The 5 most effective CBD products (UK)

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the many cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, but unlike THC, it does not cause any psychoactive effects. Instead, CBD has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, anti-seizure, and neuroprotective properties, among others.

I take CBD every day because it helps me manage my anxiety and panic attacks. I have also experienced positive effects when using it to help me get to sleep and minimise bruxism (teeth grinding) throughout the night.

However, I’ve tried a lot of CBD that has done diddly squat. Many factors affect the results of CBD, including the strength, the carrier liquid, and the type that is used. I’ve found Full-spectrum CBD to be more beneficial for consumption, whilst CBD isolate has been most effective when I’ve used it topically.

In this article, I am sharing all of my favourite CBD products and brands with you. The majority contain either full or broad-spectrum CBD, so you can get the most from your CBD!

Best quality CBD

CBD One

• Products: Water-soluble CBD, CBG oil, full-spectrum CBD oil, topical CBD, HATCHA (hemp powder), and more
• Type: Full-spectrum CBD and CBD isolate for topical products

CBD One is my absolute favourite CBD company. They offer a variety of CBD products for different uses, all of which have been effective.

I particularly enjoy using their HATCHA powder with hot oat milk as a caffeine alternative. It has lovely calming effects, but I also find it surprisingly energising. I also like to add their bioavailable water-soluble CBD solution to my drinks throughout the day (you can’t even taste it). Not only is it easy to use, but I have also found it to be their most effective product.

At night time I enjoy taking their CBG oil. I hadn’t even heard of CBG before discovering CBD One, but I am already a big fan! I am now enjoying pleasant dreams and consistent deep sleep.

They also offer a variety of different strength full-spectrum CBD oils and topical CBD which uses CBD isolate, making it suitable for sports professionals.

Best CBD for sleep

Dreem Distillery

• Products: Broad-spectrum CBD oil, CBD bath oils, CBD balms and more
• Type: Broad-spectrum CBD

Dreem Distillery is a CBD company specialising in sleep. They offer a range of oils, topical balms and oils, and even bath salts.

Their broad-spectrum CBD night drops are high-strength and contain a blend of terpenes known for reducing anxiety and inducing sleepiness. They have also added peppermint to the mix to improve the flavour profile, although it isn’t used to completely mask the hemp flavour.

By taking the night drops 30 minutes before bed I have found them effective at getting me to drift off to sleep, without the usual relentless tossing and turning.

Their range of Natural Sleep Remedy products is completely vegan and made using complementary natural oils and plant extracts. I also really appreciate how transparent they are with their CBD lab tests – you can access the reports from their website.

Best CBD drink

Hip Pop

• Products: CBD-infused kombucha
• Type: Soluble CBD Isolate

This one is for all the kombucha lovers out there! Hip Pop is one of my favourite kombucha brands. They sell a range of delicious ‘Gut Lovin’ drinks in a variety of fun and interesting flavours – you must try their Apple Pie & Custard kombucha, it tastes just like apple pie!

Their CBD kombucha range includes three delicious flavours – Passionfruit & Guava, Cherry & Blackberry, and Blood Orange & Grapefruit. They use a water-soluble CBD isolate (15mg per can), making it perfect for kombucha lovers who have to undergo drug tests (for work or sport), or for anyone who can’t tolerate THC.

You also get the additional benefits of live bacteria found naturally in kombucha. Find out more about Hip Pop here.

Best CBD coffee

London Nootropics

• Products: Instant coffee infused with CBD
• Type: Water-soluble broad-spectrum CBD

This coffee blend by London Nootropics is made with a mix of CBD, ashwagandha, and coffee powder. It is an instant coffee blend that mixes well into hot liquids. I don’t think it tastes at all like instant coffee. Which is great, because I dislike instant coffee!

Each serving contains just 5mg of CBD, but it is water-soluble broad-spectrum. This is great if you take other CBD products and want a smaller top-up throughout the day. With the inclusion of ashwagandha, I find it to be a calming coffee drink (with no jitters).

I recommend trying their other coffee blends which contain a mixture of other nootropics, like lion’s mane and ginseng. Find out more in my London Nootropics review.

Best for CBD nerds

The Long Leaf

• Products: Dabs and concentrates
• Type: Full-spectrum CBD

Entering The Long Leaf’s website is like walking into a nerdy computer shop but for CBD nerds. On top of the usual CBD oils, they also offer dabs, concentrates and hemp pastes.

Their day-to-night oils are effective. Both oils have a unique blend of terpenes and I’ve found each to be suitable for its intended use.

They are strong tasting, as they have not included anything in the mix to ‘mask’ the hemp flavour, which is great if you enjoy the taste of hemp. The taste is slowly growing on me, but it has been difficult trying to not associate it with the taste of smoking a spliff!

They also sell vapes and gummies, but I’m not the biggest fan of either of these (find out why). Find out more about the brand in my full The Long Leaf review

My criteria

It hasn’t been easy finding CBD products and brands that I would promote to my audience. It has taken me a few years to discover the ones I’ve mentioned above. Here is how I picked them:

• Experience: I have tried all of the above products and have enjoyed each of them
• Effectiveness: I haven’t included any brands that I’ve tested and found to be ineffective. One such brand is TRIP (read my TRIP review), a heavily marketed CBD brand that uses only CBD isolates to create nice-tasting, but pretty ineffective, CBD oils and drinks.
• Health: I have avoided including products that may be unhealthy, like vapes and gummies. Vapes are potentially quite harmful, even without the tobacco! And gummies tend to be made with unhealthy ingredients like sweeteners, plus they aren’t the most effective way of consuming CBD.