If you haven’t heard yet—CBD is all the rage. CBD, or cannabidiol products seem to make promises of a host of health benefits. These benefits range from well-researched pain-relief and stress-relief effects, to the other end of the medicinal spectrum of cancer treatment. If you still haven’t tried CBD, or haven’t found one that works well for you, you might think that CBD products are a scam.
However, you should know that many people use CBD to help manage symptoms that are related to issues such as chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, and insomnia according to many treatment studies. If you find that your CBD products aren’t working well for you, it may be time to reassess your dosage, the type of CBD you’re taking, and the quality of your chosen brand.
Read on to learn how to effectively select and use CBD products so you can get the most out of your CBD purchase. It may seem like the health benefits of CBD are too good to be true, but you may be surprised once you try them.
How Much CBD Are You Taking?
Finding your perfect dosage of CBD may be tricky to figure out. Because the effectiveness of different products vary, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for figuring out the most effective and useful CBD products. In face, our individual responses to CBD differ from one another, as no two bodies are exactly the same.
The best way to determine how much you need is to start with a low dose and increase incrementally until you decide on an amount that provides the symptom relief you’re looking for. Since CBD stimulates the natural endocannabinoid system (ECS) in your body, its effects are built in your system. You should feel confident that you can change the amount of CBD you take over time and as you build a tolerance to its effects in order to make sure you get all of the plant-powered benefits you deserve.
Since CBD can provide symptom relief or even slow the progression of certain cancers, according to Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, it’s worth it to experiment until you find the right dosage.
What Kind of CBD Are You Taking?
CBD comes in many different forms and it’s method of extraction from the cannabis plant plays a role in what it will become. The number and type of compounds – including essential oils, terpenes, and cannabinoids – that remain in the CBD after extraction determine its classification and change its effects.
If you find that CBD isn’t working for you, a great first step is to switch out the form of CBD that you are using. It’s believed that simpler types of CBD can provide mild anxiety relief, but brands that contain diverse compounds provide a greater effect. Some CBD have even reduced spasms in people with sclerosis.
Read on to learn about the composition of each form individually so you can decide which is right for you.
Isolate
Isolate is considered to be the most pure form of CBD. This comes with advantages and disadvantages. It’s important to note that depending on how the CBD is extracted from the cannabis plant, it’s possible that isolate could contain additional compounds such as other cannabinoids, terpenes, essential oils, and THC. THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis, which is the compound that is known to give marijuana users a “high.” However, CBD isolate contains no THC, which means that it is highly unlikely that use will show up on a drug test.
However, because CBD isolate doesn’t contain any additional terpenes or essential oils, isolate doesn’t have as many benefits as some of its counterparts. CBD isolate may be a good option for people who want to see if CBD can provide benefits alone, without needing other products. However, if pure, isolated CBD is not working for you, you can try other products such as those listed below.
Broad-Spectrum
Broad-spectrum CBD is quite the opposite of CBD isolate. Broad-spectrum is extract with other natural cannabis compounds still intact. This means that other cannabinoids, essential oils, and terpenes make it into the final CBD oil mixture.
You should know—even though broad-spectrum CBD contains other cannabinoids, it still does not contain any THC. This means that broad-spectrum CBD also doesn’t show up on drug tests and has no psychotropic effects.
Full-Spectrum
Full-spectrum CBC contains the most compounds of all of the CBD varieties we’ve discussed so far. When extracted from cannabis, the full-spectrum CBD retains all of it’s natural essential oils, terpenes, and cannabinoids, including THC. This means that it could have sedative effects, as well as potential legal consequences if not used responsibly.
Sometimes, this will pose the question of, “why would anyone use full-spectrum CBD if these risks exist?” The answer is called the Entourage Effect. This refers to how the oils and cannabinoids interact with one another to produce a compound effect. This is why full-spectrum CBD has the most potential to provide the expected health benefits. Its benefits increase the more you take it, making it possible to continue reaping its effects even after you’ve developed a tolerance.
Water-Soluble
Similar to other CBD oil varieties, water-soluble CBD doesn’t contain THC. However, in powder form, you should that it is much easier for your body to absorb that others, in comparison.
Water-soluble CBD is popular because it is simple to add to drinks and food without having to worry about whether your body will be able to absorb it easily or not. Additionally, water-soluble CBD is an excellent way to take CBD if you aren’t a fan of the taste or texture of the oil. If this issue has prevented you from keeping up with your regular doses in the past, you should consider trying water-soluble CBD to help you receive the benefits in a more palatable form.
Is the CBD You’re Taking High-Quality?
An inferior brand of CBD could possibly be to blame for its disappointing performance. Skipping out on quality to save money on CBD oil may not be the best idea for you in the long run. Because the product will be of lower quality, it could have little or no effect on you. CBD is safe, but only if you know what’s in the brand that you’re taking. This is why it’s worth asking: what makes CBD high-quality?
Known Brands
Let’s face it, the CBD industry is relatively new. However, the most reputable brands already have a strong following. When on the hunt for a CBD oil product, it may be tempting to pay less for a lesser-known brand, but this could come with a risk that the product won’t work for you.
As a consumer, you should research which brands consistently offer the products you’re looking for and be sure to also check out customer reviews when searching. The effectiveness of their extraction methods and the resulting products may be evident in the reception they’ve received from others. Just remember that everyone’s body and tolerance level is different.
Third-Party Testing
Good CBD brands will always advertise how much CBD is in each product, the THC content, and the breakdown of other cannabinoids, oils, and flavors present in their specific spectrum. However, the only way for us to know how truthful these numbers are is to rely on third-party laboratory tests. These tests reveal the percentages of the products’ content so that you can pick the one that is right for you.
If a brand doesn’t outwardly advertise their third-party testing on their site or it’s proving difficult for you to view the results, try a different brand. The most reputable CBD brands are confident in their extraction procedures and the accuracy of their marketing in terms of their products’ content. They want you to know what you’re putting in your body.
If those numbers are hard to find, a company’s third-party testing procedures may be unreliable or non-existent. As a consumer, you should always seek out third-party testing information before purchasing from a CBD brand.
The Takeaway
The right CBD product can provide a host of health benefits, including pain and anxiety relief. However, if CBD may not be working for you, it pays to know how the dosage, spectrum, and brand can affect each product’s effectiveness.
This guide should help you navigate the claims of different brands, as well as their chemical content, to choose the brand, spectrum, and dosage that’s right for you. Even though some experimentation is warranted, most people can find a CBD product that provides the benefits that have made this once-taboo substance a phenomenon in the world of pharmaceutical stress relief.
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