Holland and Barrett’s ‘mid-range’ CBD oils are produced by Jacob Hooy, a company named for the oldest, traditional pharmacy still trading in Amsterdam. For over 250 years they have traded in herbs, spices and oils to achieve their goal of providing good, natural, healthy and honest products.
Their CBD range includes oils and capsules which are sold in Holland & Barrett throughout the UK, online and in-store. As well as the products you would expect, like the 5% oil, hemp tea and capsules, they also produce some slightly more unusual items, such as the CBD coconut oil. It has a small amount of cannabidiol in a large volume of oil which contrasts with the 10ml or 30ml bottles used in most stores.
The Jacob Hooy CBD+ Coconut oil comes in a 250ml bottle and can either be used either in the same way as the 10ml bottles, or it can be added to food. The whole bottle contains 460mg of CBD and while it’s not the strongest product, the large amount of liquid makes it surprisingly versatile.
At first, I was dubious about this product and couldn’t see what benefits it might have over other more standard items. However, once I had consumed it for a few weeks, I realised just how useful it can be.
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Contents
Holland & Barrett Lab Tests
Lab tests aren’t available for any Holland & Barrett CBD products and are one of the most noticeable differences between them and leading CBD retailers. While I would consider Holland & Barrett to be a trusted brand, anyone selling cannabinoids in any form should be able to produce third party lab tests at the point of sale.
When we contacted Holland & Barrett they stated that the extract used by Jacob Hooy products is full-spectrum but they declined to share any evidence of test results. This means that as customers we are unable to verify the actual amount of CBD and accompanying cannabinoids contained in the bottle.
The information provided on the packaging states that the ingredients are:
- Hemp seed oil (67%)
- Coconut oil (29%)
- Hemp fibre extract (3%)
- Emulsifier: (sunflower) lecithin
Each 5ml spoonful contains:
- 2mg CBD
- 560mg alpha-linolenic acid (Omega 3)
- 30mg gamma-linolenic acid (Omega 6)
Personally, I would expect more than 29% coconut oil in a product named ‘CBD+ Coconut Oil’ but I can see good reasons for it to be in a lower amount. The additional hemp seed oil ensures the product remains a liquid at room temperature, allowing it to mix easier with other foodstuffs.
Ease of Use
Instead of a dropper or spray, it comes in a large plastic bottle with a plastic cap. Inside there is a small stopper with a hole in it to slow the oil as it’s poured out, like those found in malt vinegar bottles. It’s useful if you want to add a small amount to food, but to measure out a 5ml spoonful I found it easier to remove the stopper and just pour it freely.
Should you want to get the most out of the oil it is possible to hold 5mls under your tongue but isn’t quite as effective as with just a few drops because of the limited surface area.
CBD+ Coconut Oil Taste
The serving suggestions for the CBD+ Coconut oil are, ‘tastes delicious by itself as well as mixed with yoghurt, custard, smoothies, etc.’ Having tried many CBD oils I doubted that this could be true so gave each of the suggestions a try.
Incredibly, this is a genuinely great tasting oil. Because the hemp extract is diluted with hemp seed oil and coconut oil, you get a slight nuttiness combined with the buttery luxuriousness of the coconut oil.
It has a slight green colour so didn’t look particularly appetising as I added a couple of teaspoons to my custard, but the flavour really surprised me. It did work well in yoghurts, custards and smoothies, it was even pleasant when just taken on a spoon.
Potency/ Effectiveness
This is not a potent oil, if you were to take a few drops daily you could expect very little effect. To get an idea of its strength, its concentration is less than 0.2%. This is very different to the best UK CBD oils which are around 5-10% in strength and those appearing on the strongest list which is as high as 40%. However, with this style of product, the idea is that you take a couple of spoonfuls, making a daily amount of 9.2mg of CBD more comparable to other oils.
Even when you take it 10mls at a time this isn’t an oil that you would expect to get any significant effect from. It would work best when used as an addition to an existing CBD routine. If you regularly take a stronger oil under your tongue this one can be added to food as an extra CBD boost.
The addition of fat to CBD allows more of it to pass through your digestive system and reach your bloodstream ready for use. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which are known to improve energy levels and prevent some of the CBD from being broken down by your liver. This means that it has the potential to provide a stronger effect than you might expect.
Jacob Hooy Coconut Oil Value For Money
The price of the 250ml bottle, containing 460mg of CBD, is £26.99, making 1mg of CBD about 6p. This is fairly standard at today’s prices and makes it competitive, but not particularly good value. Considering that you also get a large amount of hemp seed and coconut oil it does slightly sweeten the deal, but neither is particularly costly.
If you take the recommended daily amount of 10mls, one bottle will give you enough for 25 days. While I do think that this bottle is worth the price tag, I would hesitate to spend money on a product that doesn’t have lab tests available.
Would I Buy Again?
No, I didn’t see the point of this oil. It is low strength and quite expensive too. As I’m sure you can see there is no way we can include it in our best UK CBD oils article. As it is not organic, it cannot be included in our best organic CBD oil reviews either.
If what you seek is a high-strength oil, at 0.2% it is some way off the threshold of 25% to be included in our list of the strongest CBD oils available in the UK.
Jacob Hooy Coconut Oil Final Scores
