By now, you’ve more than likely heard about CBD, but do you know how to take it?
Let’s go over all the different ways to take CBD:
- Ingestible CBD Products
- Smokeable / Inhalable CBD Products
Ingestible CBD Products
CBD Oil
If you aren’t familiar with CBD oil, it’s typically taken by mouth. Many people hold a few drops under the tongue for a minute or two in a practice known as taking CBD sublingually. This method allows more to be absorbed through membranes in the mouth which may increase the effects as opposed to just swallowing the oil outright. [1] If you don’t like the taste of hemp or CBD oil, this method may not be for you. Of course, if you simply swallow CBD oil, you will still benefit from it. It might take longer to feel the effects as CBD is taken orally and has to first be broken down by the digestive systems and then metabolized by the liver before the effects can be felt. This can reduce the effectiveness of some drugs and is known as the first-pass effect. [2]
In regards to dosing, if you are new to CBD oil, you’ll first want to make sure you’re getting the real thing. Many companies advertise ‘hemp CBD products’ with deceptive labeling or business methods, but these products only contain hemp seed oil extract, which is not the same thing as cannabidiol and will not have the same effect. [3]
That’s why it’s so important to shop with a reputable CBD company that can provide certificates of authenticity and third-party lab test results to verify their products. It’s important to pay attention to product labels for this reason and ensure you are getting cannabidiol and not just hemp seed extract. Additionally, there should be minimum recommended dose guidelines on the product label. A good rule of thumb to determine your proper CBD dosage is to take 1–6MG of CBD for every 10 pounds of body weight. [4] A safe bet is to start with 25 mg of CBD over three or four days and see if you get relief. If not, gradually increase your dose to 50 mg, then 100 mg, doubling each time until you feel the effects. There is no magic number for everyone as factors like physiology, body weight, metabolism, and tolerance all play a role in determining how CBD will affect someone. [5]
It’s not a good idea to flood your system with CBD and take an extremely high dose immediately because this will cause you to build up a tolerance, and you may not be able to benefit as easily from taking smaller amounts of CBD. Reverse tolerance [6] is what’s known as taking just enough CBD to get relief, a minimum dose so that you will gain maximum benefit from the smallest amount possible. This will help you conserve your CBD and your money while experiencing maximum relief from CBD.
CBD Edibles
The method of how to take CBD edibles isn’t rocket science, you just eat them! There should be guidelines on the product label if you’re unsure about how much to eat, but generally speaking again, most people can safely start with a 25 mg dose.
Increase dosage incrementally as needed to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, CBD edibles can be given to your furry friends in the form of Happy Pawz CBD Dog Treats, or just by adding a few drops of Happy Pawz CBD oil for dogs to their food.
CBD Drinkables
Similar to CBD edibles, figuring out how to take CBD tinctures & drinkables isn’t complicated. You drink them! However, it’s important to know the difference between tinctures and drinkables as they are quite different in nature. The word “drinkables” in this case is referring to any CBD product designed to be enjoyed in the form of a beverage. This could include CBD water / sparkling water, tea, coffee, soda, or energy drinks. These products often don’t contain large amounts of CBD compared to tinctures, and can generally be enjoyed completely in one sitting.
CBD tinctures are generally stronger than something like a mass-produced drinkable. That’s because tinctures are created using raw plant material, and contain more of the essence of the cannabis plant in them. Additionally, many tinctures are created using alcohol, and some tinctures even contain alcohol. [7]
It’s a good idea to pay attention here to make sure you know how much CBD is in your tincture, as the amount can often be much higher than a drinkable. Tinctures are not necessarily designed to be consumed all at once the way that a can of sparkling CBD water would be, for instance.
Smokeable CBD Products
The process of waiting for an edible or drinkable to kick in may be less desirable than inhaling CBD for some people. The reason for this is that CBD passes through the blood-brain barrier more quickly when inhaled through the lungs than it does when it must first pass through the digestive system and be metabolized by the liver. [10]
There are several ways how to inhale CBD. The most basic way is to smoke raw plant material. Hemp flowers can be used in any smoking device or rolled into joints. However, this method can be harsh on the lungs, as there will likely be ash from raw plant material, fillers, and potentially even butane from a lighter. This may be some people’s preferred method of CBD use, but there are alternative ways to inhale CBD that some may find more enjoyable.
Another option is vaping. Special CBD vape juice pens can be combined with terpenes to create various flavors. This offers the consumer more choice. Since these pens also turn the CBD into a vapor form, there’s no harsh smoke. Vaping is more discreet than smoking and shouldn’t result in the smell of hemp sticking to your clothes or hair. It also helps you avoid dirtying your clothes with ashes or inhaling butane from a lighter.
One other method, known as dabbing, is also used to inhale CBD. Although this method is generally reserved specifically for CBD concentrates like CBD dab wax, Broad Spectrum CBD Crumble, CBD budder, or CBD Shatter Crystals. Isolates and pure forms of CBD are often used in this method to take a concentrated dose of CBD in a single hit. The name dabbing comes from the fact that generally speaking, one small dab of concentrate is all that is needed to feel strong effects when CBD is taken this way. A dabs rig is needed for this. Most rigs require using a butane torch to superheat a glass piece known as the nail. Once the nail becomes red hot, CBD concentrate is applied to it using a small scoop. the surface is instantly vaporized, creating a concentrated CBD vapor that can then be inhaled.
References
- https://innovareacademics.in/journal/ijpps/Vol3Suppl2/1092.pdf
- https://www.healthline.com/health/hemp-vs-cbd-oil#1
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317221.php
- https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/cannabis-tinctures-101-what-are-they-how-to-make-them-and-how-to
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6222489/
- https://www.farmapdx.com/inhalation-vs-ingestion/
- https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/1439.html