Every piece of information in this article is sourced from medical professionals and scientific research studies.
You will learn about the CBD sweet spot; easily defined as a unique amount of CBD you should consume that is specific to you alone.
You will also be able to accurately calculate your own CBD dose by using our interactive CBD Dosage Calculator.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This article will give you the facts about the CBD dosage to answer the underlying question, how much CBD should you take?
How Much CBD Should You Take?
According to our research findings, CBD dosage recommendations are largely dependent on traditional use, expert opinion, and scientific research publications.
Since there is no concrete information on traditional CBD use, the answer to the exact amount of how much CBD you should be taking in a single dose is vague and unclear. However, the latter two (seek an expert opinion and base your CBD dose on scientific research) are strongly recommended as this article is founded on these two specific principles.
Let’s start with medical expert opinions…
What Medical Professionals Are Saying
Joseph Rosado, MD, on his podcast MediCanna Talk, stated the following.
“Start low and go slow and titrate up every 5 days. Typically I start my patients out based on the research out there which ranges from less than a milligram per kilogram of body weight up to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. So, we go on the low end. Start low and go slow, that’s step #1.”
Dr. Bonni Goldstein, author of Cannabis Revealed, she’ll typically start with 1mg of full spectrum CBD oil per kilogram of body weight for epileptic children.
After the initial response is recorded, Dr. Bonnie will either keep the same dosage, lower it, or raise it by increments of 0.5 mg of CBD per kg of body weight until satisfactory results are achieved, or the threshold of 5mg per kg of body weight is reached.
Scientific Study Conclusions
Whether it be an animal or a human as the focal point of these studies, we found that the majority of the studies gave the study participants CBD dosages based on body weight. i.g. “2mg (milligrams) of CBD per kg (kilogram) of body weight.”
Below, is a list of research studies sharing the CBD dosage used in the study, the outcome, and the year the study was published.
- At 400ug of CBD per kg of body weight per day for one week, CBD reduced the total number of cigarettes smoked by participants by 40% during treatment (2013 study).
- Up to 6,000mg of pure Cannabidiol appeared to be safe and well tolerated (2018 study).
- CBD at doses ranging from 10-20 mg of CBD per 2.2 lbs of body weight or 10-20 mg per kg of body weight per day is effective as an add-on therapy to reduce refractory seizures in two rare forms of pediatric epilepsy. (2018 study).
- Taking 30mg of CBD per day for eight weeks reduced opioid use and improved quality of life in 90% of participants (2018 study).
- The consumption of 300mg of CBD per dose significantly reduced public speaking-prompted anxiety, but higher and lower CBD doses, 600mg and 150mg, respectively, had no effect (2019 study).
- 18 and 19-year-old Japanese teenagers consumed 300 mg of CBD per day for four weeks; CBD significantly decreased symptoms of anxiety (2019 study).
- In a recent patient-reported outcomes audit study from New Zealand (n = 400), CBD was well-tolerated and improved pain outcomes and quality of life (2020 study).
- 40mg of CBD per day before any need to consider implementing THC into your treatment regimen. Most studies reported no adverse effects with acute CBD administration and only mild to moderate adverse effects with chronic CBD administration (2020 study).
- Single oral doses of 150 mg, 300 mg, and 600mg of CBD were all found to be ineffective at reducing symptoms of moderate-to-severe testing anxiety in college students (2022 study).
- This study combined 11 different studies with an average CBD dose of 15mg of CBD per kg of body weight per day. All 11 studies demonstrated positive effects in reducing seizure frequency or severity (2019 study).
- In April 2020, Australia’s Department of Health produced a regulation report titled, “Safety of low dose cannabidiol.” The results are provided in the photo below.
Suggested Dosage Found On CBD Product Labels
Since the CBD industry is still in its infancy stage, with rules and regulations still unclear, each CBD brand still has the complete freedom to offer its own suggested CBD dosage size along with its own recommended consumption intervals. This type of freedom results in CBD dosage recommendations varying heavily from one brand to the next.
The question you now might have is, should you follow the recommended CBD serving size found on the product label to the T?
The answer is “YES” for all occasions, especially for the first CBD dose. However, if the expected results weren’t achieved, we highly recommend that you speak to a medical marijuana doctor before giving up on CBD.
As mentioned briefly, the CBD industry is very young, and unfortunately, this has left the door open for both conscious and unconscious mistakes. There are several instances where big-name CBD companies have been scrutinized for mislabeling, misleading, or blatantly lying about their CBD products. You can view all the CBD-related warning letters sent by the FDA here.
As you can see, working with a medical professional to formulate a CBD treatment plan and only basing your CBD dose amount on scientific research are the soundest and safest ways to find your CBD dosage sweet spot!
Three Ways To Avoid CBD Dosing Errors
- Choosing unit-based CBD products like CBD Gummies & CBD Capsules. These popular CBD products only come in predetermined concentrations of CBD per unit. The only downfall is that it’s kind of hard to hit your exact recommended milligrams of CBD. Either way, they’re an excellent alternative to CBD oil tinctures because you don’t need to measure out your dose each time.
- If the company you are buying from doesn’t offer you dose information on their website or on their product label, DO NOT BUY and REPORT them.
- Use Cannabidiol Life’s interactive CBD dosing tools to find a very accurate CBD dosage specifically for you.
CBD Dosing Tools
In this section, we offer several tools to ensure you leave here confidently knowing precisely what your recommended Cannabidiol serving size is.
CBD Dosage Formula By Bodyweight
As we covered above from accumulated research, the average medical professional recommendation is based on what worked best for their scientific study.
This came out to be 0.325mg of CBD multiplied by your body weight using pounds (lbs.) as the weighing metric.
Thus, a 150lb person should start off with a CBD dose of 48.75mg.
FINAL ANSWER
Finding out how much CBD will take a bit of trial and error, especially if you try to do it blindly on your own without research, expert opinions, and data from scientific studies.
Here are our CBD dosage suggestions for body-weight-based CBD dosing based on the severity of your health concern:
Severe/Debilitating Concerns
10mg to 20mg of CBD per 1 kg or 2.2 lbs of body weight per day.
Moderate Concerns
5mg to 7mg of CBD per 1 kg or 2.2 lbs of body weight per day.
Light Concerns
1mg to 3mg of CBD per 1 kg or 2.2 lbs of body weight per day.
Daily Wellness
25mg – 50mg of CBD per day
The information provided is intended to improve, not replace, the direct relationship between you and your healthcare professional. This information has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has not tested any Cannabidiol Life products for safety or efficacy. Always speak to a licensed medical professional before altering your diet, and always seek legal counsel if you are unclear about your local CBD laws and regulations. Regardless of the facts, opinions, data, and research provided by Cannabidiol Life partners and staff, all CBD products, including Cannabidiol Life CBD products, are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any specific health condition or disease.