There is so much information on CBD oil, yet so little information on how to use it and what to expect. This will be a primer on how to see if CBD oil is right for you.
First, why are you interested in CBD? Some people have been known to try CBD because they “heard it was good”.
That’s the wrong answer. I mean, It isn’t a terrible answer, it’s just inefficient. Better to start at the beginning.
Why are you considering CBD? Is it for nausea? Pain? Insomnia? For anxiety? CBD has worked for all of these to a greater or lesser degree. We still need more info. What is causing your pain/nausea/insomnia, etc.? That data helps us understand which might work best for you.
For example, joint pain from arthritis is normally best treated with a topical. If you can point to pain then it is called ‘local’. Local pain can best be targeted with a local remedy. No need to dilute the CBD over your entire body if your knee is the only painful area.
Systemic pain, or pain throughout your body, is best addressed with CBD taken orally. Though it is slightly less efficient and may take longer to produce effects, this is the best means to treat your entire body for aches or any other systemic problems.
Smoking – smoking or vaping CBD is a very effective and fast means of delivering CBD to your entire body. It is a great way to determine what dosage you may need. But smoking or vaping isn’t for everyone, That is why topicals and edibles can be more convenient. They are also easily tucked away in a purse or backpack for later use.
Next up – The entourage effect. This refers to the fact that cannabinoids are much more effective when taken together than when isolated. CBD isolate is very easy to dose and for manufacturers to blend into a recipe. But CBD by itself is much less effective than in combination with minor cannabinoids, such as CBDa, CBG, CBGa, CBN and CBC. It includes compliant levels of THC and THCa. Think of these as spices. CBD may do the heavy lifting, but minor cannabinoids act as the spice in a recipe to make it really stand out.
This is all to say that the more raw your CBD extract, the better. The most raw extract is crude oil. Distillate is more refined, removing terpenes. Remediated distillate pulls out THC, either completely or simply to compliant levels. Distillate is palatable. The next purification step is to isolate. Isolate is a powder, consisting entirely of CBD. It is most pure, but the least effective. Why? Because efficacy requires all of the minor cannabinoids.
Crude CBD oil contains all of the minor cannabinoids and terpenes. It also tastes horrible. The only way we were able to get CBD in an edible form was to put it into capsules. These will release in your stomach, bypassing your taste buds. If you don’t want to smoke or vape, this is the best way to ingest and test how well raw CBD works for you.
