Recreational marijuana is oft associated with rolled up cigarettes and water pipes. In rare cases, chewing. These are among the handful of ways marijuana is consumed. But CBD, a medically useful compound found in cannabis, is taken in several ways.
Consumption depends on strain
The strain is among the things on which the consumption method depends. The two major strains are hemp-derived and marijuana-derived. Hemp has a higher concentration of CBD in it than THC; a low dose of hemp-derived CBD oil, therefore, is enough for a normal user.
The correct consumption technique is one that doesn’t send too much of it into the body.
Doctor’s recommendation
If CBD is prescribed by a medical practitioner, consumers must not cross the recommended dose. Because it’s hard to quantify the amount if one smokes or uses a water pipe, doctors normally prescribe CBD in the form of tinctures or edibles.
Edible oil
Decarboxylation is a process by which carboxyl group is removed from CBD oil. Unrefined CBD oil is full of carboxyl group, which renders the unprocessed oil unsuited for human consumption.
We won’t go into the process of refining raw CBD oil as it is not relevant here. Let’s have a quick look at the benefits of edible CBD oil:
The antioxidants fight with neurodegenerative disorders. Seizure and convulsion are two common health hazards that keep neurological patients worried. With edible CBD oil they can bottle up their worries as its antioxidant properties can fix psychological and neurological impairment.
Edible CBD oil is preferred by cancer patients. Consumption technique is fairly simple. Consume it orally or mix it with food. Spraying also counts, but it’s a bit rare as not many spraying devices are available in the market.
CBD as tinctures
Tinctures are sometimes preferred over other variants of CBD. But tinctures, unlike oil, have a low concentration of CBD. It’s easy to prepare CBD tinctures at home. You need cannabis extract and alcohol or glycerol. Mix them and the tincture will be ready.
Use a dropper to collect very small quantity of the tincture oil and then discharge it under your tongue. Daily recommended intake limit is ¼ gram for cancer patients and droppers are ideal to consume this quantity.
The benefit of using CBD tincture is you can use it all through the day and in public spaces. The rule of thumb is never to take two doses on a row. An overdose could make you untidy and unable to interact in a social setting or you might see no effect at all.
Vaping CBD oil
Vaping is a popular way to consume CBD products. Vaping is safer than smoking as you would be inhaling the vaporized version of the oil, less hazardous than smoke laden with toxic chemicals. But it is less effective when compared to oral consumption.
In spite of that, vaping is the number one choice of many as it makes one feel a little high. It also makes one stoic. The biggest advantage of vaping is you get to decide the exact dose.
A typical vape pen gives out after 150+ puffs. Its life duration is a minimum of four days and a maximum of three weeks. Of course, how often you are vaping counts.
CBD topicals
This way of consumption is for people with aching body parts. When CBD oil is used by them as topical, it is rubbed over the affected areas. It is reported to offer a miraculous recovery from muscle and joint pain.
Similar to tinctures, CBD topicals can be prepared at home. This is one of the reasons these are so popular. Another reason that contributes to their growing popularity is pain relief medicines are mostly full of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, regular consumption of which can be fatal for the body.
Because topicals are made of organic elements, the risk of health-related complications are little to none. The biggest advantage of using topicals is regardless of the THC concentration, the possibility of getting any psychoactive effect afterwards the balm is applied over the body is non-existent.
CBD capsules
CBD is available in capsules. This form of consumption is safe and convenient, but those who forget to take their pills, may find it hard to keep a tab on their daily intake. Better, they take the capsules with protein or vitamin supplements, or with probiotic.
Problem starts when your recommended daily dose is less than 10mg as the capsules have 10 – 25 mg of CBD in them. Breaking a capsule into two won’t help as you won’t be able to decide the precise amount this way.
Conclusion
Some let their creativity run and find new ways of consume CBD oil, or they customize said consumption methods. You can do that too, if that helps in getting rid of the unwanted psychoactivity and making the solution more effective.