How To Titrate CBD
How CBD Oil Works: Find The Right Serving For You
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a cannabis compound found in large amounts in the hemp plant. It can have significant medical benefits without any of the psychotropic effects of its cousin THC. CBD is becoming widely available and if you want to take advantage of its beneficial properties you will need to learn about the different delivery systems and understand how to measure quantities to determine the right serving amount for you.
CBD is an appealing option if you are looking for relief from pain, anxiety, seizures, sleeplessness and stress. There is also compelling clinical research using CBD as a potential treatment option for arthritis, diabetes, epilepsy, PTSD, antibiotic-resistant infections, depression and chronic pain. CBD also has documented neuro-protective benefits due to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It can also be taken as a daily supplement for improved overall health.
How CBD Works
CBD works with the human endocannabinoid system which is responsible for keeping important biological functions in balance — things like managing pain, sleep, the immune system, digestion and more. Basically, we humans are pre-wired to use cannabinoid plant compounds in beneficial ways, making CBD an attractive treatment for many health concerns.
Along with cannabinoids, there are other naturally occurring active chemicals in cannabis called terpenoids and flavonoids. These chemical components contribute a wide variety of therapeutic benefits such as, preventing seizures and muscle spasms, killing viruses and bacteria, preventing certain types of cancer, stimulating bone growth and dilating blood vessels.
Delivery Systems For CBD
CBD is going to find its way into everything from energy drinks to pet food and it will be important to understand how the different delivery systems. There are patches, edibles, sublingual, vaping or smoking, creams and skin care. Each one of these will have a different onset and duration. Every body is different so, it is important to titrate, or determine the smallest amount of CBD you can use to get the desired results. There will also be varying personal responses depending on the quality and type of CBD and hormones.
Everyones endocannabinoid system is different. Some individuals have a more tolerant endocannabinoid system that responds only to high servings. Others will be more sensitive and react to low doses or their reactions may vary with the time of day or month. There is also a “biphasic response’ that can occur with CBD. A biphasic response is when CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system in low amounts and increases concentration, alertness and wakefulness. But, when taken at higher levels has the opposite effect. Making you feel sleepy and calm instead of focused and full of energy. Each individual needs to self-titrate and find their own best serving amount.
How To Find Your Best CBD Serving Amount
The rule is to start low and slow, and be consistent when you begin taking CBD. Finding high quality products that deliver consistent measurable amounts of CBD will make it easier to titrate and find your optimal serving amount and create a CBD schedule. Look for a provider who practices organic farming, uses state of the art distilling to extract the cannabinoid compounds and tests for quality and purity.
You also want to be using full spectrum CBD. When CBD is referred to as full spectrum or whole plant CBD, it means that the CBD contains other cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. CBD Isolate, on the other hand, is simply purified CBD that has been extracted from the hemp plant and isolated from the other cannabinoids.
From a consistency standpoint taking a soft gel or tincture will make it easier to measure amounts of CBD than taking edibles or transdermal patches. I do not recommend edibles for several reasons. Many purchased edibles have added sugar which is harmful to teeth and linked to increased inflammation. Edibles also vary in consistency and are harder to measure due to the fact that they get absorbed through the digestive system, resulting in a delayed response that can take hours. Inhalation (vaping) and sublingual(tinctures/drops) delivery systems will be more immediate and also contain more cannabinoids.
If you want to the most predictable results soft gels make it easy to start low and slow and titrate to your perfect amount and schedule. Quality soft gels can increase bioavailability up to 300% over oil based CBD tinctures. The CBD Softgels I use have a proprietary technology to increase absorption of the cannabidoil, making them fast acting and more bioavailable than other tablets and oils. They are also full spectrum, leveraging multiple botanical actives and other naturally occurring cannabinoids and terpenes from the hemp plant. From a titrating standpoint you can start with organic CBD Softgels 10mg then titrate up to the 25mg Softgels. Or use a tincture and measure similar dosages.
How I Found My Perfect Serving Amount
I started taking10mg soft gels at night for a week, then added another 10mg soft gel in the morning for another week. I experimented for several weeks until I found what felt like the best amount to take at night to help me get restorative rest and also the right amount in the morning to help me focus and balance out my stress.
It took me several months to determine optimum servings and to learn how my body responds to CBD. Because this is a process and there is no exact formula that works the same for everyone, you need to take it low and slow and pay attention to your body. This information is intended to help you understand how CBD works with your endocannabinoid system and give you an idea of what it means to titrate servings. It is always a good idea to check with your doctor when adding a new supplement to your routine.
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There is an overwhelming amount of information about CBD flooding the internet. Finding a trusted brand of CBD sourced from organic hemp and tested for potency and purity is your first step. Understanding how to titrate your best serving size and schedule is the second step. Learn more about the benefits of CBD and how to incorporate it into your wellness plan.