There can be a lot of details when it comes to understanding CBD and other cannabinoids. From chemistry, farming practices, and legal regulations, there are quite a few challenging things to unpack. Although we see terms like Full Spectrum, flavonoids, or COAs regularly within the community, definitions aren’t always clear, especially if you’re new to the scene.

Bioavailability is one of these more scientific, challenging topics. You may have heard the word thrown around a few times, or have a general idea of what it means, but even then it can be a lot to understand. So, what is bioavailability? Why is it so heavily discussed, and what does it have to do with cannabinoids? Like with most things CBD-related, the science is still new and emerging. What we can do, however, is fill you in on what we know so far and what impact it has on you. Long story short, bioavailability a lot more important than what you might have previously thought.

What is bioavailability?

Put simply, bioavailability is how much of something is absorbed by your body. It’s most often referring to drugs, but can also refer to the nutrients in your food, vitamins, or other things. It turns out, when you consume something, not all of it gets absorbed into your body. Some of it tends to be wasted, digested, or otherwise. For example, if you’re taking a 100mg vitamin C, your body will only absorb a portion of that 100mgs. Different substances have different levels of bioavailability.

Besides the unique properties of different substances and chemicals, bioavailability can be impacted by other variables. Individual factors like age, sex, stress, etc., can have an impact on how our bodies absorb things, while the method of application can also have an influence. For example, ‘first-pass metabolism’ happens when something is swallowed, like taking an Advil. Before it’s absorbed, it first has to pass through a variety of systems (particularly the liver) which metabolizes it, making less of it available to be absorbed.

When a substance has higher bioavailability, less of it is needed to produce the same effects (more gets absorbed into your body). This is particularly important for things like CBD, as getting the most value for your money and use out of your product is always desirable. It will also impact dosage calculations.

Cannabinoids and Bioavailability

Due to the variety of application methods, CBD and other cannabinoids (such as THC) have different bioavailability levels depending on how they’re being taken. According to the study above, anything taken orally, like edibles or capsules, tend to have much lower bioavailability due to the first-pass metabolism effect. Oils, or other things taken sublingually (under the tongue), like sprays, appear to have higher bioavailability because the CBD is able to be absorbed straight into the bloodstream, bypassing the other systems. The same goes for inhalation, like smoking or vaping, which tends to be the fastest-acting, most bioavailable of all application methods.

When it comes to topicals, less is known. However, this review discusses transdermal application as not only promising, but also a challenge: it seems that cannabinoids aren’t the best at getting past certain parts of our skin. Thankfully, more research is in the works to develop products that are absorbed easier.

Although we haven’t spoken about them much before, suppositories are also growing in popularity and may have an increased bioavailability. Check out this detailed article here if you want to learn more.

In general, much more research is needed before we fully understand how CBD is absorbed by our bodies.

In terms of Full Spectrum CBD, which is filled with other supporting cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, these compounds are all absorbed by our bodies in different ways. For example, flavonoids are known for having low bioavailability. Unfortunately, there isn’t always a lot of research investigating how all these compounds may work together and impact things like bioavailability, but thankfully, you can still find a few studies out there looking into it.

Increasing Bioavailability

Due to the potential health benefits of CBD, research into finding ways of making cannabinoids more bioavailable is underway. This doesn’t just matter for medical cannabis users, but for regular consumers as well. Higher bioavailability means that less product may be needed.

Various studies have observed that eating food with CBD may help to increase bioavailability, specifically food with higher fat content, like peanut butter, avocadoes, or dark chocolate. However, it’s important to note that this can be incredibly unpredictable and hard to measure. Depending on the foods and amounts eaten, absorption rates vary. This makes dosing CBD accurately a little more difficult. The studies above mostly investigated increasing the bioavailability of CBD taken orally, so more research is needed to assess if similar increases can be achieved with sublingually taken or smoked CBD.

Additionally, if taking CBD oil, the type of carrier oil may also make a difference. MCT, a common carrier in CBD oil is known for its bioavailability. MCT, or Medium-Chain Triglycerides, is made up of fats, which could be one possible explanation for why it helps with CBD absorption. The study above suggests that MCT may also help minimize first-pass metabolism. Other carrier oils, such as olive, avocado, palm, grape seed, hemp, or coconut all have high levels of fat content, which may also contribute to bioavailability.

Medication Interactions

CBD may also impact the bioavailability of other medications, and how they’re absorbed into our bodies. This is one reason why it’s so important to pay attention and discuss things with your doctor if you’re mixing drugs. For more info about drug interactions, check out what we wrote on the topic here.

TL;DR

Understanding cannabinoids and bioavailability is important. Ultimately, bioavailability will tell you how much CBD is being absorbed by your body. Different kinds of products have differing levels of bioavailability, and some studies have shown that eating fatty foods before taking CBD can increase absorption. MCT has also shown to improve bioavailability of CBD oil. However, ultimately, more research is needed before we fully understand how cannabinoids are absorbed by our bodies.