There are numerous CBD products on the market, with new ones hitting the shelves every day, but if you want to get the most significant impact from CBD, which ones should you choose? By considering relative absorption rates, as well as what you hope the product will accomplish, you can pick the right CBD formulation for your particular needs.

What’s Your Goal

If you’re going to use CBD products successfully, the first step is to be clear about what you hope to gain. Some people use it topically or orally for pain relief, while others use CBD to manage nausea, stress, sleep, and even serious health conditions like Alzheimer’s, anorexia, and epilepsy. Each of these applications requires different dosages, concentrations, and levels of absorption to be effective.

Smoking Stats

Cannabis Marijuana is most closely associated with smoking, but Cannabis CBD specific products are less likely to be consumed this way. That being said, CBD absorption via inhalation is high because it’s absorbed directly through the large surface area of the alveoli in the lungs and directly enters the bloodstream. The main problem with consuming CBD in smoked form is that it’s harder to get a pure version of the product, so the best you can do is likely to be a low-THC/high-CBD strain of marijuana.

Strategic Supplementing

Another way to use CBD products is in the form of a supplement, and many people find this to be the easiest way to add it to their healthcare routine. The challenge with measuring absorption of CBD supplements, though, is that there are many different mediums.

The most effective options boost absorption by using a lipid transport complex, while others use an unmodified form of CBD in hemp oil form. The one major downside of using a tincture or topical cream is that dosages may vary serving to serving and are impossible to standardize. The benefit of using a capsule for CBD delivery is the uniformity in dosages, and it is the purest form possible, removing all plant byproducts except the cannabidiol itself.

Try A Tincture

For more applications that require a quick absorption and high effectiveness, tinctures are the most common option. By placing the tincture directly under the tongue, it goes directly into the bloodstream –bypassing the stomach and the liver.  The main objection that people have to using CBD oils is the taste.

Edible Options

Finally, for those who want to consume CBD, one of the best remaining options is to consume CBD via some type of edible. As with capsules, though, absorption will vary depending on how it’s consumed. CBD edibles, or even capsules, taken with dietary fats will improve the bioavailability and rate of absorption. That’s why capsules with added lipids work so well.

How effective any application of CBD is will depend on a variety of factors, including weight, body composition, and diet, as well as factors like tolerance. Some people also find that these products work better when taking regularly, as opposed to just “as needed.” It could be that CBD builds up in the system and becomes more effective, though researchers are still studying the precise mechanism at play.

For now, your best bet is to explore the different options and see how they make you feel. You can always change forms or increase the dosage if you feel your absorption rates are too low, since there’s no chance of overdosing. That’s one of the best things about CBD – countless benefits and few potential risks – and that’s why it’s so popular with consumers.