CBN is one of the newer cannabinoids on the market.
It’s much less researched than CBD. But a few studies and anecdotal reports show that CBN could be more sedative than CBD. This makes CBN products potentially more useful for sleep. And this has also been our experience:
CBN is even more relaxing than CBD.
Today you’re getting a list of the best CBN oil products on the market.
We have tested and reviewed 12 products on the following metrics:
- Cannabinoid- and terpene-profiles;
- Transparency of the brand;
- Experienced effects;
- Value;
- Taste.
5 of these 12 products made it to our list.
Why? Because it's easier for you if we keep this list short and simple.
Let's get started:
Quickly go to…
1. NuLeaf Naturals CBN Oil (Best Overall)
Nuleaf Naturals is an old-timer in the cannabinoid industry.
Before CBD was even federally legalized, NuLeaf Naturals was producing high-quality CBD products. They're based in Colorado.
As alternative cannabinoids gained popularity, NuLeaf Naturals released more cannabinoid products. Among them these products are CBN oil and CBN oil capsules.
Now, when it comes to cannabinoid products…
At Herbonaut, we highly value true full-spectrum products. This means we value products that contain a wide variety of hemp-derived compounds. Whether the dominant cannabinoid is CBD, CBN, CBG, CBC, or any other cannabinoid…
Every cannabinoid product is more effective when it’s taken together with small amounts of other cannabinoids. Meaning, other cannabinoids than the dominant cannabinoid. Just like with vitamins, cannabinoids are more effective when taken in their natural context.
In their natural context, cannabinoids are never found isolated. They're always together with other cannabinoids, and also terpenes.
And this is exactly where NuLeaf Naturals shines.
This CBN oil is a CBN-dominant product. But besides CBN, it contains a variety of other cannabinoids and terpenes, including:
- Delta-8 THC (0.13%);
- CBD (0.13%);
- CBC (0.11%);
- CBG (0.11%).
Nuleaf Naturals products also always contain hemp-derived terpenes. This specific product has a terpene concentration of 0.25%.
It’s also one of the more affordable full spectrum CBN oils on the market.
Add to that the following:
- Every batch comes with its own lab-test report. The report shows the cannabinoid-profile and contaminant-tests, and;
- We experienced potent sedative effects when testing this product…
And you’ll quickly understand why it made it to the top of our list.
Up next…
2. CBDistillery CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture 1:3 (Best CBD-Dominant CBN Oil)
Being another old-timer in the CBD world, CBDistillery has been producing cannabinoid products for a long time.
It’s a trusted brand that not only provides quality products but does so at an affordable price point.
Like any transparent and trustworthy CBD brand these days…
Every product comes with a QR-code you can scan. It sends you to the lab-test report of the production batch your product belongs to.
Now:
While this isn’t a pure CBN oil product…
It’s one that contains high levels of CBN. It still contains higher levels of CBD than CBN, the ratio is 1mg CBN to 3mg of CBD.
But the levels of CBN are high enough to accept this product as a CBN product.
When it comes to effects, what works better:
- CBN as the dominant cannabinoid and let CBD be a minor cannabinoid?
- Or CBD as the dominant cannabinoid, and let CBN be the minor cannabinoid. But still the most dominant of minor cannabinoids like in this product?
Well, this varies on an individual basis. Some individuals react better to the first, while others react better to the second.
Personally, I prefer to take a combination of CBN and CBD but in a 1:1 ratio. Therefore, I prefer to get a regular full-spectrum CBD oil and a regular full-spectrum CBN oil. Then I combine the two myself, instead of letting the manufacturer decide what the ratio exactly should be.
That said, if you find regular CBN oil too sedative, or regular CBD oil not sedative enough…
This product with a CBD:CBN ratio of 3:1 is more effective than a regular CBD oil if you’re looking for strong sedative effects.
Buy CBDistillery CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture
Next up…
3. 3Chi Broad-Spectrum CBN Oil (Best Broad-Spectrum CBN Oil)
While the previous two options contain tiny amounts of THC, this is a broad-spectrum product. Broad-spectrum means it has no detectable levels of THC.
This is also one of the CBN products on the list that truly has CBN as the dominant cannabinoid. The CBN to CBD ratio is around 2:1. So for every 1mg of CBD, there’s 2mg of CBN inside.
What makes 3Chi broad-spectrum CBN oil so good is that, it has a good amount of minor cannabinoids.
This is especially remarkable because it’s a broad-spectrum CBN oil.
While true full-spectrum cannabinoid products always have great cannabinoid profiles…
Broad-spectrum cannabinoid products usually don’t contain high concentrations of minor cannabinoids. Because when you filter out the THC, the other cannabinoids get lost in the process.
But this broad-spectrum CBN oil has the following minor cannabinoids:
- CBD (2.36%);
- CBC (0.52%);
- CBG (0.21%);
- CBG-A (0.03%)
On top of this great cannabinoid profile, you get the following terpenes inside this oil:
- Alpha-Bisabolol (0.14%);
- Trans-Caryophyllene (0.1%).
As you can see, this broad-spectrum oil has a better cannabinoid- and terpene-profile than even most full-spectrum CBN oils.
The best part?
Looking at how much CBN you get per dollar, it’s also one of the most affordable options on the list.
Next up…
4. CBDfx Calming Tincture (Good Value)
CBDfx Calming Tincture is another CBD + CBN combo product.
It has a CBD:CBN ratio of around 3:1. This means it's CBD-dominant.
This is a broad-spectrum product. It contains extremely low levels of THC (0.01% according to the lab-test report).
It contains a few more cannabinoids in detectable levels as well like CBDV (0.02) and CBC (0.01).
So it has a better cannabinoid- and terpene-profile than isolate products.
But the concentration of minor cannabinoids is low. The levels of minor cannabinoids is much lower than with the earlier options.
If you’re looking for a THC-free CBD + CBN combo product, however, this is another good option. Out of the other THC-free combo products we’ve tested, only 3Chi has more minor cannabinoids.
Also, on transparency rating, CBDfx scores very high. All their production batches and all their products are lab-tested both for:
- cannabinoids, and,
- contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides.
In the past, CBDfx was also one of the few cannabinoid brands that had a satisfaction-guarantee . But their satisfaction-guarantee turned into a simple 60-day return policy. Only unopened/unused products can be returned within 60 days of purchase.
If you send a picture of your product and a summary of why you didn’t like the product, you may at least get a partial refund.
Up next…
5. Extract Labs Pm Formula Softgels (Honorable Mention)
This is another CBD-dominant product with high amounts of CBN.
Extract Labs Pm Formula Softgels is a true full-spectrum product.
Besides CBD (6.75%) and CBN (2.1%) it contains the following cannabinoids in the following concentrations:
- CBG (0.01%);
- THC (0.13%);
- CBT (0.2%);
- CBC (0.16%);
There’s no terpene test, but there’s an extensive contaminant and toxins test for:
- pesticides,
- heavy metals,
- residual solvents, and,
- microbiological contaminants.
Extract Labs is a highly transparent company with clean products.
This product stands out in that it has a good amount of minor cannabinoids. It's truly full-spectrum. It's another CBD-dominant CBN oil that's of high quality.
It’s relatively expensive compared to the other options on the list.
But it’s a high-quality product and there deserves a mention on our list.
Frequently Asked Questions About CBN Oil
What’s the Difference Between CBD And CBN?
Both CBD and CBN are hemp-derived cannabinoids.
But how they interact with receptor systems inside your body is slightly different.
CBN has a stronger affinity than CBD to bind to both cannabinoid receptors inside your body. But it has an especially strong interaction with cannabinoid receptor 2 (1).
When we look at it practically, CBN has more potent sedative effects than CBD (2).
Some people get better sleep-improving effects with CBN products than CBD products.
Not everyone gets sleep-improving effects from CBN though.
Cannabinoids can have widely differing effects on different individuals.
In our experience, CBN indeed is more sedative than CBD. But taking too much of it leads to grogginess.
What’s CBN Oil Used For?
The use cases of CBN and CBD overlap mostly.
As explained, CBN could be more useful for sleep than CBD because of its more potent sedative effects.
There’s also some scientific evidence that shows CBN has the following health benefits (3):
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Analgesic (painkilling)
- Anticonvulsant (potentially helpful for seizures/epilepsy)
- Anti-bacterial effects (especially against MRSA strains)
- Promotion of bone formation
- Appetite stimulant
- Improving symptoms of glaucoma
- Improving symptoms of psoriasis
How Much CBN Do I Need to Sleep?
We experience good effects with 50-60mg of CBN.
If you’re taking a CBD-dominant CBN oil, then 10-20mg CBN and 50-60mg CBD.
But again:
These are not official dosage guidelines. Cannabinoids have widely differing effects individually. These doses are just what we find effective when taking CBN oil products.
What Are CBN’s Side Effects?
Because CBN has more potent sedative effects than CBD, you can also expect more side effects with CBN. Side effects like:
- Lethargy, and;
- Sleepiness;
Other than these, the side effects of CBN haven’t been well studied yet. The side effects of CBD have been studied quite extensively.
But we don’t know much about especially the long-term side effects of CBN
Does CBN Oil Show Up on a Drug-Test?
If you take CBN oil in the form of a full spectrum extract that contains some THC, you could fail a drug test. Why? Because drug tests always screen for THC.
However:
CBN itself doesn’t get screened for, so if you use a broad-spectrum or isolate product, you won’t fail a drug test.
To avoid failing a drug test:
Make sure to always use a product that’s backed by a third-party lab-test report. So you always know exactly whether and how much THC you’re ingesting.
What's Next…
Go to our CBD Hub to learn more about CBD-related topics.
Scientific References:
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Pertwee, R. G. (2008b). The diverse CB1and CB2receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin. British Journal of Pharmacology, 153(2), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjp.0707442
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Karniol, I. G., Shirakawa, I., Takahashi, R. N., Knobel, E., & Musty, R. E. (1975). Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabinol in Man. Pharmacology, 13(6), 502–512. https://doi.org/10.1159/000136944
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Baron, E. P. (2018). Medicinal Properties of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids in Cannabis, and Benefits in Migraine, Headache, and Pain: An Update on Current Evidence and Cannabis Science. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 58(7), 1139–1186. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13345
