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Have you been hearing about the health benefits of using cannabidiol (CBD)? Are you curious about what it is and how to use it? The best way to start is with CBD tinctures that are pre-measured for ease and convenience.
Most people start their CBD journey with these tinctures because they’re easy to use and available almost anywhere. This guide will show you what to expect when you venture into the CBD world for the first time.
What Is a CBD Tincture?
Sometimes called CBD oil or CBD hemp oil, it’s an extraction of the hemp plant. This extraction is suspended in a tincture of fruit oil, vegetable oil or vegetable glycerin.
What Form Does It Come In?
In most cases, it comes in a glass bottle with a dropper top. You use the dropper to measure a single dose of the tincture.
Is It Legal?
If it’s made from hemp, CBD oil is legal in all 50 states, the UK and Canada.
Will You Get High?
You won’t get high from using CBD oil. It doesn’t contain THC, which is the ingredient in cannabis that gets you high. Unless you choose a CBD product that contains THC.
It does promote relaxation and a deep sense of calm, however, and it can also induce drowsiness. If you’re using it to help you sleep, you’ll find it’s a great alternative to most prescription sleep aids. That’s just one of its many health benefits.
Will It Make You Fail a Drug Test?
You won’t fail a drug test if you use a CBD oil that has been tested by a 3rd party to show that it actually does contain 0% THC.
What Are the Benefits of CBD Oil?
CBD oil has many proven benefits. It’s an all-purpose, all-natural compound that helps you avoid the side effects of prescription medications and promotes overall well-being.
You should talk to your doctor about your CBD use. It can have interactions with other medications you’re taking.
Manage Your Moods
CBD oil is excellent at helping balance your moods. If you’re feeling anxious, depressed or nervous, taking a small amount daily will lift your spirits and help you relax. You won’t feel euphoric or high, but you will feel emotionally balanced and peaceful.
Get Natural Pain Relief
Many people with chronic pain find relief from CBD oil. Unlike some prescription pain medications, it’s an all-natural treatment that’s not addictive. It helps you cope with the pain of chronic and terminal illnesses.
Get a Great Night’s Sleep
As we noted above, CBD oil is excellent if you’re having sleep troubles of any kind. It helps you sleep and helps you wake refreshed and recharged. It never makes you feel foggy or drowsy in the morning, just well rested.
Lessen the Effects of Neurological Illnesses
CBD oil has shown great promise in treating neurological disorders like epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Studies have found that people with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet epilepsy have fewer, less severe seizures when taking it.
Ease Symptoms of Other Illnesses
Many people use CBD oil to ease the nausea and vomiting caused by treatments for cancer and other illnesses. It also helps people whose pain doesn’t respond to other treatments.
How to Figure Out the Right Dosage for You
In most cases, your bottle of tincture comes with a clearly marked label that tells you how much CBD is in each dropper of the oil. That makes it easy to know exactly how much you’re taking.
What’s the right dosage for you? That depends on two things: The condition you’re trying to treat and your body weight.
How Much Do You Weigh?
You should start with about 1 mg for every 10 pounds of weight per day. If you weigh 90 pounds, take 9 mg a day. If you weigh 180, start with 18 mg a day. You can adjust the dosages up and down depending on how the CBD affects you.
What Are You Treating?
Suggested dosages also depend on the condition you’re treating. Here are some rough guidelines.
- Chronic pain: Take from 2 to 20 mg a day.
- Anxiety: Take from 10 to 20 mg a day.
- Epilepsy: Take from 200 to 300 mg a day.
- Glaucoma: Take from 30 to 40 mg a day.
- Insomnia: Take from 50 to 150 mg a day.
- Depression: Take from 2 to 10 mg a day.
In most cases, finding the right daily amount to use is a matter of trial and error.
The best advice is to start at a low dosage and let your body tell you what the correct dosage is.
What Are the Best Ways to Use the Tincture?
Using it is easy. You simply fill the dropper and dispense the oil under your tongue. Hold it under your tongue for about 90 seconds before swallowing it.
What If You Don’t Like the Taste?
Some people dislike the hemp taste of CBD oil. To make it easy to take, they’ve come up with some creative ways to use it. Foods with CBD are becoming a trend; in January 2019, Bon Appetit magazine devoted a whole issue to this trend.
In fact, studies have found that the benefits of CBD increase if you take them with food, and they increase the most with high-fat foods. After taking a dose of CBD, enjoy a snack or meal of olives, nuts, avocados, eggs, tuna or other food that’s high in healthy fats.
Cooking with CBD
Yes, you can cook with CBD oil. Just be sure to follow some basic guidelines.
- Use it with any cooking that involves fats. You can add it to butter, vegetable oils, coconut oil, shortening and lard. You want the fats to dilute the CBD oil.
- Use a light hand at first. Add just a drop of your CBD oil to your cooking oil. You don’t want the taste of it to overpower your food.
- Watch the heat. Burning CBD oil can cause it to lose some of its benefits. Once it starts to sizzle, take it off the heat.
There are other fun ways you can use CBD in your everyday eating and cooking. These will hide the taste of the CBD oil and pump healthy nutrients into every meal.
- Add a few drops to a cake batter.
- Top off your bowl of morning oatmeal.
- Mix it with honey.
- Add a small amount to your favorite smoothie.
- Put it in your salad dressing.
Does It Have Any Side Effects?
Some people who take too much CBD can experience side effects that include diarrhea, upset stomach and appetite changes.
How and Where to Buy CBD Oil and Tinctures
There are many stores and online sellers that sell CBD products. The real question is, how do you know that the CBD that you’re buying contains what it claims to contain? We recommend checking out RealTestedCBD’s CBD Product Comparison Page to make sure you’re buying what you’re looking for.
Ask for a Certificate of Analysis
Most suppliers of CBD products can supply certificates of analysis that attest to the product’s purity and potency. These should come from a third party laboratory and be no more than a year old. The tests should also confirm that your tincture doesn’t contain any THC.
Buy From a Company That Is Transparent About Its Sources
You should only buy CBD tinctures from a company that is transparent about where its hemp comes from and what its manufacturing process is.
Look for a certificate from the U.S. Hemp Authority, an independent organization that certifies companies that follow the best, safest practices for manufacturing hemp products.
Some companies claim to sell CBD oils that are cheaper versions made from hemp seed oil. These are not the same thing as a true CBD oil. A true CBD extract comes from the hemp plant, not from the seeds.
Purchase an Organically Grown Product
The best hemp comes from farms that use organic farming methods. You don’t want your hemp products tainted by chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Make sure your product comes from “industrial hemp,” which is hemp specifically grown without any THC.
Get Healthy and Happy With CBD
If you’re ready to improve your health, ease your chronic pain and enjoy newfound emotional balance, you’re ready to give CBD oil a try. Remember these tips:
- Buy it from a reputable company.
- Experiment to get the right dosage.
- Tell your doctor you’re using it.
- Use it in food or drinks.
Once you start adding CBD to your daily routine, you’ll find that it’s a fast, easy way to boost your health and feel great.
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