Is a CBD Tincture the Best Way to Take CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) can be taken in a number of different ways. Each of these methods of administration have their specific pros and cons, although many patients swear by using CBD tinctures. Over time, this has become the most popular method of ingestion for a number of reasons.

What Is a CBD Tincture?

A tincture is any concentrated liquid that is primarily comprised of a given active ingredient. For example, a CBD tincture is a concentrate that is extracted from the flowers, stalks, and leaves of the hemp plant. Researchers and manufacturers have refined the manufacturing process so that the final tincture contains about 15% CBD.  

Solvent extraction is the least expensive and most common manufacturing process for making CBD tincture. This method of extraction consists of taking the flowers, stalks, and leaves of a CBD-rich hemp plant and letting them soak in a solvent. This is most frequently grain alcohol, which then evaporates away, thereby leaving you with raw CBD oil.

The CBD oil that you will be ingesting derives its various medicinal benefits by regulating, adapting, or modulating our endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a regulatory and control system in our bodies that governs a wide range of processes, including:

1. Sleep
2. Appetite
3. Metabolism
4. Mood/mental state
5. Immune function
6. Memory
7. Perception

CBD keeps the ECS running smoothly and effectively, thereby allowing you to be in a state of health and balance known formally as homeostasis.   

Other CBD Applications

There are various factors that determine how quickly CBD will treat your symptoms. These include the dosage and how you ingested the substance as well as your particular metabolism. There is also the crucial concept of bioavailability (BA), which is a technical term that is used in nutrition and pharmacology.

This is just a fancy way of saying how quickly and efficiently a drug will be broken down and absorbed into your bloodstream. This absorption occurs via permeable membranes located throughout your body.

As the CBD in question is absorbed and then transported throughout your circulatory system, it must then enter your central nervous system (CNS) by crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). By going through this threshold, the CBD will begin to take effect on your ECS and brain.

Furthermore, there are four primary ways to ingest CBD:

1. Sublingual – This method is when you take a tincture and drop it under your tongue to allow permeable membranes in your mouth and gums to absorb the CBD. It can also be used by mixing the tincture with some kind of food or drink, such as pasta or tea. In fact, pairing it with a cup of chamomile may make some the relaxing effects of CBD that much more powerful for you (this is especially effective if you are suffering from insomnia).  
2. Vaporizing (also known colloquially as vaping) – This is a method that is becoming very popular, although most people are wary of smoking any substance. Essentially, you take a device known as a vape pen that has four components: battery, atomizer, chamber to house the CBD oil, and mouthpiece. The atomizer vaporizes the CBD oil via application of heat and you inhale the vapors. There are permeable membranes in your lungs that then allow the vaporized CBD to be absorbed into your bloodstream.
3. Oral ingestion – This means you eat edibles or swallow capsules to be metabolized in your gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). This takes longer than other methods as the permeable membranes in your gut are not as porous as those in your mouth or lungs. Positive effects are usually felt from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Your weight, metabolic rate, and the contents of your stomach may increase or decrease the bioavailability.
4. Topical – This method consists of directly applying a CBD lotion to the affected area. Topical CBD products include lotions, salves, or balms and are highly effective in treating aches or pains that are localized to a specific part of your body. This method has limited applications, however, as the underlying condition must be present in just one anatomical area.  

Sublingual and oral ingestion are the most common methods, meaning that most CBD products that are available are capsules, tinctures, or edibles. There is no one method that is inherently better, it just depends on what medical condition or set of symptoms that you need to treat.  

Why Tincture Is Best

There are a number of reasons why CBD tinctures (sublingual) are the best method:

1. This method results in rapid relief (positive effects are felt in under 5 minutes).
2. It has a very high bioavailability, meaning that it will not take much CBD oil to treat your symptoms.
3. It bypasses the GI tract, which is useful if you are suffering from extreme nausea and/or vomiting.

Technically, vaping is faster (positive effects are felt in 1 to 2 minutes), but there is still a significant stigma attached to smoking a substance as well as societal restrictions on where you can do that. A tincture is always discrete and easy, thereby avoiding the potential complications associated with vaping.

For maximum efficiency when using your tincture, drop the desired dosage under your tongue and hold it there for 1 minute. This will allow the permeable membranes under your tongue and in your gums to fully absorb the CBD oil. Check out https://cheefbotanicals.com/cbd-products/cbd-tinctures/ for some of the highest quality CBD tinctures available.

Is CBD Safe & Legal?

CBD is related to another cannabinoid known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. However, CBD is not psychoactive (it will not get you high), so it is subject to different laws in the United States than THC. In other words, if the CBD is derived from a cannabis strain that contains less than 0.3% of THC, then it is absolutely legal.

Properly manufactured products will come from low-THC, high-CBD hemp plants, resulting in a product that will not cause intoxication and is 100% legal. Consequently, you can rest assured that you will be ingesting a tincture that is safe, natural, and completely within the bounds of the law.

Furthermore, properly manufactured products contain a consistent volume and distribution of CBD in the final tincture. This will allow you to determine your milligram dosage and fine-tune how much CBD you are ingesting in order to effectively treat your particular medical condition.

References

• https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cbd-tincture-for-beginners
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits