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Thinking of Trying Oral CBD? Here’s What You Need To Know

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Thinking of Trying Oral CBD? Here’s What You Need To Know
Tracy Teel
Tracy Teel

Mar 23, 2021


Experts weigh in on ingestible CBD.


 

Do you ever feel like your body’s out of balance? Like something just isn’t quite right? If so, you may be in the market to try an oral version of CBD. Given that a Google search for “CBD ingestible” returns nearly 160,000 results, it’s safe to say that CBD is making its way into everything from soft gel capsules to gummies and tinctures. Deciding which product to choose can be challenging, so I consulted with Dr. Susanne Bennett, Founder of Purigenex and the Wellness for Life Center in Santa Monica, California; Casey Georgeson, CEO and Founder of Saint Jane Beauty; and Melany Dobson, Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand Development for Hudson Hemp, to get the inside scoop on this trending ingredient.

 

Oral CBD
Cannabis flower continues to be a popular choice for its versatility, offering numerous methods of consumption.

 

Deciphering the Choices

 

Every person has different needs, which is why CBD products don’t work the same for everyone. Peruse the ingredient list of various products, and you’ll find full-, broad-, or deep-spectrum CBD as well as CBD isolates. Per Dr. Bennett, these references mean the following:

 

  • Full Spectrum has CBD, other phytocannabinoids, and terpenes with less than 0.3% of THC.
  • Broad Spectrum is Full Spectrum CBD but is THC free.
  • CBD Isolates are the purest form of cannabidiol [and contain] no THC, terpenes, or other phytocannabinoids.
  • Deep Spectrum is made of natural cannabinoids other than CBD, such as CBG (cannabigerol), CBN (cannabinol), CBL (cannabicyclol), etc.

 

In Dr. Bennett’s experience, “Full spectrum has the best therapeutic power due to the synergistic effects from multiple phytochemical compounds found in the cannabis plant.” The extraction process utilized to create the other versions may potentially require additional agents that could remove vital compounds, like terpenes, which contribute to a product’s flavor profile and are being studied for the added efficacy they may contribute to CBD’s pain relieving effects. 

 

When it comes to CBD isolates, though, Casey Georgeson doesn’t personally recommend them. “CBD isolate is a heavily processed powder form of CBD. The process strips away all the other cannabinoids and nutrients.”

 

Naternal Rest CBD+CBN Oil
Naternal Rest CBD+CBN Oil

 

CBD Concentration and Delivery

 

Once you’ve selected an oral CBD product (I’m using Rest CBD+CBN oil from Naternal to promote more restful sleep) you’ll need to try various dosing levels to achieve the right effect. Nightcap Sleep Drops by Juna is touted as “effective and tasty,” thanks to the added mint and chamomile; it’s also USDA certified organic. Dr. Bennett starts her patients on “an oral CBD oil that has at least 500 mg per 2-ounce bottle (8.3 mg of phytocannabinoids per serving). This is a lower concentration of CBD, and if the patient needs a higher concentration, then I go to the 1500 mg per 2-ounce bottle, which provides a 25 mg dose of CBD per serving.” 

 

Oral CBD doesn’t work instantaneously. “Ingestible phytocannabinoids usually take one to two hours to take effect due to the digestion and delivery process. As the active ingredients enter the bloodstream, they first have to travel to the liver before entering the brain and nervous system. If the edibles are made into a lozenge or gum for sublingual delivery, the effects will more likely be quicker.” 

 

How to Pick the Right CBD for Your Needs

 

If you’re ready to try CBD, start by compiling a list of expectations, so you understand what you’re trying to achieve before diving in. Product labels should clearly indicate the amount of CBD in an ingestible serving. Most packaging indicates these amounts in milligrams, and dosing instructions are graduated, so you can see the maximum dose to take in a serving as well as the graduated doses that you may want to build up from when beginning a new product. 

 

“Everyone is different ... diet, size, gender, age, metabolism, disposition, genetics, environment, etc.,” says Dr. Bennett, “so finding a dose that applies for everyone is impossible. I have been using oral CBD oil consistently for many years now and find that with most patients it's important to start on a low dose of CBD oil, 5–10 mg once or twice a day, [and then] ramp up the dosage slowly” as needed. 

 

Melany Dobson says “Efficacy is very individualized and is determined by the user."

 

You’re Unique — So Is the CBD Experience

 

If you follow any skincare bloggers, you’re probably familiar with the acronym YMMV. It’s short for “Your Mileage May Vary” and represents the simple truth that skin types are unique, so a given product may not work for your individual needs. Melany Dobson says that when using CBD, “Efficacy is very individualized and is determined by the user. Everybody processes CBD differently because of the many forms and applications, so the experience is unique.”  

 

Before embarking on this deep dive into CBD, I had never used an ingestible product and was worried about how much to take at bedtime. Determining the proper dosage seemed dauting, but according to Dobson, “Research shows CBD has a bell-shaped response curve, so more is not always better. Additional research shows an N-shape, with the second peak lower than the first. This indicates that lower doses at more frequent and consistent intervals may actually be more effective.” Personally, I’m in the latter camp. 

 

Ultimately, “Start low and go slow” to find the sweet spot for relieving your symptoms. “Essentially, it is necessary to experiment with CBD dosage and application type to learn what works best for you.” 

 

Still craving more CBD knowledge? Check out the Beautytap Talks interview with Dr. Susanne Bennett; Kaylah Hall of Root Bioscience and Naternal; and Jessica Bates, Co-Founder of Moon Mother Hemp


Author:

Tracy Teel
Tracy Teel

Tracy Ann Teel is a full-time freelance writer and the owner of Finesse Writing and Editing LLC. She’s a tutorial writer for San Francisco Globe’s beauty platform, FierceLeague.com, covering everything from skin and hair care to makeup and nail art. She writes for skincare companies, dermatologists, and cosmetic surgeons, and proudly taught at her MFA alma mater, the University of California Irvine, as a member of their adjunct faculty in English. She’s been a textbook reviewer for Prentice Hall, been recognized three consecutive years in the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and has written professionally for 30+ years. Her poetry chapbook Such Dust was published by Finishing Line Press, and her work has appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, Rattle, Pearl, Kaleidoscope, and Lake Arrowhead Life.


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