Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to CBD.
PureKana is a popular cannabidiol (CBD) brand that sells CBD oil and CBD gummies, along with other CBD products. The brand claims that their products are “made with premium natural ingredients” and “lab tested for quality & safety.”
But does CBD actually improve health based on results from research studies? Does PureKana use an effective CBD dose? Is the brand's CBD oil or CBD gummies healthier? And is there a scam involving PureKana products?
In this article we’ll answer these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in PureKana’s most popular products (CBD oil and CBD gummies) to give our take on whether or not they're healthy.
We'll first review some clinical studies on CBD to determine if the compound has any proven health benefits, and also feature a video discussing how some affiliate marketers for PureKana may be involved in a scam.
Does CBD Actually Work?
CBD is typically used for three main reasons by consumers: to relieve stress, to reduce pain and to aid sleep.
The compound has been studied for all three outcomes in clinical trials.
A medical review published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association analyzed the effectiveness of CBD for general anxiety and anxiety-related disorders.
The researchers analyzed data from six clinical trials on the topic, and concluded that “CBD has a promising role as alternative therapy in the management of anxiety disorders.”
CBD was found to reduce anxiety scores in patients with generalized anxiety, and in patients with with social anxiety. No serious side effects were noted.
A 2020 medical review found that CBD may have analgesic (pain-relieving) effects.
The researchers stated that CBD “has the potential” to be an anti-inflammatory supplement, but that it’s too early to say so definitively. They described CBD as “a substance of great therapeutic potential.”
A meta-study published in the CNS Drugs journal examined the effects of cannabinoids (including CBD) on insomnia, using data from over 200 patients.
The study authors found that cannabinoids improved sleep quality ratings after 4 weeks, and even more so after 8 weeks.
Overall, we consider CBD to be potentially effective for anxiety, chronic pain and sleep, but the research is still too early-stage to say so definitively. CBD has a highly favorable safety profile.
PureKana CBD Oil Review
The ingredients in the unflavored version of PureKana CBD oil are shown above.
We typically recommend unflavored CBD for health reasons, because flavoring agents are loosely regulated and may pose toxicity concerns, according to a medical review published in a well-respected journal.
Full spectrum hemp extract is the active ingredient.
MCT oil is a safe, food-based carrier oil.
The CBD dose in this supplement is 25 milligrams (mg), which is within the effective dosing range, as we documented in our cbd oil reviews article.
PureKana publishes lab reports on each of their product pages proving that their CBD oil is free of pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, which is a sign of a high-quality brand.
Overall, we consider the unflavored version of PureKana CBD oil to be a healthy and effective CBD oil formulation.
Is There a PureKana Scam?
A YouTube creator named Jordan Liles has a video suggesting that there is a scam involved in the marketing of this brand.
This doesn't necessarily mean the brand is involved, but suggests that some of the publishers and affiliate marketing partners are promoting the brand in an inaccurate and unethical way:
PureKana CBD Gummies Review
The ingredients in PureKana CBD Gummies are shown above.
The CBD dose (25 mg) per serving is the same as the brand's CBD oil, and is within the effective dosing range.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer shown in medical research to cause whole-body inflammatory reactions in a small subset of individuals.
Natural flavors may have harmful effects in the body depending on what flavoring chemicals are used, as documented in a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal.
Added sugar is included at a relatively low dose of 2 grams (g), but we recommend avoiding refined sugar as it's clinically shown to be inflammatory, as we documented in our Apetropics One Chews reviews article.
These gummies cost $69.99 and contain 1,000 mg CBD, which equates to only $0.07 per mg. Surprisingly, this is more cost-effective than the brand's CBD oil.
Overall, we consider PureKana CBD Gummies likely to be effective because they provide an effective CBD dose.
However, we don't currently recommend this product due to the inactive ingredients used. We consider PureKana CBD Oil to have a significantly healthier formulation.
Customers Rate PureKana
At the time of updating this article, PureKana has an average customer review score on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website of 1.21/5.
While many companies have low scores on that site because customers are more likely to leave a review when they're upset than when they're pleased, this is a particularly low score.
PureKana does reply to the negative reviews to try and resolve whatever issue is occuring, which is a good sign.
Many of the negative reviews involve customers alleging they were billed for recurring orders when they claim to have only signed up for a one-time order.
A review from a user named "Shannon" states the following:
"I placed an order for just a ONE time order of CBD gummies and they keep charging my account even though when I go to my PureKana account it says no recent order and no payment on file. So how are they still able to keep charging my credit card $159/monthly!!!!!"
Our Clean CBD Picks
Cornbread CBD Oil is our top overall CBD oil pick.
It has a clean formulation of organic hemp extract and organic coconut medium-chain triglycerides, and the brand publishes lab testing on every product page.
Medterra Citrus Oil is our top flavored CBD pick, because the brand uses organic flavoring which meets a higher ingredient standard than natural flavors according to USDA flavoring guidelines.
Cornbread CBD Gummies is our top CBD gummy pick.
This is the healthiest CBD gummy formulation we've come across, because the brand uses organic flavoring and organic beetroot for color.
All of the supplements recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
PureKana Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of PureKana in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective CBD dose in both oil and gummies
- Healthy CBD oil formulation
- Healthier-than-average CBD gummy formulation
- Brand responds to customer complaints
- CBD has strong clinical backing
Cons:
- CBD gummies contain citric acid
- CBD gummies contain natural flavors
- CBD gummies contain added sugar
- Some PureKana affiliates may be making untrue statements to sell more products
