CBD

CBD is one of the most prevalent cannabinoids on the market. It was the first cannabinoid to be deemed legal for consumption and is also recommended by doctors for coping with various symptoms and conditions.

If we were to start talking about the health benefits of CBD in detail, this article would be endless. Instead, we’re here to help you understand what you can use CBD for and what’s the best way to do it.

Though not all the properties of CBD are studied and proven, many users and experts claim that the cannabinoid looks very promising. It should be used for treating conditions like chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, autoimmune diseases, and so on.

Because of the countless benefits of CBD, more and more people are starting to embrace its healing essence. CBD, as marketed, is becoming increasingly popular among health-conscious influencers and people looking for help with everyday problems, making the cannabinoid more attractive than ever.

The vast demand resulted in an endless array of products for you to choose from. If you’re interested in learning more about cannabinoid and how you should use it, we have an extensive CBD buying guide that will teach you all you need to know about cannabinoid.

What Is CBD?

CBD or cannabidiol is a naturally occurring cannabinoid in the cannabis Sativa plant or hemp. Though there are a couple of other popular cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, CBD is the most popular cannabinoid used in medicinal use. It interacts with the CB1 receptors in the brain and alters critical bodily functions and reactions, which is why it is used for various purposes.

CBD spectrum explained

There are three types of CBD extracts: full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolate. The spectrum of a CBD product indicates the presence of other cannabinoids, so here’s what the different types of products mean:

Full-spectrum CBD

Full-spectrum CBD has the richest cannabinoid profile. It contains an abundance of other cannabinoids past CBD, with the most important being THC. Even though full-spectrum CBD contains traces of THC, they’re usually incredibly low, usually below 0.3%, and not potent enough to produce a high. 

The major advantage of full-spectrum CBD is that it produces the so-called entourage effect. The entourage effect is another name for the synergy created by cannabinoids when consumed simultaneously. Though full-spectrum extracts contain only low amounts of THC, the presence of the cannabinoid is enough to significantly enhance the efficiency of CBD.

The only downside to full-spectrum CBD is that the presence of THC may result in a positive reading on a drug test.

Broad-spectrum CBD

Broad-spectrum CBD is another type of extract containing various cannabinoids and compounds apart from CBD, such as cannabichromene and cannabinol. However, broad-spectrum CBD doesn’t contain THC. 

Broad-spectrum CBD offers a balance between full-spectrum CBD and CBD isolates. It supplies a variety of other cannabinoids but eliminates the presence of THC, as some people are looking to avoid it.

With the presence of other cannabinoids, broad-spectrum extracts can still call the entourage effect, but in comparison with full-spectrum CBD, it is a lot less expressive.

CBD isolate

CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD. It eliminates all other cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds found in cannabis plants and contains only pure and refined CBD.

CBD isolate is an excellent choice for anyone looking to experience the healing essence of CBD without ingesting any THC. Isolates are the hardest to produce, as they call for extensive filtration processes that eliminate all other compounds from the extract.

The result is a crystalline solid or powder containing only pure CBD, used to produce various products such as oils, gummies, vape juice, etc.

The Benefits of Using CBD

As we’ve already mentioned, CBD comes with an abundance of potential health benefits. It positively affects the cannabinoid receptors in the human body, influencing various bodily functions such as appetite, memory, mood, pain perception, inflammation, etc.

Some experts claim that CBD directly attaches to these receptors, while others claim that it only influences them from afar. Though none of these claims are scientifically proven, it is evident that CBD may pose a variety of beneficial effects, such as: boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, preventing nausea and vomiting, counteracting the formation of tumors, recovering or regenerating the nervous system, reducing or preventing anxiety, relieving pain, and so on.

Anxiety

Several studies show that CBD can help people cope with anxiety and stress. The reason for the benefit most likely lies in how CBD alters the way the brain reacts to serotonin. Studies with participants suffering from poor quality sleep or anxiety have shown that almost 80% of the participants have reported anxiety relief after taking CBD, while 67% had improved sleep scores during the initial trial period.

How much CBD should you take for anxiety?

If you’re looking to target anxiety or chronic stress, you’ll need a more significant dose of CBD, falling under the moderate to heavy range of use. Some health professionals recommend doses of around 300 milligrams a day.

Pain and inflammation

CBD features expressive anti-inflammatory properties, so it is often used as a natural painkiller. People use it for various types of pain and inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis pain, cancer pain, chronic back pain, neuropathic pain, etc.

Though CBD isolates may provide pain relief, studies suggest that full-spectrum CBD is more potent because the CBD – THC synergy boosts the extract’s analgesic effects.

How much CBD should you take for pain and inflammation?

For low-grade pain, a milder dose of CBD should be able to give you the relief you need. If you’re faced with severe or treatment-resistant pain, you’ll need a higher dose of CBD. Standard dosage charts recommend up to 30 milligrams of CBD for pain, but if you’re struggling with unmanageable pain, you can increase the dosage gradually or consult a medical professional.

Epilepsy

CBD displays antiseizure effects, so many scientists explore its potential for treating conditions like epilepsy. According to recent studies, CBD improves seizure controls for specific epilepsy syndromes. Though the cannabinoid looks pretty promising, research on the subject is still ongoing, and more conclusive evidence is needed to back CBD as a reliable source for symptom management.

How much CBD should you take for epilepsy?

The recommended dose for some select forms of epilepsy starts at 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight twice a day. However, you should always discuss such treatment options with a doctor or healthcare provider before using CBD for seizure control.

Appetite

Some people see it as a benefit, while others consider it a side effect. However, it is evident that CBD causes appetite change. Though evident, appetite changes posed by CBD seem to vary significantly. Most users claim that CBD increases their appetite, but there are isolated cases where CBD reduces the appetite and causes weight loss.

Many factors can influence how CBD will impact your appetite, such as strain genetics, product type, etc.

The Best Way to Consume CBD

As more and more people turn to CBD for help with everyday problems, the market continues to grow. Scientists and manufacturers are working relentlessly to take full advantage of the cannabinoid’s properties, so you’re offered an abundance of different CBD products.

All CBD products have their advantages and downsides. To help you find a product that’s best for you, we’ve made a brief overview of the most popular CBD products.

CBD oil

CBD oil is undoubtedly one of the best user-friendly options for CBD products. Oils are easy to apply and usually, come with glass droppers or as mouth sprays. However, both options allow for precise dosing that can easily be adjusted to your individual needs.

The absorption speed is one of the most significant advantages of CBD oil compared to other products. If you take it sublingually, it will take around 15 to 20 minutes to be absorbed into your system and transferred into the bloodstream. When ingested, the oil might take an hour or more to be fully digested and transported into the bloodstream.

CBD oils come in a variety of different potencies and aroma options.

CBD gummies

CBD gummies are an excellent way to ditch the bitter taste of chemically infused medicine. They are simple and fun to use, which is why many people prefer gummies over other CBD products.

Cannabidiol gummies are very similar to regular gummies. They come in a variety of flavor options, making them an irresistible approach to natural remedies. However, one of the major concerns of CBD gummies is that they usually don’t come with flexible concentrations. Manufacturers tend to produce gummies infused with generally-accepted CBD concentrations, slightly limiting the choice.

As edibles, CBD gummies take some more time to produce effects, usually 1 to 2 hours after ingestion.

CBD topicals

CBD topicals are the most popular option among athletes and physically active people. Topicals are usually used to relax sore muscles after a demanding training session or a workout.

CBD topicals are used just like any other lotion or cream. You need to apply a layer of the topical on your skin and massage it gently until it is absorbed. There are different potencies of topicals as well, so how much of the cream you’ll need to apply can be best determined if you look for the manufacturer’s recommendations.

CBD smoking products

CBD flowers, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, etc., represent an array of smokable CBD products. Though the products vary, they have many things in common.

CBD smoking products are a favorite among traditional CBD enjoyers. Though many people find them convenient to use, smoking products come with an array of health risks for your respiratory health.

Whether you’re smoking or vaping, you’re inhaling potentially harmful compounds along with the beneficial CBD. Vaping is slightly less threatening, as it doesn’t combust the vaping material, but still, it is far riskier than many other CBD products.

Though smoking and vaping can be a lot of fun, if you’re looking to take advantage of the healing essence of CBD, you should consider the above options first.

CBD Product Regulations

Currently, CBD is not regulated by the FDA. That means that there are little to no consumer protections to ensure that the ingredients of any CBD product meet any safety or purity standards.

The lack of regulations leaves consumers to either trust the manufacturer blindly or conduct extensive research themselves. Though some states call for some regulations, they usually vary between states, and there aren’t any proper quality assurance regulations anyway.

If you’re looking to get a safe and high-quality CBD product, you’ll have to be your own judge and jury and compare dozens of different products. If you need some help with that, we’ve compiled a neat section in this CBD buying guide that will assist you in distinguishing the good products from the unsatisfactory ones, so let’s look at it.

How to Find the Best CBD Products

With the size of the CBD market, finding a suitable CBD product can be quite a challenge. Many manufacturers are offering their take on the safest, purest, and most efficient CBD products on the market, but not all products are as marketed.

To find the best CBD products, you’ll need to consider a couple of valuable factors to help you get the ultimate for the money you’re going to spend. This CBD buying guide will help you learn what to look for in the best CBD products.

Lab results

The lab results are the first thing you should be looking for in any reputable CBD product. Creditable manufacturers turn to independent laboratories to verify the quality of their CBD products, as that’s the best way for consumers to be confident that the results are authentic and unbiased.

The lab results or certificates of analysis issued by an accredited laboratory can help you learn a lot about a product. Full panel results include the extensive cannabinoid profile of the product, along with a detailed overview of many other compounds found in the product.

With the help of the lab results, you can determine the purity and safety of the product you consider purchasing.

Ingredients

The ingredients of a product will vary based on what you choose. If you opt for CBD gummies, you’ll probably have to look into flavorings, colorings, and gelatine, while CBD oils usually contain CBD extracts followed by a carrier oil that dilutes its concentration.

However, regardless of the product of your choice, you should always pay close attention to the quality and safety of all ingredients, not just the CBD extract. Ensure that all ingredients are safe for consumption and that you’re not allergic to any of them. If no other information is available, turn to the lab results to see exactly what’s inside the product.

When considering different CBD ingredients, we highly recommend sticking to plant-based, natural, and organic alternatives.

Extraction methods

The extraction process used to withdraw the precious CBD from the hemp plant is vital for the quality and safety of the extract. There are various ways to extract the CBD goodness from hemp plants, such as solvent extraction, olive oil extraction, steam distillation, etc. However, most experts agree that CO2 is the safest alternative.

CO2 extraction eliminates any trace of solvents in the resulting extract, meaning that it is exceptionally pure. It is also environmentally friendly as it virtually eliminates all emissions. However, CO2-extracted CBD is often more expensive.

Personal preferences

After tackling the quality issues of CBD products, you’ll also need to get your priorities straight and decide what type of product will fit you best.

Apart from oils, gummies, topicals, and smoking products, there are various other products such as capsules, softgels, distillates, and even relaxing CBD bath bombs. That’s why you take your expectations into account and see which one of the above products you’re willing to try out. These products come with different potencies, aromas, sizes, etc. After you decide what you’re looking to buy, make sure you get the best option that fits your personal preferences.

Dosing CBD Products

Dosing CBD is not an easy task. Because of the many potential health benefits of the cannabinoid, many people think that higher doses will provide them with the best possible results, but that’s not always the case.

There are a lot of factors that come into place when determining the right amount of CBD. Bodyweight, the targeted condition, your body’s individual chemistry, and the potency of the CBD product may all significantly impact how your body reacts to the cannabinoid and how much you’ll need to take.

The best way to get started with CBD is with a low dose. Start with something incredibly mild, like 20 milligrams a day. Stick to the low dosage for about a week, after which you should consider increasing it to around 5 milligrams if you don’t get the desirable outcomes. If you’re struggling with more severe conditions, you can start with higher doses, but the best thing you can do is consult with your doctor before using CBD as a medical treatment.

How to calculate CBD dosage?

Different products come with different potencies and based on the type of product you’ve chosen, you’ll need to be very careful about how you dose it.

All products should have their potency labeled on the package. However, while some manufacturers display the total potency of the package, along with the individual potency of each serving (a single gummy, oil drop, vape draw, etc.), not all companies follow that practice.

Therefore, you might find yourself in a challenging situation where you need to determine the potency of a single serving. If you’ve purchased an oil but aren’t entirely sure how many drops you’ll need to take, divide the oil’s potency by the number of servings.

A single drop weighs around 0.5 milliliters, so a 10-milliliter bottle contains around 200 drops. If it’s infused with 1.000 milligrams of CBD, each drop will contain around 5 milligrams of CBD, so if you need 20 milligrams of CBD a day, you’ll want to take 4 drops daily.

Must Read: How Many Hits Are in a 1 Gram Vape Cartridge?

CBD side effects and interactions

CBD is considered a well-tolerated substance, as even significantly high doses up to 1.500 milligrams a day are well-accepted by humans. There are numerous studies to confirm the claim. However, a recent 2019 study posed some safety concerns about CBD’s interaction with other medications.

Despite the safety of CBD, it may still cause some side effects, including diarrhea, appetite change, and fatigue. If you manage to follow the recommended dosage and follow the recommendations of the manufacturer or your doctor, you should be able to avoid most of the side effects.

In terms of interaction with other medications, there are a couple of things you should be cautious about. CBD can interact with medications metabolized by the liver and significantly change how they work inside of your body. Cannabidiol might affect how quickly the liver breaks down medications, resulting in a change in the drug’s potency and triggering many side effects.

CBD may display expressive sedative properties, which add on top to sedative medications. If you take CBD with sedative medications, you may experience too much sleepiness or breathing problems.

Does CBD Get You High?

Many people think that CBD and all other cannabinoids are psychoactive and are afraid that they’ll make them feel a “high”. This CBD buying guide is here to help clear things out and tell you that that’s just a common misconception. Though THC isomers feature expressive psychoactive properties, many cannabinoids won’t alter your mental state, including CBD.

CBD is known to provide feelings of relaxation and calmness but won’t get you high. Taking higher doses of the cannabinoid may result in an uplifting essence, but that’s still not the same thing as the high produced by THC.

Instead of psychoactive properties, CBD offers an abundance of positive effects that benefit your overall health. Not all of these are research-backed, but according to user experiences, which are getting richer every day, CBD is an excellent choice for when you’re looking to relax without being intoxicated. Its properties could make you more content and less stressed out and significantly affect your mood without the hefty implications posed by THC.

The Legal Status of CBD

As a cannabinoid, many people are concerned about the legal status of CBD. As one of the most beneficial phytocannabinoids in the plant, CBD is legal to consume, and there is even some FDA-approved prescription CBD medicine, such as EPIDIOLEX. It is used to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex.

However, there are still concerns posed by full-spectrum CBD that you should be cautious with. As we’ve stated above, full-spectrum extracts contain trace amounts of THC. In most of the world, THC is still deemed illegal for consumption, whether it is for medicinal or recreational use.

In the United States, the legal concentration of THC is anything below 0.3%. Therefore, if you want to make the most out of your CBD product by purchasing full-spectrum CBD for the efficiency of the entourage effect, you should be very careful about the THC concentration.

Make sure that the product doesn’t contain over 0.3% of THC. Reputable manufacturers usually transparently label the THC concentration of full-spectrum products. If you cannot find the information on the website, look inside the lab results, or contact customer support before purchasing any product.

CBD Products and Drug Tests

Pure CBD isn’t detectable on a drug test. In a trial including both commercially available tests designed to screen for marijuana use, pure CBD didn’t result in a positive reading. Though that may be beneficial for CBD isolates, broad- and full-spectrum CBD are a completely different story.

Broad-spectrum CBD doesn’t contain THC, so you’re probably thinking that consuming broad-spectrum extracts will get you off the hook. However, that isn’t necessarily the case. Recent studies found that CBN may react with commercial drug tests, meaning that even if you didn’t consume any THC, you might still fail the test.

Apart from the CBN, THC is another thing to worry about when taking a drug test. Even though the trace amounts of the cannabinoid are low and negligible, the slightest presence of THC in the CBD product can result in a positive reading.

Therefore, to stay on the safe side, if you’re looking to take a drug test anytime soon, your best option is CBD isolates.

How long do broad- and full-spectrum CBD stay in your system?

The amount of time that CBD stays in your system usually ranges between 2 to 5 days. However, individual bodies have different chemistries, so the time frame could vary significantly. A couple of factors affect how long it will take your body to flush out the CBD extract entirely.

First in line is the dose you use. As with most other substances, the higher the dose, the longer it will stay in your system. That’s followed by the frequency of use. If you use CBD regularly, the cannabinoids from the extract will eventually build up inside your body. That’s why many experts suggest that you use CBD products for at least a week until you can see the effects. If you take CBD extracts less frequently, the cannabinoids will exit your system pretty quickly.

Every person’s body is different and reacts to cannabinoids differently. Body mass index, water content, and metabolism are only a couple of things that define how long CBD extracts stay in your system. Your eating habits also matter, as taking CBD on an empty stomach means that it will be metabolized and eliminated much faster than when taken on a full stomach.

How to get CBD out of your system?

If you’re worried about the cannabinoids inside the CBD extract reacting with a drug test that’s closing in, you’ll be happy to know that there are a couple of things you can do to speed up their metabolism and escort them out of your body more quickly.

CBD can exit your body in a couple of different ways: through urine, sweat, and feces. Once you get a better understanding of how the body flushes out CBD and other cannabinoids, you’ll be able to comprehend what you can do to speed up the process. 

The simplest way to make sure that cannabinoids leave your system quickly is to stimulate the release of excrements. Drinking lots of fluids, sticking to a high-fiber diet, and exercising regularly will help your body flush out cannabinoids pretty quickly.

If you’re looking for a more radical approach, you can turn to laxatives. They might help your body eliminate the cannabinoids, but you have to be very careful as laxatives may leave you dehydrated and constipated.

Your body knows how to maintain its balance, so even if you don’t make any efforts, cannabinoids from non-frequent use should leave your system within a week after the last dose.

Where to Buy CBD Products

If you’re interested in purchasing natural and tasty medicine, you have to give CBD a try. With the legal status of CBD and the popularity of the cannabinoid, you can now purchase CBD products almost everywhere. CBD products are available at tobacco shops, local dispensaries, supplement stores, pharmacies, and even online.

When considering your options, our best recommendation is that you go with online stores. Shopping for CBD online will give you the freedom to explore multiple options and get a detailed overview of all of them.

Online stores will give you an abundance of information. You can use that information to deepen your search and compare similar products. When purchasing CBD online, you’ll also get the time to review the certificates of analysis, which you might not be very comfortable with while standing in the waiting line at your local pharmacy.

Conclusion

To conclude things, CBD is a remarkable cannabinoid that may significantly impact your overall health. We hope that this CBD buying guide was useful and you could learn something more about the promising compound and find a product that will help you make the most of it.