If you are fed up with taking prescription medication, or have a condition that is seemingly unsolvable, you may have thought about trying cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component from cannabis that can be consumed in a variety of products and initiate some impressive therapeutic effects.
However, the CBD market is unregulated, users are often stumped as to how to effectively use products, as manufacturers are not permitted to make medical claims about their products, meaning dosage advice tends to be limited. Since CBD isn’t cheap, getting it wrong could leave your wallet light, and diminish your enthusiasm to try medicating with it again.
In this post, we’ll first outline what CBD is and the possible benefits it could bring to all aspects of your health, before looking in-depth at how to get the most out of CBD products.
CBD leads the way in the medical cannabis revolution
Medical cannabis is back with a bang in the United States, and now in many other countries. But the revolution surely wouldn’t have been as speedy if it weren’t for the advent of CBD-specific products, that allow users to explore cannabis as a medicine, with the peace of mind that their state of mind isn’t going to be inhibited from taking it.
In fact, while most cannabis supporters strongly advocate using the whole plant for medicinal purposes, CBD has a plethora of properties that can be implemented on the endocannabinoid system without the presence of other cannabinoids.
The potent anti-inflammatory qualities of CBD may be the biggest physical benefit of the compound. By regulating the immune system, CBD stops the body from attacking itself, which works to mitigate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders. The reduction in brain inflammation may help to treat traumatic brain injuries, limit the damage from strokes and alleviate depression.
Beyond boosting mood, CBD has several positive effects on mental health, such as tackling anxiety by stopping unnecessary worries, rumination and irrational thinking. The inhibitory effect CBD has on the cortisol hormone helps to keep stress to a minimum.
Research on CBD has come thick and fast since the late 20th century, although the compound was first studied seriously by American and Israeli scientists in the 1940s and 1960s respectively. However, before the endocannabinoid system was identified, we did not know for sure why CBD was therapeutic or what the possible risks were, just that it seemed to help with multiple conditions.
Make the most of your CBD products
CBD users can be quite liberal about how much they consume, since studies have found that CBD has an extremely low toxicity, and that the body can cope with gigantic doses (1,000mg per day) effortlessly. But the reality is that the effects do plateau at a certain point, and this may mean some of your dose is going to waste. For example, imagine you’re taking 50mg a day, but only actually need 30mg. Over a week, this is 140mg extra which adds up to almost 600mg a month.
But how can you work out the perfect dose? Here’s what to do with CBD vape juice, CBD edibles and more.
CBD vape juice
CBD vape oil and e-liquid have emerged as the leading ways of consuming CBD, thanks to the speed of which the cannabinoids get to work when vaporized. For those who have neither vaped nor smoked before, the feeling of having vapor in the lungs will be unfamiliar, and it’s best to begin with small inhales.
The effects from inhaling should begin to be felt after a minute or two, and this is when to decide whether another draw is needed, or if you’re suitably medicated. It’s not worth taking too much at first, as you can always have more later on – and remember, you’re attempting to work out the most economical and efficient dosage possible.
From the strength of your e-liquid, you can make a rough estimate on how much CBD you’re consuming at a time.
You may find that CBD cartridges are easier for fine-tuning the dosage, as each draw releases a specified quantity of CBD – so you always know exactly how much is active in the body.
CBD edibles
Edibles are quite different to vape oils but have become very popular because of the elongated therapeutic effects – these occur due to the way that CBD enters the bloodstream (via the stomach). However, while the lengthier effects are appreciated, dosing with edibles can be more difficult, as the onset of effects takes much longer than with other methods.
Therefore, it’s even more important to take things slowly with edibles than it is a vape juice. Many edible newbies – whether using CBD or THC – end up topping up their dose, after not believing the first is strong enough, only to end up exceedingly sedated or “high” later on. To avoid this, give it at least 90 minutes to two hours after the first dose before you consider taking any more.
On the upside, many edible products are incredibly easy to take an exact dose with, especially for CBD gummy bears and CBD chocolate, where a certain quantity of CBD is contained in each bear or chocolate square. Therefore, it’s no trouble to increase or decrease the dosage accordingly, and dosing to within a milligram.
CBD tincture oils
CBD tincture oils can be efficient and economical, as the speed of delivery is rapid with sublingual absorption, and the pipette that comes with the bottle will be able to hold a set amount of oil and CBD, as stated on the label. Again, experimentation and journaling your experiences will yield positive results in determining the best dosage to treat your condition.
Final thoughts
If you’re taking the right amount of CBD, then you’ll probably find self-medicating with this non-psychoactive compound very good value. But get it wrong, and the costs quickly mount up. Hence, it’s worth spending time establishing exactly how much you need to stop things becoming expensive.