What Is CBD Oil? How It’s Made, What It Does and Its Status in Turkey (2026)

You may have seen a small CBD oil bottle with a dropper in the news or in the hands of someone you know. It’s only natural to wonder what’s inside, how it’s made, what the label tells you and whether it really works. This page covers CBD oil as a product: how it’s made, its types, its label, what research has found, possible side effects and the rules in Turkey. For CBD itself as a substance, see What is CBD?; for details by condition, see the CBD Guide.

At a glance: CBD oil

What is CBD oil?

CBD oil is CBD from the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa) dissolved in an oil. CBD dissolves in oil, not water, so most products are oil-based. The approved CBD medicine is actually a CBD oil, too: each milliliter contains 100 mg of purified CBD, with sesame oil as the carrier and a small amount of alcohol (Epidiolex label, 2026).

It may also be sold as "CBD drops," "tincture" or "hemp extract." Whatever the name, what matters is that the label states how many mg of CBD are in the bottle and in 1 ml. In an analysis of 50 products sold in the US as "CBD oil / hemp oil," most of the products contained less than 0.1% CBD (ElSohly 2020).

How it differs from hemp seed oil

Hemp seed oil is a food oil made by pressing the seeds. CBD, by contrast, comes from the plant’s flowers and leaves; Turkey’s cultivation regulation also governs these parts separately from the seeds and fiber (Official Gazette, January 31, 2026). In a study of 20 hemp seed oils sold in Turkey, CBD came out at no more than about 0.02 mg per milliliter; small amounts of THC were also measured in all but one of the samples (Kacargil 2026). If the bottle doesn’t state how many mg of CBD it contains, the product shouldn’t be considered a CBD oil. More detail: CBD oil or hemp seed oil?

A short history

How is CBD oil made?

A CBD-rich extract is taken from the plant, refined if needed and diluted with a carrier oil to the desired strength. Each step affects what ends up in the bottle.

1. Plant: The flowers and leaves of CBD-rich hemp varieties are used. In the plant, CBD is first present in its acid form (CBDA).
2. Extraction: The cannabinoids in the dried plant are drawn out with a solvent; the most common method is extraction with solvents such as ethanol (Lazarjani 2021). In extraction with carbon dioxide under high pressure (supercritical CO₂), the carbon dioxide separates out as a gas at the end of the process, leaving no solvent in the product (Qamar 2021).
3. Heating: Heat, light and air convert CBDA into CBD (Citti 2018). In 50 products tested in the US, almost all of the CBD had gone through this conversion (ElSohly 2020). That is why CBD and CBDA appear on separate lines of the certificate of analysis.
4. Refining: The crude extract is cleaned of unwanted plant material. The further the refining goes, the closer the extract gets to nearly pure CBD (isolate).
5. Dilution: The extract or isolate is mixed with a carrier such as MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil, olive oil, sesame oil or hemp seed oil. This ratio determines the amount of CBD in the bottle.
6. Testing: Every batch needs to be tested for CBD, THC and contaminants. In Turkey, a "support product" license requires a report from an accredited laboratory showing that the THC limit has not been exceeded (Regulation, 2026).

If production isn’t well controlled, solvent can remain in the product. In Australia, 29% of the unregulated cannabis products used by children with epilepsy had ethanol or isopropanol residues above the accepted limit (Suraev 2022). In the US, solvent residues were found in 181 of 202 CBD products, though few measurements exceeded the limit (Gidal 2024). Details on extraction methods: How is CBD oil produced?

CBD can also be made chemically in the lab. EFSA found synthetic CBD that is at least 98% pure and dissolved in MCT oil to be safe at up to 2 mg a day, and only for adults over 25 who are not pregnant or breastfeeding; safety could not be established for people taking medicines (EFSA 2026).

Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, isolate

These three terms describe how much the extract has been refined. They have no binding official definitions, and the type stated on the label is not always accurate.

In a study of 202 products in the US, 26% did not match the type stated on their label; three of the study’s authors work for the company that makes the approved CBD medicine (Gidal 2024). The idea that the plant’s compounds work better together is called the "entourage effect." This idea has not been proven in humans. The most cited study is an analysis that pooled observational data without a control group in drug-resistant epilepsy: patients reported "improvement" more often with plant extracts, but by the measure of seizures falling by at least half there was no difference between the two groups (37% vs. 42%); the authors write that the result needs to be confirmed in controlled studies (Pamplona 2018). A review also stresses that the concept is poorly defined and is often used to sell products (Cogan 2020). More detail: CBD spectrum guide.

What does the research say?

CBD Guide reviews the research on each condition one by one. In the most reliable studies, patients are randomly assigned to groups; one group takes CBD and the other takes an inactive look-alike (placebo). Here is where things stand today for pure CBD:

The full table and the strength of evidence for each topic are on the What is CBD? page and in the guide. Results for products containing THC are assessed separately. Most studies used pharmaceutical-grade CBD of known content; these results can’t be applied directly to oils whose content isn’t checked.

Epilepsy: The approved CBD medicine reduced seizures when added to existing medicines. In children and young people with Dravet syndrome, the median number of seizures per month fell from 12.4 to 5.9, compared with 14.9 to 14.1 in the placebo group (Devinsky 2017). In Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, drop seizures fell by 43.9% with the medicine and by 21.8% with placebo (Thiele 2018).

Pain and sleep: In 15 of 16 pain studies using pharmaceutical-grade CBD, there was no clear difference between people taking CBD and those taking placebo (Moore 2024). A 2025 analysis pooling many studies found no clear difference in sleep quality versus placebo with CBD-only products; a difference was seen with products that also contained THC (da Silva 2025). Research on these topics is ongoing.

How is CBD oil absorbed in the body?

• Only a small amount reaches the blood: An estimated 6% or so of CBD taken on an empty stomach reaches the bloodstream (Perucca and Bialer 2020).
• Food makes a big difference: When the approved medicine was taken with a high-fat meal, the total amount reaching the blood rose about 4-fold (Epidiolex label); an analysis pooling studies found a food effect of 2–5-fold (Jang 2024). The European Medicines Agency recommends taking the approved medicine the same way every day (always with food or always on an empty stomach) (EMA).
• Under the tongue vs. capsule made no difference: In a study of eight healthy men, blood CBD levels were similar with both routes, peaking at about 4 hours; according to the authors, the drops are most likely swallowed (Johnson 2024).
• It leaves the body slowly: With regular use, it takes 56–61 hours for the amount in the blood to fall by half (Epidiolex label).
• It builds up in liver disease: In people with impaired liver function, blood CBD levels were 2.5–5 times higher (Jang 2024).

Possible side effects and drug interactions

The most common side effects are drowsiness, diarrhea and decreased appetite. The main things to watch are drug interactions and the liver; with unregulated products, THC not listed on the label and contaminants add extra risk.

• Drowsiness: In studies of the approved medicine, sleepiness and sluggishness occurred in 32% of people taking the medicine and 11% of those taking placebo; alcohol and sleep medicines can increase this effect (Epidiolex label). More detail: CBD and driving.
• Liver: In a placebo-controlled study of 201 healthy adults, 5.6% of those taking 5 mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight a day (about 350 mg for a 70 kg person) had liver values above 3 times normal within 4 weeks; this was not seen in the placebo group. Seven people were withdrawn from the study because of possible drug-induced liver injury (Florian 2025).
• Drug interactions: CBD can slow the breakdown of some medicines in the liver and change their levels in the blood. Examples: the epilepsy medicines clobazam and valproate, and the transplant medicines everolimus (its blood level rose about 2.5-fold), tacrolimus and sirolimus (Epidiolex label). In a patient taking the blood thinner warfarin, a clotting value (INR) rose after CBD was started (Grayson 2018).
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: CBD use is not recommended during this time: CBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Drug and doping tests: Tests look for THC, not CBD, but many CBD oils contain THC that isn’t listed on the label. Even in a group of 10 people given only CBD, one urine sample tested positive over two weeks of use (Wolinsky 2026). More detail: drug testing, athletes and CBD.
• Vaping: Inhaling CBD as a vapor has not been shown to be safe: Is CBD vaping harmful?

To enter the medicine you take and see sourced warnings: Check CBD drug interactions (78 medicines). A medicine not being on the list does not mean there is no interaction. All safety topics: Is CBD oil safe?

Label and certificate of analysis

The amount of CBD on the label is often wrong. Of 84 CBD products bought online, only 31% had a CBD content within ±10% of the label; THC was found in 21% of the products (Bonn-Miller 2017). In the UK, this figure was 38% across 29 products, and THC or CBN was measured in 55% of them (Liebling 2022). Among 202 products in the US, the amount of CBD differed from the label by at least 10% in 74% of products (Gidal 2024). In a study of cosmetic and food products, the label accuracy of products saying "tested by an independent laboratory" was no different from those that didn’t say so (Dowd 2025). We could not find a peer-reviewed study measuring the label accuracy of CBD oils sold in Turkey (PubMed, October 20, 2026).

When you look at a label, these points help:

• Amount: Does it state the total CBD in the bottle in mg and the CBD in 1 ml in mg/ml? "Hemp extract 1000 mg" does not mean the bottle contains 1000 mg of CBD.
• Batch number and certificate of analysis: Does the batch number on the bottle match the number on the certificate from an accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) laboratory that is independent of the manufacturer?
• THC: Does the certificate measure Δ9-THC, THCA and "total THC"? "ND" (not detected) does not mean zero; check the detection limit next to it.
• Contaminants and carrier oil: Are there tests for heavy metals, pesticides and solvent residues, and which oil was used? The approved medicine contains sesame oil and is not used in people who are hypersensitive to sesame (Epidiolex label).
• Treatment claims: If the label or seller says the product cures a disease, that is a warning sign.
• Data matrix code (karekod): In Turkey, licensed health and support products carry a data matrix code (karekod) on the box, and the product is tracked in an electronic system (Regulation, 2026).

Step-by-step guide: How to read a CBD label and certificate of analysis

How has it been used in studies?

There is no dose that fits everyone, and we don’t recommend personal doses; if it is used as a medicine, the doctor sets the dose.

• With the approved medicine, the doctor sets the dose by body weight and monitors the patient with liver tests (Epidiolex label). These doses apply only to that medicine and those conditions.
• Official limits for CBD sold as food are low. EFSA’s 2026 provisional safe level is about 2 mg a day for a 70 kg adult and applies only to products containing CBD that is at least 98% pure; no level could be set for people under 25, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people taking medicines (EFSA 2026). The UK Food Standards Agency advises healthy adults to take no more than 10 mg a day (FSA). These are upper safety limits, not personal dose recommendations.
• To work out how many drops of your own bottle equal the milligrams your doctor prescribed: CBD oil dose and drop calculator.

If you are considering CBD

You can talk with your doctor or pharmacist about: the complaint you’re considering it for and what research has found on it; all the medicines and supplements you take; liver disease or regular alcohol use; pregnancy or breastfeeding; and situations such as driving or drug and doping tests.

In Turkey, hemp-derived products, including CBD, may be sold only in pharmacies (Law No. 7557, January 31, 2026 regulation). The regulation defines four product types: medicinal product (medicine), health product, support product and personal care product. Products in the medicine and health product classes are dispensed with a prescription; no prescription requirement is stated for support products with a THC content of no more than 0.3%. As of October 2026, there is no approved CBD medicine in Turkey; the list of licensed medicines published by TİTCK (Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency) on October 16, 2026 contains no medicine with CBD (TİTCK). Products sold online, on social media or at herbal shops are outside the legal sales channel, and their contents are not checked. The legislation treats hemp seed separately; products containing CBD count as "hemp-derived products." More detail: CBD laws in Turkey (not legal advice).

In other countries: in the US, the FDA approved the licensed CBD medicine in 2018; according to the FDA, CBD cannot be added to food or marketed as a dietary supplement (FDA). In the European Union, CBD in food is considered a "novel food," and the authorization process is ongoing. If you have a side effect, you can report it to the Turkish Pharmacovigilance Center (TÜFAM): how to report a side effect

Conclusion

CBD oil is CBD dissolved in a carrier oil, and what’s in the bottle depends on every step of production. The clearest research results came from the approved medicine, whose content is controlled, in some severe forms of epilepsy; for many other topics, studies are ongoing. If you are considering a product, checking its label and certificate of analysis and talking with your doctor about the medicines you take is a good start.

This article is for information only; it is not a diagnosis or treatment recommendation. We don’t sell products or recommend any product or brand. How we prepare our content: Editorial Policy. Trusted outside sources: Trusted CBD sources. If you spot an error, write to [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

References