Best Ways to Take CBD: A Beginner's Guide to Finding the Right Dose and Product

There is already so much hype surrounding the new phenomenon known as CBD and so much information cruising across the internet. As such, it can be difficult to know how to start CBD as a beginner. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as an over-the-counter tablet that comes with an instruction manual.

What's best suited for one individual could be entirely different for the next. It depends largely on the symptoms being treated and the individual's physiology.

Luckily, there are some basic principles that can help you decide.

Method of Application

When purchasing CBD, you'll first have to decide what kind of product you're wanting. Each application method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and certain products are better suited to certain symptoms. We'll list them in terms of bioavailability.

Inhalation

Contrary to popular belief, inhaling CBD products through vaping oils or smoking dry herbs actually has the highest bioavailability, which means that your body is actually absorbing more CBD per quantity of product consumed than any other method.

Another advantage to utilizing your body's respiratory system is the speed and efficiency of the absorbed CBD's effect on the brain. In less than a few minutes after it reaches your lungs, the CBD will travel to your brain. However, the trade-off to this is how quickly the effects will diminish (within a few hours).

Inhalation may be good for combating rapidly oncoming mental issues like anxiety attacks.

Tinctures Applied Sublingually

Although not as bioavailable as inhalation, placing a few drops of a CBD tincture under your tongue and holding it there for 30 seconds will allow the CBD fast absorption into your bloodstream through the surrounding tissue.

These effects can be felt in under 20 minutes and can last longer than inhaled products.

Tinctures may be great for more chronic symptoms and prolonged effects, such as chronic pain or insomnia.

Ingestion

Edibles and capsules need to utilize your body's metabolism to get to your brain, which means that they're far less bioavailable than the methods that absorb straight into your bloodstream.

The advantage to this method is that, although the effects can take upwards of 30 minutes to be felt, they'll last much longer (potentially even 8 hours). So it could also be great for prolonged issues.

Topical Application

Rubbing CBD cream onto painful joints or skin issues is a popular practice. However, due to its incredibly low bioavailability, this method should only be tried for symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or issues relating to the skin.

Dosage

The golden rule when it comes to CBD dosage is to start small and work your way up. Most professionals recommend a dose of around10-20mg/day, progressively working your way up each week until you notice positive changes, but this should always be checked with a doctor first.

In Conclusion: Where to Start

It is important to remember that CBD doesn't work for everyone. However, its low risk of adverse effects means that it's safe for everyone to try.

Depending on the method of application that you choose, start with a full-spectrum or broad-spectrum product and begin the process of trial and error to find what works best for you.