The use of cannabidiol (CBD) has increased dramatically in the past several years, and for good reason. CBD is one of the primary nonpsychotropic components of the cannabis plant. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), it does not produce the classic cannabis “high”. While THC has important medical properties and many people need it, using doses that are too high can cause uncomfortable side effects. In general, CBD is a more tolerable compound that is easy to use, usually has little to no side effects, and offers a wide range of potential benefits. It is most commonly taken for pain, inflammation, sleep, and anxiety. While CBD does not work for everyone, it can be profoundly beneficial for many. I personally have benefitted tremendously from CBD use, particularly for mental health, stress, energy, and recovering from exercise. Numerous techniques exist that can maximize the effectiveness of CBD, and in fact, the reason it fails for some people is possibly because these techniques are not being utilized.
How to Maximize the Effectiveness of CBD
1. Eat a Meal Rich in Fat Before Consuming CBD
CBD is a fat-soluble molecule, meaning it dissolves in fat rather than water. If there is little to no fat present in the gastrointestinal system when consumed, it will not be absorbed as well. This was particularly well demonstrated by researchers with the University of Minnesota in a 2019 comparative trial that looked at the absorption of CBD in fed and fasted states. The full text notes that the fed state consisted of eating a breakfast burrito 30 minutes prior to the 300mg CBD dose, taken as three 100mg capsules. The total calories were 840-860 with 500-600 of these calories being from fat. On average, participants in the fed group had a 14 times higher maximum concentration of CBD in their blood, and ultimately had about 4 times more exposure to CBD overall, reflecting its better absorption. This study indicates that having a high-fat meal prior to taking CBD substantially influences its absorption.
An article in The Guardian mentioned seven specific fatty foods that could help with CBD absorption. These included fatty fish, avocados, dark chocolate, nuts, eggs, cheese, and coconut oil. Interestingly enough, in many CBD oils, the oil the CBD is suspended in is medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, which is usually derived from coconuts. However, it is such a small quantity that it is not enough to significantly enhance absorption, so it is still critical to eat a more substantial fatty meal before taking CBD.
2. Use CBD Sublingually rather than Orally
Many CBD products come in the forms of capsules, tablets, and edibles like gummies. While these can be quite convenient, evidence suggests that they are not absorbed as well as sublingual CBD products. When CBD is suspended in an oil or alcohol and administered under the tongue, it can be absorbed directly into systemic circulation, rather than needing to be digested within the gastrointestinal system and passed through the liver into the blood.
There are various estimates about the absorption efficiency of oral and sublingual CBD. A company in Florida run by a physician who certifies medical cannabis patients states that oral CBD has about 10% absorption while sublingual has up to 20%, although this appears to be an estimate with no formal articles backing it up. Another article from a cannabis dispensary states that sublingual has a higher bioavailability than oral administration, as much as 75%, but again, this is apparently not backed up by a specific study. A 2020 study in the journal Pharmaceuticals by American and UK researchers noted that oral bioavailability of CBD was around 6%, so somewhat close to what the previous resource estimated. A 2018 systematic review of CBD pharmacokinetic studies noted that only a single study reported the bioavailability of CBD in humans, which interestingly enough was via the smoking route rather than oral or sublingual.
Nonetheless, it is very reasonable to conclude that sublingual administration would have a higher bioavailability due to the bypassing of the gastrointestinal system. In addition to this anatomical logic, there was a study with rabbits conducted in 2007 which showed the clear superiority of sublingual CBD. Rabbits given sublingual CBD suspended in ethanol showed the highest measured absorption, even better than sublingual solid CBD complexed with a molecule designed to increase bioavailability. When CBD suspended in alcohol was used orally, the blood concentrations did not even reach the quantitation limit. Overall, the evidence strongly suggests that sublingual administration is superior to oral.
3. Hold CBD Under the Tongue for Longer Periods
Just using CBD sublingually will not maximize benefits if it is swallowed too quickly. It takes time for the CBD to diffuse through the mucous membranes. Without enough time, it will be swallowed and processed as if it was orally administered. There are no clear recommendations on the ideal amount of time to hold CBD under the tongue, but at least a minute is reasonable. If possible, it is likely even better to hold for up to five minutes. After that there is probably no additional benefit. Also, it is important to note that with sublingual administration, there will always be at least a little CBD that is swallowed and processed orally. This is okay, but to maximize value you should absorb as much as possible sublingually.
4. Use a Full-Spectrum CBD with a Wide Variety of Cannabinoids and Terpenoids
CBD is only one component of the cannabis plant, and it actually contains hundreds of other medicinal products including other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Evidence suggests that the presence of these compounds enhances the efficacy of CBD. Cannabinoids include THC, CBD, cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and dozens more. These are essentially exclusive to the cannabis plant. Terpenes (along with derived compounds known as terpenoids) and flavonoids are found in cannabis as well as thousands of other plants. The synergy that arises from the interaction of these compounds is often referred to as the entourage effect.
A pivotal study by Israeli researchers published in 2015 indicated one notable benefit of full-spectrum CBD oil. When isolated CBD was administered to rats with chemical-induced inflammation, there was a bell-shaped dose-response curve, indicating that too little or too much CBD was not effective at reducing inflammation and only the intermediate dose was effective. However, the full-spectrum extract demonstrated a more predictable dose-dependent relationship, with higher doses exerting greater anti-inflammatory effects. The predictability of full-spectrum CBD seems to make it a superior option to isolated CBD.
A summary on the therapeutic potential of full-spectrum CBD compared to purified CBD was published by acclaimed researcher Ethan Russo in 2018. He states, “The case for Cannabis synergy via the ‘entourage effect’ is currently sufficiently strong as to suggest that one molecule is unlikely to match the therapeutic and even industrial potential of Cannabis itself as a phytochemical factory.” Russo offers several examples of studies, such as with epilepsy patients, in which cannabinoid and terpene-rich CBD extracts proved superior to isolated CBD.
5. Consume an Anti-Inflammatory and Omega-3-Rich Diet
Relying on CBD or any herbs alone to maximize health will never work. It is critical to optimize your diet, which also helps CBD and other supplements work better. Chronic inflammation, which is the excessive activation of the immune system, underlies most common diseases to at least some extent. While CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory substance, if diet is heavily contributing to inflammation, the CBD will only be able to do so much. Supporting CBD by eating an anti-inflammatory diet means it should work better against remaining inflammation and be more effective at achieving its other functions, such as anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, and neuroprotective actions. An anti-inflammatory diet consists of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, is low in processed sugar, processed meats, and processed vegetable oils (mainly Omega-6-rich oils like canola, peanut, safflower, and sunflower oils), and rich in healthy fats and proteins from nuts, seeds, fish, and good oils like coconut and olive. Sustainably and humanely-raised meats are fine and healthy in the right quantities.
Omega-3 fats are especially important for improving the efficacy of CBD and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in general. The ECS is the network of cannabinoid receptors and the associated endocannabinoids which activate them, distributed throughout the entire body, with the overall function of maintaining homeostasis (balance). A 2011 study by French researchers showed that a nutritional Omega-3 deficiency damaged the function of CB1 receptors in mice and was associated with impaired emotional behavior. We have all heard about the benefits of Omega-3s, but it’s quite interesting to know one of the reasons they are so important is enabling proper ECS function. Since CBD exerts benefits through the ECS, in part by increasing levels of our natural endocannabinoids like anandamide, it is vital that the cannabinoid receptors are as strong as possible. Adequate Omega-3 intake through foods like chia seeds, flax seeds, basil seeds, walnuts, eggs, and fish enable that strength.
Properly Dosing CBD
It is best to use as little CBD as possible to achieve your goals, primarily because using more than required is needlessly expensive. If cost is not an issue, there does not seem to be a problem with consuming large amounts of CBD. The only major caveat is when CBD is taken alongside some other medications, it can increase their blood concentration levels, so care must be taken in that context. The MedScape Drug Interaction Checker can be used to find interactions with specific medications. In general, spacing CBD dosing from other drugs it interacts with by two hours can prevent most negative interactions, although with higher doses a longer time spacing may be desired. Ultimately, by starting with low doses of CBD and slowly increasing, you can ascertain both the lowest effective dose and monitor for any interactions with other concurrently used medicines.
A good starting dose of CBD is 5mg once per day. It is fine to start with a lower dose, but it is unlikely to be substantially effective. In my experience, most people need between 25-200mg per day for significant results. The more severe one’s health issues, the higher the dose they tend to need. The total daily dose should be divided into two to three doses per day. By following the advice earlier in the article, it is hopeful that you can do well with a dose on the lower end of the spectrum, but if a low dose is not working then don’t be afraid to increase the dose. For some people, going beyond 200mg per day, to 300-400mg CBD per day, may be good. However, at that point, it may be better to test a different cannabinoid, such as CBDA and/or CBG, to see if either of them is a better fit. These other cannabinoids possess different mechanisms of action, and some people simply respond to them better. Low to moderate doses of THC, at doses of 1-20mg per day, alone or in combination with CBD or other cannabinoids, are also often needed by certain people.
If you live in a state where medical cannabis is legal, and CBD, CBDA, and/or CBG are not working, it may be worth adding in small amounts of THC. By using 1mg or less to start, psychoactivity can be minimized or completely avoided. Just keep in mind that increasing THC too quickly can stimulate anxiety, but if the doses are slowly elevated by .5-1mg per day, and combined with CBD, the chance of anxiety emerging is far lower. Several studies, including this early one from 1982, show how CBD can block THC-induced anxiety. In any case, THC is an exceptionally powerful cannabinoid and it will always have a place in cannabinoid medicine, it just needs to be used in the right way.
Using CBD sublingually is both decently bioavailable and enables highly accurate dosing. The most important thing to know is the concentration of the CBD oil you are using. For example, if you have a 1000mg CBD oil in a 30mL bottle, the concentration is 33.3mg/mL (1000mg/30mL). Bottles will often state this concentration explicitly, but if not, the simple math of total milligrams / total milliliters reveals the concentration. From there, you can determine how much to take with this key formula:
Target Dose / Concentration = Volume
As an example, let’s say you have a 30mg/mL oil, which is a common concentration found on the market. If you wanted a 15mg dose as your target, then 15mg / 30mg/mL = .5mL. If you wanted 30mg, then 30mg / 30mg/mL = 1mL. If you wanted 45mg, then 45mg / 30mg/mL = 1.5mL. As you can see, it is quite easy to ingest any dose you want as long as you know the concentration. Below is an example of an oil pulled up to the .5mL line.
To be even more specific, you can dose by the drop. Most CBD bottles state that there are 30 drops in 1mL, and this appears to be the average for most essential oils as well. Multiplying 30 by the mL volume gives you the dose in drops. Alternatively, dividing the concentration by 30 gives you the dose per drop. For example, a 30mg/mL oil has 1mg per drop (30mg/mL / 30 drops/mL = 1mg/drop). As another example, let’s say you want to take 40mg from that 30mg/mL oil. 40mg / 30mg/mL = 1.33mL. Good droppers are graduated in .25mL increments, so if you take 1.25mL, that leaves .08mL left. 30 drops/mL x .08mL = 2.4 drops. So in this case, achieving the dose would be 1.25mL + 2 or 3 drops. In these and other instances, it may be impossible to dose 100% accurately to the milligram, but you can get pretty close. To make things easier, you can just dose by .25mL increments and estimate the space in between if desired. It’s up to you how accurate you want to be.
Finding Good CBD Products
The best dosing practices are meaningless if you do not have good products. The ideal CBD products will show lab testing results (known as Certificates of Analysis [CoA]) on the business websites, confirming the potency of the products as well as an absence of pesticides, bacteria, and heavy metals. It is also good if the hemp the CBD is derived from is grown in the United States. The best lab test results show a wide spectrum of cannabinoids beyond just CBD. While rare, it is also great to find results that also list the terpenes present. There are also a few CBD products that have achieved the coveted USDA Organic certification, which means they meet especially rigorous standards for purity.
There are two brands of CBD products that I believe are among the best. The first is Aspen Green, which meets all the best qualities mentioned above. They are USDA Organic, show terpene results on their CoAs, use hemp grown in the United States, and feature a wide variety of cannabinoids. In fact, the products have QR codes on the labels that link directly to the CoA. The prices are also very reasonable, especially the high potency bottles which have a lower cost per milligram of CBD. The founders of Aspen Green have long been committed to cannabis and natural health, and you can learn more about them here. Use the code ENERGY4LIFE to get 20% off any orders!
For CBDA and CBG, I prefer HealerCBD.com. It was founded by one of the top medical cannabis doctors in the country, Dr. Dustin Sulak, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on many occasions. He truly cares about patients and created his brand to bring exceptionally clean and high-quality infusions to the market. He also understands the critical importance of full-spectrum products and created a patented process to capture as many components of hemp as possible. To my knowledge, HealerCBD is also the only company that has flavonoid content listed for some products. Flavonoids are another class of compounds found in hemp that, like cannabinoids and terpenes, exert medicinal benefit. While they are less well known than the other two classes, their importance is growing, so it is cool to see them listed as well. Use the code NATURAL20 for 20% off any orders!
Of course, you do not need to use these brands. There are definitely other high-quality CBD companies out there, and due to the nature of how search engines produce their natural rankings, anything on the top of Google is likely to be of decent quality (just make sure you are looking at the natural results and not paid ads). The most important thing is you confirm quality by looking at the lab results. You definitely should not purchase from a company without these, as there are plenty of options that do!
Summary
By using quality products and applying the above techniques to maximize the impact of CBD and other cannabinoids, you can get the most out of whatever you choose to use. Of course, cannabinoids do not work for everyone, and most people must employ other nutritional and lifestyle practices to achieve optimal health. However, cannabinoids like CBD can play a major role in achieving this optimization. If you feel like your health needs a boost, CBD or other cannabinoids are worth trying.