CBD oil has been in the news for its potential health benefits, especially those who may be suffering from debilitating pain. It is not intoxicating, unlike THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), another derivative of the cannabis plant. CBD research is still in preliminary days. Its use has been approved only for epilepsy patients, in the form of Epidiolex, a drug approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in mid-2018.

CBD can be consumed in many ways, and for someone new to the topic of consuming CBD oil for its benefits, here is a handy primer to help you understand the various ways you can choose to take it.

1) Consumed in an edible form:

You can buy CBD in a wide variety of edible products, such as mints, truffles, and gummies. While they are convenient to consume, a disadvantage is that edibles can take as long as two hours to take effect. Furthermore, anyone imbibing it will absorb between 20 percent to 30 percent of the consumed CBD.

2) Consumed sublingually:

CBD in edible form contains preservatives and sugar, which might prove to be a problem for people with diabetes. You can also consume CBD sublingually, wherein the product is meant to be placed under the tongue and absorbed. Such sublingual CBD oil products kick into action quicker than edible CBD products.

3) Consume CBD oil after mixing it with water:

Water-soluble CBD can be produced by using nanotechnology, which breaks CBD clusters into minute particles. Using nanotechnology allows you to break CBD into minuscule droplets (having a size of 10 to 100 nanometers). There are quite a few benefits of consuming CBD oil this way:

– You can mix it with beverages easily

– It takes effect quicker than a lot of other CBD formulations

– It offers increased bioavailability

Read more here about the benefits of water soluble CBD.

4) Topically consumed CBD:

Localized pain can be relieved by the use of topical products that have CBD as one of their components. These are supposed to be applied directly to the skin. They are great for treating skin conditions such as eczema discreetly. A study on rats carried out in 2015 observed that CBD gel reduced joints’ swelling when applied on the skin. Hence this augurs well for patients who suffer from debilitating pain in medical conditions such as arthritis.

5) Smoking and Vaping:

It is possible to add the extract of a high-CBD cannabis flower to a joint and smoke it. You can also use a vaporizer that has a cartridge containing CBD Oil. Smoking and vaping lets the CBD travel to your blood quicker than by other methods. Since the CBD goes directly to your bloodstream, you’ll feel the therapeutic effects of CBD faster in comparison to consuming it by other methods. You’ll end up absorbing 34 percent to 56 percent of the consumed CBD within 10 minutes.

In Summary

There are many ways that you can consume CBD Oil, and what works for you depends on a lot of factors. You should talk to your family doctor before consuming CBD oil. He or she will be aware of any other prescription medicines you take that may interact adversely with CBD oil.