How to Use CBD Oil
Posted by M. Rosenkampff on Jun 8th 2020
How to use CBD oil for maximum benefit? (The answer is under your tongue)
Every day it seems there is news touting the benefits of cannabidiol or cbd and how it connects to receptors throughout our bodies to create balance and support health. Science is promising about the benefits of cbd oil. Adequate absorption or bioavailability is key for CBD to work. But what is the best way to consume CBD so that it can be efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream and go to work on the receptors in our endocannabinoid system (ECS) to regulate any imbalance in numerous bodily functions?
The most common way to ingest CBD is orally or through the mouth which is why the CBD market contains everything from CBD oil for adding to food to CBD-enhanced drinks. But while ingesting CBD orally may be the easiest method, it isn’t necessarily the most efficient.
First Pass Effect on CBD by mouth
When CBD is ingested orally, it is absorbed and broken down by the digestive system. From the stomach, it goes to the liver where it is further metabolized (broken down) by enzymes before passing on what remains of the compounds into the bloodstream. The phenomenon of CBD being lost to the liver and gut is known as the first pass effect.1,2
Under The Tongue (also known as sublingually)
If CBD oil is held under the tongue for 60 to 90 seconds before being swallowed, the mucus membranes in the mouth absorb the compounds. This sublingual method allows CBD to completely bypass the digestive system and liver metabolism, so the compounds can avoid being broken down by enzymes and reach the bloodstream more quickly.
A study performed with rabbits compared the bioavailability (absorption) of oral and sublingual CBD solutions. The results of this study showed that the CBD delivered sublingually showed significantly higher bioavailability than the CBD delivered orally.3
1. http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/38/1/21.short
