How to Use CBD Oil?

Cannabidiol CBD has been recently covered in the media, and you may have even seen it as an add-in booster to your post-workout smoothie or morning coffee. What exactly is CBD? Why is it suddenly so popular? CBD stands for cannabidiol.

How to Use CBD Oil: 7 Easy Ways to Get Started with CBD

We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. CBD, a cannabis extract touted for its potential health benefits, can now be found in a dizzying array of products and forms. In dozens of states, health food stores, pharmacies, and even supermarkets and restaurants are carrying CBD products.

That includes pills, oils, balms, vaping devices like e-cigarettes , and edibles, including gummy bears, honey, coffees, and alcoholic beverages, among others. But how do you choose among the different forms, such as smoking or eating your CBD? Experts we contacted say there are pros and cons to each, and settling on the one that works for you may require close scrutiny of the products and a little trial and error. CBD has become so widely used in part because early research suggests that it may offer possible health benefits—potentially reducing pain and anxiety, for example.

While this chemical compound comes from marijuana or its close relative hemp, CBD does not get users high, unlike another compound from the marijuana plant, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Still, the legality of CBD remains murky, particularly when it comes from hemp, which has kept the compound from being more widely studied and available to consumers. And nearly 90 percent of those who have used CBD say it helped ease symptoms related to their health issue. Perhaps even more challenging for those looking for treatment is discovering the dose that might work best for their particular condition.

Eating it, and especially a topical, will take longer before there is an effect. She says the potential healing benefits of CBD and its popularity are what spurred the company to open its latest shop in New York earlier this summer, with plans to expand into other East Coast locations in the coming months.

Ashley Garris, 28, of Wilmington, N. Among them, a year-old woman in Eugene, Ore. We spoke to experts about the different CBD forms, how they work, and what you can reasonably expect from the experience.

Some people get CBD by smoking the flowering parts of the hemp plant, similar to the way people may smoke marijuana in rolled cigarettes. The quick action means it should affect the body sooner, which could be especially useful to ease immediate pain or anxiety, for example. Vape pens are easy to use and can go undetected because they produce little smoke, Raiman says. Note that Oregon and certain other states have laws that prohibit vaping in the same places where smoking cigarettes is prohibited.

At high temperatures, propylene glycol can degrade into formaldehyde, a chemical that can irritate the nose and eyes and could increase the risk of asthma and cancer.

Also, controlling dosing can be particularly difficult with vape pens. How much CBD you absorb depends on how hard and long you inhale, Earleywine says. In addition, labels on vaping devices can be especially confusing, he says. It can be hard to guess what your dosage really is under some of those situations. If not, try another. And avoid holding your breath after inhaling, because that can irritate the lungs. Tinctures usually in oil form are taken by dropper or spray, straight into your mouth.

The CBD used in these forms is extracted from marijuana or hemp plants using pressurized carbon dioxide gas or a solvent such as ethanol. The solvent is then removed under vacuum, Backes says. The remaining CBD is diluted with an oil, such as sesame or coconut oil, to improve the taste and preserve the cannabidiol.

The quick action could make it especially useful in treating pain or anxiety. If needed, ask a retail salesperson for help or get out your calculator to calculate the amount of CBD per dose.

The price per bottle could be more for a product with a higher CBD content per dose. Doing so speeds up the effects of the CBD. If you add a CBD tincture to foods or drinks, it could take up to 30 minutes for it to enter your bloodstream. And ongoing conditions such as chronic pain are likely to better respond with daily doses, he says.

Shake the bottle well before using, Backes says, because CBD often gets stuck on the side of the bottle. Topicals are rubbed directly onto sore muscles or joints, where they may ease pain by reducing inflammation, Earleywine says. CBD balms typically include extracts mixed into a fat, such as beeswax or coconut oil. That recipe not only makes it easier to spread the product on your skin but also allows the CBD to penetrate.

That could make them safer—which could be important if you use CBD on a regular basis—considering how little is known about the long-term safety of CBD and other cannabis products. Cons: To be effective, products probably need to have a lot of CBD—which can make them expensive, Backes says. Good to know: In a retail store, ask whether you can sample the product first, says Tagliaferro of Hemp Garden. She says some people start feeling effects almost immediately after rubbing it on. Others say they notice relief later in the day, and return to buy the products.

At Inday, an East Indian-inspired restaurant in Manhattan, as a promotion, customers could order CBD-infused ghee clarified butter to be added to any dish. Other baked foods, such as brownies and cookies, may have a shorter shelf life and need to be placed in a refrigerator to keep the CBD oil fresh, says Backes, an expert in cannabis science and policy.

Good to know: You can also consume CBD in pill form. Similar to ingesting CBD in an edible, pills can take upward of 30 minutes or more to digest before you experience an effect, Earleywine says.

One benefit though is that the per-pill CBD dose should be clearer on packaging than for other forms. And for chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, where you might be trying to maintain consistent CBD levels in your body, pills may be an easier solution. As a dorky kid, I spent many a Saturday at the Bloomington, Ind. Now, as a much bigger kid, that's still my job! Identifying products and services, especially in healthcare, that are safe, effective, and affordable—and highlighting those that aren't—is my top concern.

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Vape Pens Some people get CBD by smoking the flowering parts of the hemp plant, similar to the way people may smoke marijuana in rolled cigarettes. Tinctures Drops or Sprays Tinctures usually in oil form are taken by dropper or spray, straight into your mouth. Topical Rubs and Balms Topicals are rubbed directly onto sore muscles or joints, where they may ease pain by reducing inflammation, Earleywine says.

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Full-spectrum oils contain all cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, including both CBD and THC. Broad-spectrum oils contain most cannabinoids. Increase surface contact. It's often suggested to keep CBD oil in your mouth for minutes or more before swallowing. During this time, increase.

My mind immediately turned to weed and the unnerving experiences I'd had with heightened anxiety in college. For me, a person who's already predisposed to overthinking , marijuana, no matter what the form, would typically put my mind into overdrive and result in a common yet dreaded side effect: Paranoia. But, let's back up a bit. What even is CBD?

Already, the plant extract is being added to cheeseburgers, toothpicks and breath sprays. More than 60 percent of CBD users have taken it for anxiety, according to a survey of 5, people, conducted by the Brightfield Group, a cannabis market research firm.

Last Updated: March 9, Why trust us?

What Is the Best Way to Take CBD?

Powered by Shopify. Now comes the truly hard decision: tinctures, topicals, vaporizers, edibles… Which is best for you? And how much should you take? Adding to that confusion is the fact that each of our bodies responds differently to CBD, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. With more than 65 different targets throughout your body, CBD has a staggering variety of therapeutic properties.

I Took CBD Oil Every Day for My Anxiety—Here's What Went Down

Skip navigation! Story from Health Trends. In case you missed it, we're in the midst of a CBD boom. Beyond just tinctures and gummies , companies are adding cannabidiol , the non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis and hemp products, in everything from beauty products to fast food cheeseburgers. For some people, taking CBD is part of their daily wellness routine , akin to taking a morning vitamin or medication. There's almost an overwhelming array of options available for the CBD connoisseur. But, the question is, what's the best and most effective way to experience the effects of CBD? Well, it's tough to say. Vapes and sublingual aka under the tongue tinctures tend to be the most effective methods because they put CBD right into your bloodstream, he says.

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When you first step into the world of cannabinoids and have heard some of the natural balancing benefits of cannabidiol CBD , it can be tempting to want to get started as soon as possible. However, even if you have made the decision to incorporate the product into your wellness routine, getting started can be a bit intimidating. After all, many people are unsure about how to use CBD oil.

Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t

Thinking this hemp-derived, natural remedy might be an option for you, but not sure where to start? This introduction will look at the two most common ways to take CBD: oral and topical. Within these categories there are different delivery methods like capsules, tinctures, creams, and more. Plus monitoring dosage is easy with capsules since they come in pre-measured sizes. Dosage is important and having a consistent concentration makes it easy to find out what works for you. Many customers start with our 25mg SoftGel capsule and slowly increase in 25mg increments until finding their ideal dosage. Capsules can take 45 minutes or longer to work itself into your system, and then last for several hours. You can also just take CBD oil, which is called a tincture. Generally you consume this by placing it under your tongue and holding it there for up to a minute. Some people even use it in their food , or add a few drops to their favorite smoothie recipe similar to our Recovery Protein mix. Why choose a tincture? The third indigestible option is an edible such as a chewable gummie.

How to Safely Use CBD: Should You Inhale, Spray, Apply, or Eat It?

By Adrian Devitt-Lee. Cannabis and its extracts, like CBD oil, can be consumed in an astounding number of ways. Most options fall into a few general categories, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Everybody processes cannabis and cannabinoids a little differently. The diversity of human experience means that finding your ideal form of cannabis consumption may take some experimentation. The dosage required, of course, depends on the quality of the product and the reason for its use. The doses we describe below are based on initially managing the psychoactivity of THC. When drugs are inhaled through the lungs, they are sent to the brain before getting metabolized by the liver. This makes inhalation the fastest method for administering cannabis.