No matter what you buy, as a consumer, it’s important to get exactly what you’re looking for. This is especially true for CBD products. Although there are many CBD oil tinctures available, it’s difficult to know whether the labels are telling the truth or not. So it’s time that we looked a little deeper. 

We took a sample of 10 of the most prominent CBD brands available in South Africa and sent them all for testing. Our goal at Cannabis Oil South Africa was to find products that not only contained CBD, but that provided accurate dosage information. And the results were quite surprising!

Results can be seen in the image attached.

CBD Oil Dosages

CBD products come in a variety of dosages, represented in milligrams (mg) on the label. Depending on what you need, it’s important that you choose the right product so that you can take the right amount of CBD. 

The most common products available today range from 100mg up to 1,000mg of CBD. But did you know that some of these products had between 50% - 200% more than the label specified? 

According to a representative from Qure testing lab, “Generally, in the pharmaceutical industry a 10% tolerance around label claim is accepted.” which means only 1 out of the 10 local CBD brands that we tested were within this range. 

One of these products (brand 8) is a CBD skin cream that is advertised at containing 156mg of CBD. However, upon testing the product it came back with NO CBD oil at all. We find this very alarming and a disappointing lie to consumers.

What’s even more surprising is that the rest were adding way more CBD than they said - with one brand (brand 3) over 1.5x the stipulated amount.

Not only is it difficult to take accurate doses, but you might be exceeding the government’s recommended dosage of 20mg per day. And even worse, the products may no longer fall under the Schedule 0 drug classification and could be illegal. 

The latest SAHRPA CBD documentation stipulates that these products must “contain a maximum daily dose of 20 mg CBD with an accepted low risk claim or health claim”.

Is it Dangerous to Consume These Products?

The products themselves are not the problem, but rather the dosage that you consume. If the products do not contain accurate CBD amounts, you will not know exactly how much to take each time. You might find the CBD isn’t working as expected or that each batch is different to the next. 

When it comes to CBD products, accuracy is key.

Finding the Right CBD Oil for Sale | What Can I Do?

If you want to take the necessary steps to avoid inferior quality products that are not providing accurate information, you need to look out for a COA (certificate of analysis). 

Every product that you purchase should have a batch number which you can match with an up-to-date CBD test result (COA). By law, the products must provide this information, so it should be there.

If you can’t find a COA for the product or if you are unsure whether the COA is linked to your current batch, it’s important that you contact the supplier directly to find out more. If they cannot (or refuse) to provide you with the test results, it is a clear indication that their products cannot be trusted. 

All of the best CBD oil providers in South Africa have this information on hand and it is usually listed on the product’s page or on the shop’s website.

Get What You Paid For

This release isn’t meant to be a name-and-shame, which is why we left out the actual companies involved. It’s intended to be a warning for any consumer looking to purchase CBD in South Africa. 

Even though getting more than your money’s worth might seem appetising, accurate information and transparency are the cornerstones of a reliable (and trustworthy) CBD product. 

There are plenty of these high-quality CBD oils available. Will you continue to let the deceptive companies pull the wool over your eyes or are you ready to find out the truth? Remember - if there isn’t a test result, something isn’t right.

New platform set to transform access to sexual healthcare across South Africa with a game-changing prescription and delivery service.

Local entrepreneur leaves London law firm to tackle outdated healthcare system in South Africa by launching a subscription-based, hassle-free and affordable platform for sexual healthcare needs. - Cape Town, South Africa - July 2021

THE PROBLEM

It’s 2021. We can order everything and anything online; and yet accessing vital, everyday sexual health products in South Africa is a long, tedious and expensive process. Consider the current system women go through to procure birth control: take time off work for an appointment at an awkward time, queue in traffic, flip through 2-year-old magazines in a waiting room, pay the doctor, queue in more traffic to the pharmacy, pay for more parking, stand in line, pay for the prescription… and repeat the last steps every month to collect your medication, and repeat the whole process every 3-6 months when your prescription runs out. On average the whole ordeal can cost around R1200 for 3 months and several grey hairs. Seems a bit outdated, doesn’t it?

Inconvenience and cost aren’t the only factors limiting access to sexual healthcare. Across South Africa, contraceptives, menstruation and sexual health carry stigmas that aren’t easy to shake. A lack of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education provokes shaming, fear and sexual violence, and furthers the taboo of topics that need open conversations and acceptance within our communities. These obstacles are further exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19. Job losses have caused financial strains on individuals and their families, SRH clinics were closed to make room for COVID patients, services halted and fundings cut. Additionally, the fear of the pandemic and risk of infection has deterred patients from attending their regular check-ups, doctor appointments and collecting medication from pharmacies. 

THE SOLUTION

Founded by London lawyer Alexander Schmid, who has returned to his home country to address the above problems after an ex-girlfriend complained about the tedious and expensive road to birth control, Contro plans to tackle the inequalities South Africans face to access sexual healthcare. Partnered with a team of skilled developers and forward-thinking, specialist doctors, Schmid has designed and built a game-changing online platform that is about to revolutionise the healthcare industry in South Africa. Launching nationwide in partnership with South Africa's largest national courier pharmacy Medipost, Contro simplifies and streamlines an affordable route to sexual healthcare for all. Seems too good to be true! Customers choose their product of choice on Contro’s webpage, answer a short and secure online health questionnaire, and book a once-off video consultation with one of Contro’s licenced and registered Partner Doctors at a time that suits them.

The Partner Doctor will assess and answer any questions the customer may have, before prescribing, in their expert impartial opinion, the medication best suited to the customer’s individual needs and financial capabilities. Working as a ‘cancel anytime’ subscription-based model, customers’ medication is dispensed and delivered free of charge by Medipost every month in discreet packaging. Contro’s platform automatically sends the prescriptions to the Partner Doctors for approval, saving the customer from frequently re-visiting the doctor. All in all, Contro’s platform can save their customers on average R400 every three months while offering you the same security and on-hand support you’d get from your family doctor. Furthermore, Contro’s service is discreet, non-judgemental and non-biased. All Partner Doctors are qualified, currently practising and personally vetted based on their aligned belief to increase accessibility to sexual healthcare. Customers can also use their existing medical aid plan to cover their medication costs.

THE VISION

“74% of millennials prefer telehealth visits to in-person doctors exams” (GlobalMed)The launch of Contro coincides with a general global trend popularising telemedicine and online medical services. Utilising technology allows for the provision of remote services aimed at replacing or supplementing existing in-person clinical offerings. Telemedicine primarily offers convenience from the comfort of your own home and is cost-effective while still offering the highest-quality medical assessments. The ease of online communications also increases patient engagement by encouraging more frequent conversations between patient and doctor, while simultaneously making follow-ups effortless. The value of a platform like Contro to a country like South Africa, where existing processes are outdated, expensive and time-consuming, could mark the seminal inauguration of a much-needed modernised medical offering across the country.

Launching with an offering of birth control and erectile dysfunction treatment, Contro facilitates access to over 35 brands of the contraceptive pill and ED medication through their Partner Pharmacy Medipost. Contro plans to expand its offering to other sexual health and confidence products to give their customers' access to hair loss treatment, preventative HIV treatment (PrEP), STI testing kits and thrush treatment. Contro is driven to change the negative narrative surrounding these products, and empower every individual with the choice of protecting themselves and their sexual health at any stage of their life. Contro is an online prescription and delivery service for sexual health and confidence products.

Launched in May 2021, Contro’s game-changing subscription-based platform offers customers an affordable, convenient and discreet means to access and take control of their sexual healthcare. Contro is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa.

Webstie - Contro.co.za

How can Hospitals protect themselves against the spread of Ebola?

With over 4,900 deaths from Ebola since it's outbreak, it's not a surprise that Western Cape hospitals are preparing should a case be found in South Africa. Particle Science has worked with a number of hospitals in The Western Cape and Gauteng region to make sure that their environment are controlled and up to standard.

6 days ago Eye Witness News covered the announcement by Tygerberg Hospital that they have "all systems in place should Ebola hit South Africa." Tygerberg Hospital has specialist equipment and isolation wards, also known as infectious disease wards, which will be used if any Ebola cases are detected in South Africa. While there are no cases of the deadly virus in the country, authorities aren't taking any chances and have put in place a plan. The hospital's storage room is filled with plastic protective gear like safety goggles, gloves and gumboots. All this will be needed to protect health workers if there is an Ebola outbreak. Isolation boxes to treat patients that need to be transported and special body bags are also on hand.

It is important, however, for all hospitals to have the correct safety equipment and protective gear should there be a need for cases to be treated. The key to the effectiveness of BSL-4 personal protective equipment (PPE) comes down to two things: One is the impenetrability of the material of which the suit is constructed. They’re very tough, heavy flexible polymers that one would have to work very hard to puncture or cut. Two is the High-efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter; forced-air, powered units which provide filtered air to the individual in the suit. There is no chance for the intrusion of ambient air. A decent HEPA filter in good repair will filter out viruses. Many BSL-4 suits used in laboratory applications actually have hoses that provide dedicated airflow from outside the work area, forcing the worker to remain tethered to their air supply.

"It is imperative that these filters be tested and are in good working order" 

"It is imperative that these filters be tested and are in good working order" says Eric Lundberg, founder and CEO of Particle Science (Pty) Ltd. HEPA filters are critical in the prevention of the spread of airborne bacterial and viral organisms and, therefore, infection. Typically, medical-use HEPA filtration systems also incorporate high-energy ultra-violet light units to kill off the live bacteria and viruses trapped by the filter media. Testing of the quality of the air inside theatres needs to be done at least every 6 months to make sure the Filters are working correctly and air inside and outside the wards and theatres are clean and up to standard.

 More more information visit www.particlescience.co.za

{pp}Influenza, or flu as it is more commonly known, is a highly contagious, respiratory infectious disease.  Even though the general public has become rather blasé about colds and flu, as viral infections they both pose real health threats that can, in the worst case scenario, result in death.