They say you are what you eat – and that’s mostly true.
But you might also be how you eat.
As it turns out, the way we ingest something – whether it be food, water or CBD – can have a pretty profound impact on the way it affects us.
Different Delivery Methods for CBD
Why does the type of CBD delivery method matter?
It all comes down to the way our bodies process things.
The way a substance—any substance—is introduced to your body will impact the way that substance is eventually absorbed into your bloodstream, which is the point when you really start to feel its effects.
Delivery methods will also make an impact on how efficiently we absorb substances, with some methods allowing us to absorb far greater or lesser amounts of whatever we’re ingesting.
But there are other aspects to consider, too, including your personal preferences and daily routine. Will you remember to take a CBD pill every morning? Do you like the taste of a mint better than a sublingual mixture? Are you okay with smoking or vaping?
Keep on reading to find out more about the different CBD delivery methods – and how they may impact your CBD experience.
Edibles
Edibles refer to anything you eat. That could be anything from a mint or a cookie to a CBD capsule. Essentially, these are products that must first pass through your digestive system before your body can start breaking down and absorbing the CBD, or, as it’s scientifically known, cannabidiol.
Generally, edibles take around two hours to fully kick in, because of this extended absorption process. And all the extra layers of digestion an edible goes through means you’ll only end up absorbing around 30% of the available CBD.
Still, edibles are a slow process all around, and while it takes a bit longer for the effects to kick in, they will also last longer, as the cannabidiol is slowly released through your body.
Edibles also have some non-scientific benefits, including discretion and, most of the time, a taste that registers something much nicer than earthy, weedy hemp.
Sublinguals
These are the types of CBD mixtures that come in tinctures – the glass bottles with the droppers inside. Sublinguals are almost never pure CBD, but rather mix cannabidiol into some type of oil or alcohol.
The delivery method includes releasing a dropperful of liquid directly under your tongue. This allows the liquid—and the CBD it’s delivering—to bypass the digestive system and be absorbed into the bloodstream directly.
Absorption rates can vary, anywhere from 20-35%, depending on the strength of the tincture, among other factors. But its direct delivery means the cannabidiol included in a tincture will hit your system much faster than an edible, taking full effect in just a few minutes.
Many people enjoy this method of taking CBD, though tinctures do often have a more “weedy” taste, and some people may not like the dropper method or find it difficult to ensure a proper dose.
Topicals
Did you know that our skin is also an organ?
It’s true, and it’s why applying lotions, creams or other salves can be so effective.
Cannabidiol has been increasingly infused into these types of products—everything from burn cream to bath bombs—and a number of other beauty industry products meant to be applied directly to the skin.
But as its name may suggest, this method is better for handling more surface problems. Our skin is absorptive, but the CBD applied to it will remain mostly localized to the area we apply it (rather than hitching a ride in the blood stream to treat the whole body).
Topicals also tend to have some of the lowest CBD absorption rates, so buying a topical product with a higher CBD amount may be an important consideration.
Still, this is an especially great option for people with muscle or joint pain, as well as anyone who wants to see some radiant benefits of CBD on their skin.
Inhalants
Finally, we arrive at possibly the oldest, or most “traditional” method – outside of eating, of course – for delivering different substances into our bodies.
Cannabidiol can be inhaled directly in flower form, where it’s smoked similarly to a joint, or through a vaporizer, which ignites a small amount of CBD oil before delivering it, in the form of vapor, into our lungs.
Vaping or smoking is one of the most efficient ways to wring all the effects out of available cannabidiol: Hitting the lungs, it’s absorbed almost instantly into the blood stream, with our airy areola absorbing as much as 56% of the substance.
But this may also be one of the most controversial CBD delivery methods.
Our respiratory systems are, indeed, perfectly designed to take in and absorb chemicals out of the air, but this biological connection sends anything we inhale deep into every system of our body. And, with even an organic flower representing a foreign object, this could cause some trouble.
The oil involved in most vape systems has also been found to cause damage to lung tissue, while many versions of it also include additional chemicals and additives, which could cause further problems when inhaled into our body.
Still, vaping remains an easy, and widely-available, method for consuming CBD.
What’s The Best Way To Take CBD?
Like nearly everything else connected to taking cannabidiol, the answer to this is totally personal.
Everybody has different priorities and needs. And, on top of that, everybody has a different body. We’re all built and programmed slightly differently, so substances will always impact us differently – some people may have a CBD sensitivity and need far less of the stuff to feel its effects. Some people may need or want to take a higher dosage.
And we all live different lives: Some people find it easier to incorporate a CBD oil pill into their daily routine. Some people prefer promoting a little self-care with a CBD salve. And some people enjoy the fresh little pop of a CBD mint.
Truly, in the end, the only poor choice is an unresearched choice. Make sure to read up on the type of product you’re interested in, as well as the company selling it, to ensure you’re getting the safest, most efficient product possible – and, of course, that you’re getting just the kind of product you want.
REFERENCES:
https://theislandnow.com/blog-112/4-different-ways-to-consume-cbd-for-natural-health-2/
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-take-cbd#inhalation
