CBD oil comes in various types of concentrations and forms including a liquid oil or tincture, capsule, spray, topical salve, and edibles like candy or gummies. CBD can even be produced for vaping with a vaporizer, which is convenient for quick relief.
One setback for many people is that they have no idea what products and brands are best and how much of it to take at a time. Even though cannabis is legal in many states and hemp-based CBD products are legal in all 50 states, doctors are hesitant to prescribe CBD or give dosing instructions, and they often have no idea where to start with it anyway. Because of this, trial and error is typically the way to go, but hopefully, this guide will provide some insight into the correct dosing and help you develop an effective treatment plan.
How Does CBD Work?
When CBD oil is ingested into your body, it is absorbed both sublingually as well as through the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Unlike THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis that gets you high, there are no psychoactive effects to CBD. CBD acts on different receptors in the body’s endocannabinoid system, which exists throughout the central and peripheral nervous system and helps the body reach and sustain homeostasis. When your endocannabinoid system is deficient or out of balance, CBD helps slow down the release of fatty acids that break down useful receptors, giving them more time to send quality messages throughout the body. These messages help to relieve symptoms like pain and inflammation, help regulate the appetite, and calm depression and anxiety. Whether you experience these symptoms individually or they come on as a result of a systemic illness like arthritis or multiple sclerosis, it’s possible to find relief with the power of cannabidiol.
How Much CBD Oil Should I Take?
As with most alternative medicines and natural supplements, there is no exact answer to this question. Your results will vary depending on multiple factors including whether you have any endocannabinoid deficiencies, your weight, metabolism, the condition you’re treating and its severity, and your tolerance levels and experience with cannabis and CBD products.
The best way to figure out the best dose for you is to record your doses and make notes of any physical and mental changes. If the CBD begins working and improving your quality of life, you may find other positive changes like more energy to exercise, a healthier appetite, or a reduction in mood imbalances that make it difficult to stay healthy. Any lifestyle changes that CBD helps you to make can also have an effect on how much CBD is needed per dose. For example, if you take CBD for nausea from chemotherapy and your weight goes up due to a more regulated appetite, you might need to take more to accommodate for the increase in body mass.
Here are some of our top product and dosing recommendations for CBD depending on what you’re looking to achieve and how you plan to use it.
- For Cancer
If you’re suffering from chronic pain, nausea, depression, or anxiety as a result of cancer or intense treatment, you’re going to want to find as highly concentrated of a cannabis oil as possible, like the 4000mg bottle of oil from Hemp Bombs. Their oils contain the highest cannabinoid concentration of any of their products and are available in tasty watermelon and peppermint flavors if you are sensitive to the earthy taste of raw cannabis oil.
The recommended serving size is half a dropper, and the bottle contains 60 servings of that size. This is a great option for stimulating your appetite after chemotherapy, which will allow you to get the nutrients needed to heal from the inside out.
- For Pain
Chronic pain is a symptom that can come on as a result of illness or injury, and sometimes there is no explanation and no definite cure. Prescription painkillers run the risk of toxic side effects, dependency, and addiction, as we’re seeing with the opioid crisis. Several studies have suggested that cannabis is a viable way to reduce the use of opiates, and states with legal marijuana have seen between a 13-25% reduction in opioid abuse. That’s largely because of CBD and the way it interacts with the endocannabinoid system.
Our top pain recommendation is ECODrops Relief. This full-spectrum CBD-rich whole plant hemp oil is extracted and blended with a proprietary combination of plant terpenes like geraniol, myrcene, and limonene, all known for their powerful pain-relieving properties. ECODrops uses terpene research to create specific blends made for pain relief, insomnia relief, and focus. Their recommended dosage is 3-10 drops under the tongue as needed.
- For Anxiety
Anxiety is another symptom that can manifest as a result of other illnesses, and it can also pop up unwarranted and interrupt your daily life for no reason. If left untreated, anxiety can exacerbate and cause physical stress on your immune system, leaving you at greater risk of getting sick and lowering your overall quality of life. Even if you think your anxiety is manageable, it’s good to have natural ways of calming it when you’re going through a rough phase. For this reason, we recommend CBDFX’s oils that are designed for both oral consumption and for vaping.
The benefit of vaping is that it hits your bloodstream quickly, so it’s great for immediate relief while waiting for an oil or tincture to kick in. The recommendation for vaping is a half to a full dropper per tank of e-liquid to start, depending on your preferences.
- For Inflammation and Arthritis
Inflammation is considered the root cause of many illnesses, and when managing symptoms for arthritis, reducing inflammation is key to providing relief. For therapeutic inflammatory relief we recommend PureKana’s Vanilla CBD Oil, a lab-tested organic hemp oil available in three potency options of 300mg, 600mg, and 1000mg. Their website is full of customer reviews who love the flavor and the relief they find from pain and inflammation. The recommended dose is 5-10 drops 1-2 times per day, and to increase as needed until you achieve your desired results.
- For Sleep Disorders
Whether it’s insomnia keeping you up at night or something like pain from an injury or illness, EcoDrops Dream formula will gently melt your body into dreamland. The blend begins with their organic, full-spectrum hemp oil that is then combined with a master-crafted blend of terpenes like linalool and limonene specifically chosen for their sleep-inducing properties.
They recommend starting with 3-10 drops under the tongue before bed, which you can increase as needed until you’re waking up as fresh as you want to feel.
- For Autism
Treatment options are limited for autism, and some desperate parents whose children are resistant to treatment are turning to CBD oil to manage their child’s mood, appetite, or to help them sleep. Researchers at the University of California San Diego will soon be working on a study to investigate the potential of cannabidiol as a treatment for children with severe autism. The study will go through clinical, basic science, advanced mathematic and genetic techniques across a set of patients, and offer a comprehensive exploration of CBD and its efficacy on autism. You can read more about the study here.
- For Multiple Sclerosis
If you deal with chronic neuropathic pain from multiple sclerosis, you’ll likely also enjoy the effects of CBDFX’s Relief oil, but we also recommend Green Roads 1500mg CBD oil tincture, which is made and compounded by a licensed pharmacist with 20+ years of experience. This highly-concentrated oil is designed to help with severe symptoms, and lab testing information is available on their website so you can double check the purity and potency. 3-10 drops under the tongue are recommended to start, which can easily be increased as needed.
How to Use CBD Oil
CBD oil is used in several different ways, but it is most commonly consumed as an oil or tincture that is dropped under the tongue for sublingual absorption. When the delicate vessels under the tongue absorb the oil, it enters into the bloodstream which allows for quick access to the brain. The rest of the oil that is swallowed goes through your stomach and digestive tract, which reduces its bioavailability but provides longer relief throughout the body.
Aside from oils and tinctures, CBD is also available in products like edibles, candies, topical salves, and beverages. There are many ways to consume CBD in various potencies, so the possibilities are truly endless when experimenting with the kinds of products that work best for you.
When trying CBD products, remember that you cannot overdose on CBD and there are no known toxic side effects, so you won’t have to worry about dependency, addiction, or harm to your liver and kidneys. It is simply a supplement that works with naturally occurring endocannabinoids in your body, helping you achieve a state of balance and relaxation that feels exactly how you want to feel.
We hope this guide has given you a better idea of what products to try and how much to take at a time. Remember that this is just a guide, and that your own experimentation, trial, and error will yield the best results for you.
Thank you very much for this guide and not just recommending products you sell. There are so many CBD companies and products now it’s hard to tell what is legit and safe. I have tried several brands over the years with varying results. I am an unfortunate Texan and can only CBD for relief. Thank you for this info.