There are many different ways to take CBD and below are a few different methods that we recommend. Doctors, scientists and CBD companies like Official CBD UK are always looking into new effective ways to take CBD and how it can further benefit you and your day to day life.

Sublingual (under the tongue)

Taking CBD products orally is one of the most popular ways to get CBD into your body because it’s easy to do and it’s effective. To use this method all you need to do is spray or drip the desired amount of CBD under the tongue and then allow AT LEAST 1-2 minutes for the CBD to absorb before you swallow the rest with water. TIP: The longer you keep it there before swallowing, the better, as it gives the CBD more time to absorb! Some users find that they get a bit of a dry throat when taking CBD products orally so try swallowing the excess with a sip of water. 

WHY is the sublingual ingestion method so popular and HOW does it work?

When you take a CBD product sublingually, it diffuses through the mucous membranes under your tongue and because of the plethora of capillaries there, it provides a fairly direct route to the bloodstream. When you compare the sublingual method to swallowing a capsule or eating something that contains CBD, you have to remember that the process of getting CBD into your bloodstream this way is a lot longer. It must go through to your stomach where it is dissolved and broke down by your stomach acid, then travel through your intestines (this is where most of the absorption takes place) and it also makes a pass through your liver for further filtration before it gets delivered to where it needs to be.

So, it’s fairly obvious that by taking a CBD product sublingually, you are trimming down quite a lengthy absorption process and getting the CBD into your bloodstream a lot quicker. You may also have heard that some people use half as much CBD when taking it sublingually as opposed to edibles/capsules because it cuts out the lengthy and more wasteful digestive process which could result in you having to take more. The sublingual ingestion method has become very popular over recent years and you may have found that doctors and medical professionals also advise this method for a wide range of medicines, steroids, vitamins etc.

Inhalation/Vaping

Using CBD products in an electronic cigarette or inhaling CBD products device is another very popular way for many people to take CBD - a lot of users also vape CBD as a means to stop using nicotine! Vaping CBD is convenient for those who already use an electronic cigarette and it has also been found to be one of the quickest ways of absorbing CBD into the body with near instant results. Your experience may differ from this but as an average, many people who vape CBD have said that they have felt the benefits from it within the first 10-20 minutes of inhalation! However, it also wears off quicker, so when vaping CBD you’ll find that you have to use it more often throughout the day.

Make sure you know what you’re inhaling! If you don’t already vape but you’re thinking of starting then please make sure your products are from a reputable supplier and all the ingredients are listed. Some people can be allergic to things like vegetable glycerine (VG) and/or propylene glycol (PG) which are very common ingredients in most ‘vapable’ liquids. It’s also useful to know the difference between a full spectrum product and an isolate product before you decide to buy a CBD vape liquid. We go into more detail about Full Spectrum vs CBD Isolate in another article which you can view by clicking here. Just to give you a quick refresh/summary, CBD isolate means the cannabidiol (CBD) molecule is the only thing that has been extracted from the plant and many companies use this to make CBD vape liquids because it’s easier to make them and they don’t really have a taste that would affect the flavour of the end product. A full spectrum product will always give better effects because of its wider range of cannabinoids as it contains more ‘good stuff’ than just CBD, such as CBG, CBN, CBC etc. These full spectrum vape liquids are great but you must be aware that because they’re full spectrum, they’re likely to have a hint of that ‘earthy’ hemp like taste. If this is something you want to avoid then we would recommend you use an isolate vape product, or a different method of ingestion.

CBD Edibles, Capsules and Drinks

For many CBD users, capsules/tablets and edibles like CBD gummy bears are the ‘go to’ product for three main reasons: they’re easy to take, they usually don’t carry any taste and if they do (like the gummy bears) they usually taste good and they’re a great way to get an accurate dose! One thing to bear in mind when taking CBD capsules and edibles is that it can take quite a bit longer for the CBD to get into your body compared to other ingestion methods simply because of your body’s digestive path like we mentioned earlier. The second thing to take into consideration when deciding whether or not you want to take a CBD capsule or edible is that you would usually have to take a higher dose of CBD which again is linked to the digestive path situation in which it is more likely to lose some of the CBD whilst your body is breaking it down through the digestive process.

Topical (Applied directly to the skin)

Topical products like CBD balms, creams, moisturisers etc. are a very popular product. These products are pretty self-explanatory and require you to apply them directly to the skin where the source of the problem is and then rub/massage in until your skin has absorbed the product. You should NOT use these products near the eyes, broken skin/open wounds or intimate areas unless it’s stated otherwise on the product itself. Our advice when using these products is to start by applying a small amount and rubbing it in and then add more if you need to. Depending on the product you buy and the ingredients in it, applying too much can sometimes leave your skin feeling greasy and oily. If you’re unsure about an ingredient in a topical product it’s good to know what’s inside it so the seller should always list the ingredients in the product description. This is something we will always do at Official CBD UK and if you’re happy that there is nothing in the product that will cause you harm but you’re still unsure, apply a small amount to your elbow to make sure you don’t have any intolerances before you go ahead and use this product on somewhere like your face.