Many people suffer from pain in their knees, elbows, hips, and low back. In most cases, this pain is the result of chronic inflammation and arthritis.

Nearly 1 in every 4 Americans suffer from arthritis every year.

There are other causes of pain too — autoimmune disease, injuries, fibromyalgia, medication side effects, and exercise — just to name a few.

No matter what’s causing your pain, the treatments are mostly the same — over the counter or prescription pain medications.

While these medications work to dull the pain, it’s only a temporary solution. With long-term use, most of these drugs lead to severe side effects, including liver damage, kidney failure, or dependency and addiction.

This is why many pain sufferers are turning to natural, safer options — such as CBD.

Here, we’ll highlight everything you need to know before you order CBD oil and provide our shortlist of the best CBD products for pain.

Best CBD Oil: Top-Three CBD Oils for Pain

1. Royal CBD Oil — Editor’s Pick

Product Details:

Royal CBD is one of the leading suppliers of CBD products in the United States. They manufacture CBD oils, capsules, topicals, and gummies — all top of their class.

Our favorite is Royal CBD oils — specifically the 1000 mg and 2500 mg bottles.

All Royal CBD oils are full-spectrum products — rich in a variety of other cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN, and CBC.

This CBD oil is potent and delivers excellent value for the money. The best way to compare the cost of different CBD oils is to look at the cost for every milligram of CBD inside the bottle.

Royal CBD oils clock in just under 10 cents per milligram if you order the high-potency bottles. This is a good deal when you consider that the industry average is closer to 15 or even 20 cents per milligram.

Royal CBD has won several awards and was named number one CBD oil by media outlets including SF Weekly, SF Examiner, Observer, LA Weekly, and more.

2. Gold Bee CBD Oil — Runner-Up

Product Details:

If you thought Royal CBD oils were impressive, check out the selection at Gold Bee.

This brand doesn’t offer nearly the same range of products as Royal CBD, but the oils are arguably some of the most potent CBD products in their class.

What makes Gold Bee CBD oils so special?

Gold Bee focuses on small-batch extractions from locally sourced organic hemp. The team at Gold Bee claims the hemp that enters their facility is processed within 24 hours of arrival, minimizing the loss of terpenes, cannabinoids, and other beneficial compounds.

The terpene level of this oil is notoriously high. This is important to consider when using CBD oil for managing pain. Terpenes themselves have a lot to offer in terms of analgesic effects.

Recent studies have shown hemp derived terpenes like bisabolol, linalool, pinene, and limonene all offer substantial pain-killing and anti-inflammatory benefits on their own. These effects go above and beyond what CBD can do by itself.

The bottom line is that Gold Bee CBD oils are exceptionally potent compared to other oils with the same CBD concentration. They’ve been recognized by several industry-leaders as one of the best CBD oils for pain, including Weed News, CFAH, and We Be High.

3. CBD Pure — Runner Up

Product Details:

CBD Pure is not an American CBD brand — it’s based out of the UK.

We’ve included CBD Pure here because neither Gold Bee nor Royal CBD will ship outside the United States. For our international readers, CBD Pure is the next best option.

Like the other brands mentioned on this list, CBD Pure uses organic hemp plants, premium carrier oils, and full-spectrum hemp extract. Everything is tested in-house before samples are sent to independent labs for verification.

CBD Pure oils are sold in small, 10 mL bottles — yet contain much higher CBD levels than most other brands. The high CBD content combined with smaller volumes means every drop of this CBD oil is exceptionally potent.

The highest potency CBD oil from CBD Pure (1800 mg) contains a powerful 6 milligrams of CBD in every drop. You only need a few drops of this stuff for a healthy dose of CBD.

6 Signs of a Quality CBD Oil Brand

Shopping for CBD oils can feel overwhelming, with so many options available. Here are six key indicators of what makes a CBD oil high-quality. The best CBD oils meet all of these metrics.

1. Organic Hemp Source

Hemp is a bioaccumulator, which means it pulls elements from the air and soil around it and accumulates them in the leaves and flowers. Some of these compounds are toxic — such as the heavy metal class of elements.

These compounds can trigger inflammation, allergic reactions, and neurodegeneration over time. You don’t want these elements winding up in your CBD oils.

The best way to avoid this issue is to use organically-grown hemp. In order to qualify, the farmer needs to test the air and soil quality at regular intervals to prove it’s free from harmful contaminants that can end up in your oil.

2. Full-Spectrum Hemp Extract

CBD oils are sold in two main forms — full-spectrum and CBD isolate. Both have similar effects, but full-spectrum products are stronger.

Full-spectrum oils are a direct representation of the phytochemical makeup of the hemp plant.

These oils contain CBD, along with other cannabinoids like CBC, CBN, CBG, and more. They also maintain a group of compounds known as terpenes — which boost the effects of CBD. Some even offer health benefits of their own.

The combined effect of this diverse group of compounds gives full-spectrum CBD oils much stronger effects.

Alternatively, you can also use terpene extracts from companies like Finest Labs to boost the terpene profile of the oil you’re using. This is a cost-effective way to increase the potency of the oil you’re using.

Some people also combine other health supplements for a similar boost. Popular combinations include melatonin (for sleep), kava (for anxiety), boswellia (for joint pain), and turmeric (for inflammation).

3. High-Potency Extracts

You should always look for high-potency CBD oils and skip the low-potency options.

Low potency oils (300 mg or less) require much larger doses to provide any benefit — which means the bottle of oil you just bought won’t last very long.

Many people are fooled into buying these products because they’re cheaper, but end up paying a lot more when they have to restock their oil within just a few days.

It’s much better to look for companies that sell high-potency oils to get the best value for the money.

It’s better to take very low doses of a high potency CBD oil, than having to take high doses of a low potency CBD oil.

4. Multiple Flavor Options

Quality full-spectrum hemp oils contain high concentrations of terpenes. While these compounds offer substantial health benefits, they also contribute to the flavor of the oil.

High-potency, terpene-rich oils can be bitter, grassy, and hoppy — which isn’t always a good thing.

If you don’t like the natural taste of hemp, the best solution is to buy a flavored CBD oil.

Look for brands that offer its oils in various flavors to help mask the taste of full-spectrum hemp oils.

5. Third-Party Lab Tests

The only way to prove the claims a CBD company advertises on its oils is through independent testing.

Any CBD company can list whatever dose of CBD they want on the bottle. Until it’s verified by an unbiased company, you shouldn’t trust these claims.

Independent testing has become the gold standard for transparency of CBD products.

If you can’t find evidence of this testing, keep shopping around for a brand that does. If a CBD company is selling oils as “high-quality” or “potent” as they claim, they should be able to provide the tests to prove it.

6. Brand Mentions & User-Reviews

One of the best ways to assess the quality of a CBD oil is to have a skim through reviews left by current users. You can find reviews on professional CBD review websites, forums, and on the company’s website directly.

While it isn’t reasonable to expect a perfect rating, you should avoid companies that have more negative reviews than positive reviews.

You can also look for brand mentions on reputable media outlets. This is a good indication of brand popularity in the market. Most journal outlets will contract expert writers to put together their lists of the top CBD products.

Final Thoughts: What’s the Best CBD Oil for Pain?

Pain is one of the most common symptoms experienced in the United States. While there are many causes of pain, the most common culprit is arthritis — leading to a gradual loss of joint tissue, pain, inflammation, and eventually reduced mobility in the joint.

Pain medications are available and work to manage pain in most cases. The problem is that these medications can be highly addictive and can lead to more serious side effects like liver or kidney damage.

Many people are turning to natural pain-killers like CBD to help manage the pain instead.

If you’re interested in giving CBD oil a try, always make sure to order from a reputable source. There are plenty of bad players in the industry selling low-grade CBD oils to watch out for.

If you want an affordable and effective CBD oil to help manage your pain, we recommend you check out the selection at Royal CBD or Gold Bee. Both brands have a ton of positive user-reviews and expert-backed recommendations.