Holland & Barrett Jacob Hooy Quick Summary
Currently classed as one of the largest health retail stores in the U.K, Holland & Barrett is the go-to place for all things in regarding vitamins and supplements. Apart from offering a wide range of health products Holland & Barrett now offer CBD products under the brand name Jacob Hooy. Here is the key points you need to know:
Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil Pros:
- Compared to many other CBD brands, the Jacob Hooy CBD oils are very well-priced, starting at just £19.99.
- This is a trusted retailer, so it’s a good way to get new users into cannabidiol.
- The oil contains no additives.
Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil Cons:
- Since Holland & Barrett doesn’t specialise in CBD, there are no lab reports.
- There is also some other information lacking, such as what carrier oil is used.
Want to learn more about Holland & Barrett’s CBD oil continue to read the full review below.
If you’re into other types of CBD products, be sure to check out our 10 Best CBD Tinctures in the UK, where you can find other great brands.
Full Holland & Barrett Jacob Hooy CBD Oil Review
In the past 12 months or so, the number of people using CBD oil to boost their health has doubled in the United Kingdom. From 2017, the number of consumers rose from 125,000 to 250,000, according to statistics from the Cannabis Trades Association (CTA). This is due to growing awareness and popularity for CBD products, alongside the fact that these products have hit the high street.
Holland and Barrett became the first high street shop to start selling CBD oil back in January 2018, and the line of products has proven to be a smash hit. In February, sales of Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil increased by 37%.
But just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s any good. It could just be a fad or even a scam. There are plenty of other CBD sellers in the UK now, but people choose Holland and Barrett because it’s a recognisable brand that they can trust – is it worth trying elsewhere?
In this article, we will be talking about the CBD oil sold at Holland and Barrett, so that you know whether it’s worth spending your money on.
Why Are People Buying CBD?
Firstly, you might want to know if it’s worth buying any CBD at all. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the active compounds found in the Cannabis sativa plant. In the UK, all legal CBD is extracted from the industrial hemp variety of cannabis, which contains only 0.3% THC and therefore cannot get the consumer high (THC is the psychoactive compound found in cannabis). Industrial hemp can be grown under license in Great Britain, and this is where manufacturers get their CBD.
People are turning to CBD-infused products primarily as a food supplement – CBD oils are the most popular. These consist of CBD (and sometimes other cannabinoids and terpenes) suspended in an inert oil such as hemp seed oil or coconut oil. They are taken by placing a few drops beneath the tongue; the oil is held there for around 90 seconds, where the cannabinoids are absorbed into the bloodstream via the capillaries beneath the tongue. This method allows for a lot of the CBD to be absorbed and used by the body. But what exactly does it do?
The human body contains a little-known network of cannabinoid receptors called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is absolutely vital to our survival because it regulates a huge number of bodily functions; it maintains homeostasis. In simpler terms, the ECS makes sure that the rest of our body is working properly by regulating things like sleep, temperature, mood, memory, and more.
This works thanks to the cannabinoid receptors, which sit on the surface of cells and “listen” out for conditions around the body. When something tips off-balance, endocannabinoids are created which bind to specific receptors and pass along messages, allowing the cells to respond in an appropriate manner.
CBD fits into this because it can stimulate the creation of endocannabinoids. Taking CBD is a way to give the ECS a little boost, in a completely natural way. That is why it is taken as a food supplement – consumers are just looking to lead a healthy life.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CBD is generally well-tolerated in humans, meaning that it should be safe to take. It is not addictive either, and it is reported to have very few side effects; those that do exist are minor, including the likes of headaches, dry mouth, and nausea, all of which are not dangerous.
If you are someone who is dedicated to leading the healthiest life possible, then CBD could be very worth it as a part of your daily routine.
Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil at Holland & Barrett: Review
Onto the specifics, is the Jacob Hooy CBD oil sold at Holland and Barrett any good?
Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil Features
Jacob Hooy is a family company founded in 1743, starting out as a drug store in Amsterdam. Nowadays, Jacob Hooy is a very well-known brand – the original company was even an official purveyor to the Dutch royal household from 1815. Such an old company is sure to sell organic, trustworthy products.
In terms of price, the Jacob Hooy oils compare quite favourably with other CBD oils on the market:
- 2.75% strength, 10ml: £19.99
- 2.75% strength, 30ml: £39.99
- 5% strength, 10ml: £29.99
- 5% strength, 30ml: £59.99
The 30ml bottle of the 2.75% strength contains 825mg of cannabinoids, meaning that it should really last you quite a while, making the price a little more worth it. For reference, 30ml of oil is around 600 drops. The bottle comes with a handy dropper so that you can measure out the dosage accurately.
Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil is also completely legal as it contains less than 0.05% THC, and it is regularly tested to ensure this. The flavour is completely natural as there are no additives – while some people find this to be a reassuring sign that it’s healthy and organic, some people really don’t like the “earthy” taste. Luckily, the CBD oil can also be added to foods instead of taken sublingually (under the tongue), which masks the flavour.
Jacob Hooy makes their CBD oils using hemp seed oil, which is made by cold pressing the seeds of the hemp plant. Hempseed oil is a superfood in its own right, containing a range of vitamins and minerals alongside proteins, amino acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and linoleic acid. This makes it a very healthy product, ideal for those looking to maintain their health.
The Negatives
There are several flaws with the product. The stand-out problem is that both the label and the website are very vague, and that doesn’t really make consumers feel all too safe. For starters, it is called “CBD+” oil, suggesting that other cannabinoids are contained within the product – this is desirable, as it is thought that more cannabinoids can make the oil even healthier. However, the existence of other cannabinoids is not actually mentioned anywhere – what is it that is actually within the bottle?
Furthermore, the description of the oil is quite confusing. Hemp seed oil and CBD oil are two completely different things – hemp seeds do not actually contain many cannabinoids at all, making them virtually worthless in terms of getting your CBD. The product description just says that the bottle contains “hemp oil”, but is this referring to hemp seeds or CBD? We can assume that they have simply suspended CBD within hempseed oil, but it would be nice if the description were a little clearer.
Another point in terms of clarity is the strength. Seeing as many CBD products state the CBD level in terms of milligrams, most consumers will be accustomed to seeing the milligrams listed somewhere. Jacob Hooy and Holland & Barrett have not done this, so if you want to know how many mg of CBD you’re taking, you’ll have to work it out for yourself. While this is easily possible, it is a bit of a hassle.
The last problem is really only a problem depending on the individual. Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil is currently only sold in 2.75% and 5% strengths. For beginners this is great because newcomers to CBD should start out on a low dose and work their way up – this gives their body chance to adjust as well as mitigating side effects. However, for people looking for a bit more CBD, these oils are quite weak. Some CBD oils being sold in the UK are 40% strength, which just goes to show how weak these are.
The reviews for Jacob Hooy CBD+ oil are very mixed, with some awarding it five stars for its marvellous effects and others giving it one star and lamenting how weak it is.
Final Verdict: 8/10
The thing about CBD is that it is more or less different for every individual: What works for some people doesn’t work for others. Some people prefer CBD edibles or CBD topicals to sublingual oils, in which case this Jacob Hooy oil would be a complete waste of time. As far as CBD oils go, though, the selection at Holland & Barrett performs well in terms of price.
There are much stronger CBD oils out there, but this one might be more ideal for beginners. If you have never taken CBD oil before but are keen to give it a try, you might have to do some shopping around before you find a product that works for you. Buying this CBD oil from Holland and Barrett is, at the very least, safe, as there would have been a scandal in the newspapers by now if it was in any way harmful.
To summarise, there is no harm in trying out Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil for yourself. There is no guarantee that it will work specifically for you, but it is a decent product.
By the way, Holland & Barrett now sells a few other CBD products, which we talk about in our full CBD product review.
Official Site: hollandandbarrett.com
