Beginner's Guide to CBD
Thinking of trying CBD? But not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Before considering which CBD product to buy, it’s important to ask yourself what you want to get out of your CBD experience. We do know CBD has anti-inflammatory effects that can mediate pain, and it’s been shown to reduce anxiety and help with sleeping troubles. So ask yourself, what’s my goal in using CBD? This will also help you determine your dosage once you’ve narrowed down which product you want.
Introduction to CBD
This introduction will look at the two most common ways to take CBD: oral and topical. Within these categories, there are different delivery methods like capsules, tinctures, gummies, and creams. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through this, it’s not as complex as it sounds. Ready? Read on.
Ingest It Orally
If you’ve never taken CBD before ingesting it is an easy place to start, You’re probably familiar with and maybe already using capsules and pills so taking CBD this way won’t feel too different. Plus monitoring dosage is easy with capsules since they come in pre-measured sizes.
Dosage is important and having a consistent concentration makes it easy to find out what works for you. Many of our customers start with our 15mg Soft gel capsule and slowly increase in 15mg increments until finding their ideal dosage. Capsules can take 45 minutes or longer to work themselves into your system, and then last for several hours.
You can also just take CBD oil, which is called a tincture. Generally, you consume this by placing it under your tongue and holding it there for up to a minute. Another way is to add a few drops to your coffee, tea, or favorite smoothie. Why choose a tincture? It’s easy to adjust your dose by adding or subtracting a few drops, and it might work a little faster.
Remember there’s no standard dosage of CBD since everyone’s body chemistry is different, but a good place to start with the oil is between 15-50 milligrams a day. If you’re brand new to flower in general, consider starting on the lower side so you can first get a feel for having its phytonutrients in your system. After your first day, you can readjust depending on if you want to feel more or less of the CBD oil’s effects.
Keep your goal in mind. If you’re using CBD for pain, you may need more than if you’re using it as a general daily wellness supplement. If you’re using CBD for anxiety consider what factors you’ll be facing that day. Is it going to be a stressful day? Maybe start on the higher end. Is it going to be a fairly easy day and you’re just trying to take the edge off? You might not need as much.
CBD for Beginners Dosing Chart
Day 1: Start with 15-30 mg. You can also spread your dosage out—15 mg in the morning and 15 mg in the evening.
Day 2: Reduce your dosage by 5 mg if yesterday’s effects were too strong. If not, stay with the same dosage.
Day 3: Follow the same approach as day 2.
Day 4: If you haven’t had your desired experience yet, up your dosage to somewhere between 35-50 mg a day.
Day 5: Readjust accordingly if yesterday’s increase was too much or not enough.
Continue Experimenting
Once you’ve made it to day 5, continue to decrease or increase your dosage as you see fit until you find the right amount. Many people find their sweet spot somewhere between 30-75 mg per day. One helpful tip is to keep a CBD journal. Jot down your dosage for the day as well as how you feel and what effects you noticed or didn’t notice.
The third indigestible option is an edible such as a chewable gummy. These small, tasty morsels can be found in a variety of flavors and size yet still pack a CBD punch.
Oral products such as our SoftGels, tinctures, and gummies have a systemic effect, meaning they work on your whole body. But for those looking to help with an achy knee or tight back, a cream or topical might be preferred.
Topical Application
If you’re mostly looking to try CBD for muscle aches and pains, a topical application (the one you put on your body, not in your mouth) can be a good option. The value of topical applications is that they work quickly and target one area. Athletes love them for pain and injury.
We have a range of CBD products created just for topical use. Each one is packaged with other herbal and natural remedies to deliver a solution for different types of muscle and joint pain. Pulled a muscle? Try our arnica formulation. Going out on a cold day and want to keep your knee pain at bay? We have a warming cream for you.
Isolate Vs Full Spectrum
You’ll notice that our products come in two versions, Isolate and Full Spectrum. The reason for this is that we believe, and science suggests, that we absorb things better in their natural form. For CBD, that means consuming the other terpenes and cannabinoids that exist in the hemp plant. This is what we give you in our Full Spectrum or “whole plant” product.
However, our CBD isolates products go through further refining, so they only contain CBD. Neither of the products is designed to “get you high”, but we want to offer an option for everyone.
Ready to get started? Check out our store and pick out the products that are right for you.