When it comes to CBD, it can be hard to know where to start. With so much information and available options, knowing how to find what works for you can be a challenge. The industry, community, and marketplace are brimming with terminology, scientific explanation, and research – all things that can be difficult to make sense of. In hopes of making things a little clearer, we’ve already spoken about topics like cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. We’ve also discussed the difference between hemp and cannabis, what Full Spectrum means, and dosage.

However, we thought it was about time to discuss the variety of ways CBD can be taken legally within Canada in hopes that you can find the best option for yourself. After all, everyone prefers something different. Knowing what works for you can come down to trial and error and taking the time to explore the options.

Edibles

Like the name suggests, edibles often look like little candies or gummies you can get at your local licenced cannabis retailer. This category, however, can also include things like home baking, or anything edible with CBD content in it. Edibles tend to include other ingredients, such as sugars or flavorings, that are not always present in the other categories.

Edibles tend to be easy to dose when purchased from a licensed cannabis retailer, as one gummy will have the exact amount of CBD content that it says it will have. That said, if you were trying to split it in half, do your own CBD home baking, or customize the dose in any way, the exact CBD content can become more difficult to measure.

Studies have found that edibles and other orally taken types of CBD tend to be absorbed slow and erratically by our bodies. This study also found that, on average, it takes an hour or two for full effects to be felt, though longer amounts of time are also quoted. Because the CBD is being absorbed by the digestive system, it seems some of it may be digested first, which means that less CBD is being absorbed by your body.

Capsules

Although suffering from the same absorption issues as edibles, CBD capsules are easy and convenient. Sometimes pills are easier to fit into a routine than oils or smoking are. When purchased from a licensed cannabis retailer, they’re premeasured and easy to use, which takes a lot of work out of measuring doses. That said, much like edibles, customizing specific doses is more of a challenge with capsules. Many people also don’t like the taste of oils nor want the added ingredients of edibles, so capsules are often a good solution.

Like edibles going through your digestive tract, capsules are less bioavailable than other methods of taking CBD.

With orally taken CBD specifically, there has been some research done that suggests bioavailability can be increased when the CBD is taken with fatty foods.

Oil

CBD oil is possibly the most popular of all application methods and comes with its own set of advantages. CBD oil is taken sublingually, which means that it’s held under the tongue for some time before swallowed. The neat thing about this is that it allows the CBD to be absorbed straight into the bloodstream. Effects will likely be felt a lot sooner than something taken orally, with more of it being absorbed by your body.

CBD oil is generally easy to dose, with bottles often coming with droppers that allow you to measure things out a little more precisely. However, depending on the labeling practices of the company, calculating dose can be a bit challenging if you don’t know what you’re doing, which is why we wrote more about it here. Oils also tend to be more cost effective than capsules or edibles.

However, the taste of CBD oil may be a concern for some, and others would prefer the easy of munching on a gummy or swallowing a capsule.

Vapes and Smoking

The most common forms of CBD inhalation are vaping and smoking. Vape cartridges can make this easy, while some people prefer smoking CBD flower in the form of joints, especially if they’re into growing cannabis plants themselves.

Research has suggested that inhalation methods of CBD application have the fastest affect rate and the highest bioavailability. This is because the CBD can avoid the digestive tract and be absorbed into your bloodstream when inhaled into your lungs. According to the study, effects lasted anywhere between three to five hours. This high absorption and fast acting application may be useful when hoping to treat pain or manage stress and moods.

However, precise dosing is a little more challenging with these products. Some people take big puffs, some people take small puffs, and some people like the joint go out while they use it as a microphone. Despite the benefits of a quick onset and great bioavailability, if your priority is an accurate dose, there are other products to consider. Additionally, the smoke could possibly cause irritation and be unsuitable for some people.

Topicals

Topicals containing CBD, like creams and other products meant for skin application (transdermal), are largely used for pain management. They can be a good alternative for people who prefer not to consume anything, and are often used to target specific, localized pain. Transdermal application allows for CBD to be absorbed over time, and therefore may prolong effects. It also gets absorbed through the skin, which means it avoids the digestive tract and may have increased bioavailability.

Although some animal studies have shown that topicals may be effective for pain management, CBD absorption through the skin is still an under-researched topic. It’s possible, since the endocannabinoid system has so many receptors on the skin, that topicals impact these receptors directly, working to lower pain. However, more research is needed before we know anything for certain.

TL;DR

There are a variety of ways to take CBD, each with their own pros and cons. From edibles, capsules, oils, inhalation, and topicals, it could take a bit of experimentation to figure out what methods you prefer. Generally, anything orally taken is slower acting and less gets absorbed by your body, while sublingual and inhalation methods go directly into your blood stream. However, when it comes to topicals, more research is needed before we fully understand how CBD is absorbed by our bodies.