How Do I Take CBD Oil?
Adding CBD oil to your daily routine can change how you approach health. Many people have been adding CBD to their healthy lifestyle for a variety of reasons. But what is CBD, and – perhaps more importantly – how do you take it?
To find out what CBD actually is, check out our earlier blog post. It’s intended only to be a practical explanation, not an exhaustive scientific study. However, if you’re like us and want to go deeper, there are plenty of links. And as usual, they’re to solid sources, not Cannabis Culture (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).
Start With The Goal In Mind
Before we jump into the details, let’s consider the goal, which is to get the most out of the CBD Oil. And you can only “get something” out of CBD Oil when it’s in your body in a “bioavailable” form. Bioavailability refers to the amount of a substance which enters your circulation when introduced into the body and which is then able to have an active effect.
Notice that it’s not enough to simply get it into your body. The goal is to enter your circulation. And from there to have an active effect.
If you took a gel-cap pill of CBD, but for some reason the gel-cap itself never dissolved, there would be zero bioavailability. The CBD never entered your circulation, even though it entered your body.
Sublingual Administration
The most effective way to take CBD Oil is called sublingual administration. This means you put the CBD Oil under your tongue and let it rest there for a period of time before swallowing it.
How long? If you read instructions for pills that are taken on a sublingual basis, you’re usually told to leave the pill under your tongue until it dissolves. That’s not applicable for CBD Oil. So, the longer the better, but most of the customers I’ve talked to estimate that they leave the CBD Oil in place for 30 seconds to a minute. If you haven’t used CBD Oil before, this can take some getting used to.
Why does this work? When the CBD comes into contact with the mucous membrane under the tongue it is absorbed. The connective tissue beneath the epithelium contains a profusion of capillaries. It is through these capillaries that the CBD is absorbed into the venous system.
This will be faster than simply swallowing the oil or mixing CBD with something you eat or drink. When you do that, the CBD goes through the digestive system, which could take anywhere from 20-45 minutes to exert its effects. When CBD oil is ingested, it moves through the digestive tract, where it is broken down by stomach acids and liver enzymes.
This process is known as first-pass metabolism. The liver metabolizes the CBD, converting it into various metabolites. While this process delays the onset of effects compared to sublingual administration, it also prolongs the duration of the effects. However, a significant percentage of the CBD is digested in this process and passes through your body.
Other CBD Products - Gummies
How you take CBD gummies is obvious. One observation is worth adding here; gummies as delivery mechanisms have really taken off over the past 10 – 15 years. My only question is what took them so long?
I know a lot of people who really struggle with pills of any type. Not so much that they’d ignore essential medication, but enough that they’ll do pretty much anything to avoid them. “Chewables” were a step in the right direction. Too bad they’re pretty much strictly limited to kids’ stuff.
I guess adults decided to hold out for what is essentially candy as a delivery system!
Other CBD Products - Topicals
The correct way to use CBD topicals (skin care products like 7 Mountains Muscle Gel, Balm and Lotion) is also very easy to understand. What is worth mentioning here is that our skin does have CBD receptors. For years, it was thought that only certain parts of our nervous system had them. Many people think CBD cannot be absorbed through the skin. The analogy I’ve heard is “hey, I don’t get drunk when I pour beer on my arms.” Well, there’s no pathway for the alcohol to get to your brain from the skin on your arms.
Summary
The bottom line is that sublingual administration is a highly effective way to take CBD Oil. I may be showing my age, but I remember seeing movies as a kid where someone would put a “nitro pill” under the tongue of someone who was having what I thought was a heart attack. Without understanding it, that was my first exposure to sublingual administration.
