A Beginner’s Guide to Taking CBD

What you need to know about taking CBD if you’re new to it.

CBD is a natural supplement that is used by millions of people to relieve stress, anxiety, and pain. However, if you are new to CBD or have never taken it before, there are some things that you should know about using it. 

In this blog post, we will go over some common mistakes people make when taking CBD for the first time.

You should take time to educate yourself about CBD.

Know what to look for when buying CBD products

The CBD market is growing rapidly and doesn’t seem to show any sign of stopping. Unfortunately, until regulations for testing and labeling are in place, the CBD products on your store shelves might not be listed with their correct dosage or purity levels– even though they’re being marketed as such!

Despite the booming demand for cannabidiol (CBD), there’s still no regulation that ensures safety standards. Unfortunately, this can lead people who aren’t well-informed about what type of product will work best for them to end up buying something that has potentially dangerous side effects.

Knowing what to watch out for on a CBD oil label can improve the odds of finding a high-quality CBD oil and other related products. 

Some CBD product labels are full of enticing marketing terms such as “organic” and “pure” but these words aren’t necessarily indicative of a high-quality product. 

Products claiming to contain hemp or hemp seed oil aren’t the same as hemp-derived CBD oil, and won’t necessarily contain any CBD. 

Reputable CBD products will always come with a third party certification for lab test results. 

A recent scientific investigation reported that up to 70% of online CBD oils and other CBD products were mislabeled in terms of the amount of CBD that was listed on the bottle.

The bottom line is that you should do your research and make sure that you purchase your CBD oil from a reputable source.

Understand CBD interactions with other medications

Even though CBD is 100% natural, it still affects your body and can indeed interact with other medications you may be taking. Due to the nature of chemical compounds, including CBD, virtually every substance will interact in some way with other substances. 

CBD can alter the effects of other drugs, producing an increased risk for side-effects or nonfunctioning medication. This is because CBD alters brain chemicals in a way that induces different reactions to various medications – and these interactions are often hard to predict.

For example, CBD is sometimes associated with “the grapefruit effect.” Grapefruit juice and CBD inhibit the metabolic process similarly. This means that medications that are contraindicated for consumption along with grapefruit juice – such as statins or blood thinners – should be treated similarly with CBD.

While CBD is very safe and can give you a variety of health benefits, be sure to do your research and talk to your doctor before starting a CBD regimine if you are taking prescription medications. 

Know which dose of CBD is right for you

The optimal dose of CBD depends on your weight and the potency of the oil you’re using. It  also depends on what you’re taking CBD for. 

If you’re taking CBD for chronic pain, for example, you may want to take a higher dose depending on the severity of your pain level. 

If you’re using CBD to alleviate anxiety, a low to moderate dose may be just right for you. 

In reality, the correct dosage of CBD is different for everyone. 

The perfect amount of CBD for you depends on a variety of factors, including:

• Your size and weight
• The severity of the condition you’re treating
• Your tolerance for CBD
• Your blood pressure (those with low bloodpressure should carefully consider how much CBD to take as it can lower your blood pressure when taken in higher doses). 
• The potency of the CBD product 

The best practice is to start with a very low dose and see how you feel. Increase your dosage by small increments every few days until you feel you’ve reached a dose that is working for you. In other words: start low and go slow. 

Know when and how to take CBD to maximize its benefits

Drowsiness is one of the most common side effects of CBD. Unless your healthcare provider advises otherwise, using CBD at bedtime — or when you have time to chill if you need to — can be a good idea in order for it not interfere with other aspects of life. 

CBD is a fat-soluble compound, meaning that it can’t be “released” as easily in water. That’s why when you introduce substances like CBD into your system with food or oil – rather than just drinking them – they are more likely to get released and absorbed by the body.

Always take your CBD oil under the tongue and let it sit for 30- 60 seconds before you swallow it down.  The sublingual area is loaded with salivary glands and capillaries, which means it’s perfect for absorbing any CBD compound. This gives the body ample time to absorb all of that goodness into its bloodstream before it goes throughout the rest of your system.

New CBD users often just squirt some CBD oil into their mouth and swallow – then, they feel they’ve been duped because they don’t notice any effects. What is mostly likely taking place is that the oils is just sliding down the esophagus and into the stomach, only to then be processed through the liver and excreted through the urine. You need to give you body the time and availability to absorb the compound. 

When you take the time to educate yourself about CBD and other cannabis comounts, you’ll be able to most benefit from it. CBD oil is currently the rock star of complementary medicine – but like anything else, you should take the time to understand what it is, how it works, and how it can most benefit you.