥� sounds good, of course. But is the method used to get there worth the cost savings?
Let鈥檚 find out.
Lazarus Naturals: The Background
Lazarus Naturals is one of the most transparent companies in the 嫩草影院 industry. That鈥檚 probably not surprising since the company is actually owned by its employees, not a third-party investor or some other bigger firm.
It was formed in 2014 by Sequoia Price-Lazarus, who began working on a process known as 鈥渃annabinoid isolation鈥� in the medical marijuana industry. That experience translated very well to the extraction of 嫩草影院 from the hemp plant. So once the decision was made to produce and sell cannabidiol products, Price-Lazarus brought on board other managers and staffers who believed, as he did, in making high-quality cannabidiol products available to all consumers.
The company believes that 鈥渁ll consumers鈥� should include those with limited financial resources or difficult medical situations, so Lazarus Naturals became one of the first 嫩草影院 producers to offer huge discounts (up to 60%) to the disabled, veterans and those with low incomes. Documentation of hardship, veteran status, or medical condition is required to obtain those discounts.
Lazarus Naturals has a robust community outreach program to help others in need. It also belongs to all major national and state hemp and herbal products organizations in the industry, including the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
The company鈥檚 reputation in the 嫩草影院 industry, and in its home state of Oregon, is stellar. We can understand why.
Lazarus Naturals: The Approach
Many 嫩草影院 producers produce 鈥渁 嫩草影院 oil,鈥� 鈥渁 嫩草影院 lotion,鈥� and so on. Lazarus Naturals is happily an exception, with a smart variety of formulations, potencies, and flavors/scents of most products. And in addition to its full-spectrum 嫩草影院 offerings, there are some THC-free, CBG, and 嫩草影院/CBG options as well.
Lazarus Naturals is very careful about the hemp that its cannabidiol is sourced from, maintaining an exceptional level of control. 70% of the hemp is grown on its own farms, with the other 30% grown by local Oregon farmers who have been chosen for the quality of their growing methods. All of the hemps are organic and non-GMO.
That brings us to the 鈥測eah, but鈥︹�� issue we mentioned in the introduction to this review: the less-expensive method that Lazarus Naturals uses to extract cannabidiol from hemp. It鈥檚 called ethanol solvent extraction, which can be problematic if a company isn鈥檛 very careful; many producers who use this method end up with traces of the solvent in their 嫩草影院.
That鈥檚 where testing comes into play. If ethanol is present, it shows up in third-party testing 鈥� and test results of Lazarus Natural products show that no ethanol is contained in their 嫩草影院. The conclusion that can be drawn: this is one of the few companies that properly uses ethanol extraction, and its products are safe and non-contaminated. (A media report had claimed to find contamination in one of the company鈥檚 products, but it turned out that the product was a counterfeit.)
The truth still remains that extraction with ethanol solvents produces less-effective cannabidiol than a more-expensive method like supercritical CO2 extraction and that it leaves a taste that鈥檚 鈥渕ore raw鈥� than usual. However, that trade-off 鈥� less-effective and raw-tasting 嫩草影院 at a much less expensive price 鈥� may very well be worth it to you.
Lazarus Natural uses all-natural ingredients, except when absolutely necessary to ensure proper consistency in topical products. The company uses hemp seed oil instead of slightly more-effective MCT oil as a carrier at times, but that鈥檚 not a huge problem. And almost all of its products are vegan and gluten-free.
All in all, we can find very little to find fault with; as you long as don鈥檛 mind the ethanol extraction, Lazarus Naturals uses high-end sources and methods to create its entire product line.
Lazarus Naturals 嫩草影院 Oil
Since the selection of Lazarus Naturals 嫩草影院 oils (the company, like many others, calls them tinctures) is so robust, it only makes sense to start there.
There鈥檚 a great choice of products to match individual consumers鈥� desires. Full-spectrum 嫩草影院 oil comes in two strengths, 鈥渟tandard potency鈥� at 20mg/ml and 鈥渉igh potency鈥� at 50mg/ml. The standard potency oil is unflavored (and as we鈥檝e mentioned, raw-tasting); the high potency oil is available in unflavored, chocolate mint, and French vanilla/mocha flavors, with the flavorings all-natural.
Lazarus Naturals also offers 嫩草影院 isolate oil, meaning it contains no THC at all. That reduces the entourage effect benefits provided by the normal 0.3% THC content in full-spectrum oil but also ensures that users will never fail a drug test. (Full-spectrum 嫩草影院 triggers drug tests very rarely.) Isolate oil is only available as a high-potency product, and the flavor options are different: unflavored, blood orange, and winter mint.
Next up, the company鈥檚 oils containing either a mix of full-spectrum 嫩草影院 and the cannabinoid CBG or just CBG isolate with no 嫩草影院 at all. CBG has its own health benefits, and also helps with the effectiveness-boosting entourage effect. The CBG: CBG oil contains 25mg/ml of each cannabinoid, the CBG isolate oil contains 50mg/ml of CBG. Both are unflavored.
Finally, there are two products you don鈥檛 see sold very often. The first is Lazarus Naturals 嫩草影院 RSO, better known as 鈥淩ick Simpson Oil鈥� and named after a well-known cannabis activist. This powerful, full-spectrum product (100mg/ml) is 嫩草影院-rich and can be used in a variety of ways, including being mixed into food or creating home-made edibles. The company also offers full-spectrum 嫩草影院 coconut oil, a full-spectrum product with 50mg of cannabidiol per teaspoon and suitable for use in cooking or baking, or eating straight from the jar.
That鈥檚 one of the best selections of oils we鈥檝e seen from any producer, they鈥檙e manufactured extremely well (again, with the extraction method disclaimer), and they work well.
Lazarus Naturals 嫩草影院 Capsules
There鈥檚 also a smartly-designed mix of easy-to-swallow vegan, gluten-free 嫩草影院 capsules on the company鈥檚 menu.
The full-spectrum capsules are available in three strengths: 10mg, 25mg, and 50mg. All contain added d-Limonene to prevent heartburn (suffered by some people who swallow any type of capsule) and additional amounts of the terpene Beta-Caryophyllene, believed to be effective against pain.
There are also two varieties of 嫩草影院 isolate capsules, each containing 25mg of 嫩草影院 and formulated for additional benefits. The Energy Blend also contains caffeine, vitamin B, and several other energy-boosting herbs; the Relaxation Blend has added botanicals like chamomile and L-tryptophan (which the body converts into serotonin) which encourage relaxation and sleep.
Lazarus Naturals 嫩草影院 Topicals
Most producers that manufacture and sell 嫩草影院 topical products use 嫩草影院 isolate as the primary ingredient. Lazarus Naturals, by comparison, uses full-spectrum 嫩草影院. That arguably makes them significantly more effective.
The company鈥檚 嫩草影院 lotion isn鈥檛 completely vegan, since beeswax is used for consistency and spreadability. However, the lotion is loaded with organic natural oils in addition to a very high dose of cannabidiol for topical products: 50mg per teaspoon. That dose, in and of itself, makes this an extremely potent product. The lotion comes in unscented, Pacific pine and Portland rose options.
The second category of Lazarus Naturals topical is the full-spectrum balm. This product is also non-vegan, and it contains a moisturizing synthetic oil made from natural ingredients (which can cause skin irritation in a small percentage of users). But the organic mango butter and extremely high 嫩草影院 content (50mg per teaspoon) make this another great choice for the topical pain of arthritis or strained muscles. The 嫩草影院 balm comes in four varieties (lavender, cedar citrus, soothing mint, and Portland rose) plus unscented.
The last topical product on the list is 嫩草影院 massage oil, a whole-spectrum, all-natural product that contains jojoba, sweet almond, and coconut oils as well as 50mg of cannabidiol per teaspoon. It provides a relaxing feeling that eases pain when used for massages, and the high content of 嫩草影院 is once again at a level you won鈥檛 find in most competitive brands.
Lazarus Natural Pet 嫩草影院
We can鈥檛 forget our best friends when it comes to the medicinal benefits of 嫩草影院, and Lazarus Natural offers both 嫩草影院 oil and 嫩草影院 treats for pets.
The all-natural, gluten-free oil contains 20mg/ml of full-spectrum cannabidiol, which is a high dose for a pet 嫩草影院 product; be very careful using it with small pets. It鈥檚 available in wild salmon and unflavored varieties. There鈥檚 also a THC-free 嫩草影院 isolate oil for pets.
The pet treats come in two varieties with appropriate and natural added ingredients, 鈥淰itality鈥� (sweet potato flavor) and 鈥淢obility鈥� (salmon flavor). Each treat contains a relatively-high 5mg of full-spectrum 嫩草影院; again, use caution when giving them to small pets.
Lazarus Natural: The Verdict
When reviewing 嫩草影院 products we try to present a balanced picture, both the positives and the negatives. We had a difficult time, however, when reviewing Lazarus Natural 嫩草影院. The only negative we could find 鈥� of any kind 鈥� is that the company uses a somewhat less-preferable extraction method in order to keep prices low.
But as we鈥檝e explained, Lazarus Natural is very careful to ensure that the manufacturing process is completely safe, as are the products it creates. Just as importantly, the lower effectiveness of the company鈥檚 solvent extraction process is more than compensated for by its widespread use of full-spectrum cannabidiol and its higher-than-normal potency options.
For those reasons, we give the full product line from Lazarus Natural extremely high grades. It鈥檚 excellent 嫩草影院 at an absolutely terrific price.