Here are the top things you need to know about before trying and buying CBD products. Is CBD for you or is it just a passing thing? A must-read for CBD-newbies!
8 Things You Need to Know Before Trying CBD
Do these things to get the most out of your CBD!
CBD is still the buzzword of the wellness community and for good reason too. With its boom in popularity, we have seen more CBD products hit the market and become so commonplace, that they’re even in our supermarkets now. If you’re one of the few who have still yet to try CBD, make sure you do it right without rushing to get the most out of CBD. Here are a few things that you should know and think about before picking up your first CBD product.
1. What is CBD and how it works
By this point, we’d be surprised if you didn’t know what CBD is, but just in case here’s a quick rundown. CBD, or Cannabidiol, is a compound extracted from cannabis plants. Most commonly, CBD is extracted from a subspecies of cannabis known as the hemp plant, due to its naturally low THC levels.
THC is the banned substance thought to hold the psychoactive elements associated with cannabis, which gives users of cannabis the ‘high’ feeling. In the UK, a CBD product must contain no more than 0.2% of THC to be legal.
How CBD works is a point of contention with much research ongoing into its effects, but we do know that it communicates with our bodies quite well. All thanks to the endocannabinoid system – an important system in the human body that produces natural cannabinoids. CBD possibly influences signals sent out by this system to create a variety of effects, but research is still ongoing in regard to this.
In the UK, CBD is not sold as a medical product and cannot hold any medical claims without proper registration and testing. CBD products you can buy in the UK are generally supplemental, cosmetic or vape products.
2. Do the research about CBD’s effects
As mentioned just, CBD is still under a lot of testing by the FDA and other governing bodies, so there’s a lot we don’t know about its effects. On the other hand, we also have a lot of first-hand experiences with CBD products, and more research is coming to light on the benefits of CBD. To this end it's important to make sure that you do the research to be able to make an informed choice about whether you wish to try CBD or not. Ultimately only you can decide what’s best for you!
3. Speak with your GP about CBD
Just like when you are thinking of changing your diet, using any supplementary products should first be checked with your GP. Especially if you are currently taking any medication as CBD could potentially interact with your medication. Please speak with your GP before using CBD if you do take regular medication or have any long-standing health conditions.
Although CBD, in the eyes of the FDA and some experts, believe there’s not enough research out there on its properties of CBD, more and more medical practitioners and experts and happy to offer advice and information.
4. Read up on the different types of CBD products
CBD comes in all shapes and forms, especially if we’re thinking of the completed product, but even at its base, there is a variety of types of CBD. There are three main types of CBD that you can find in products: Isolate, Full spectrum and Broad spectrum.
CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD as it contains no additional cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and no THC. Full-spectrum offers the most diversity as it contains small amounts of other cannabis compounds including a very small amount of THC. Broad-spectrum offers a middle ground as it includes some of the natural cannabinoids but no THC.
Cali Greens products are primarily CBD isolate but many of them go through an extra process during manufacture. Because we know how important terpenes can be for CBD, many of our products have the terpenes re-added once the CBD isolate has been extracted. These work in harmony with CBD to increase its effectiveness.
5. Make sure the products you buy/try are tested & trusted
It’s very easy to take things for granted like the safety and quality of the products you buy, but the reality is that CBD isn’t regulated much. In the UK we are starting to create regulations for CBD oil specifically to help ensure the safety and quality of these products, but in many parts of the world, this is not the same.
Therefore, it’s important that any CBD product you buy has been lab-tested, and the lab reports should be readily available for you to view online. These help to ensure that the product is legitimately CBD and does not contain more than 0.2% of THC, nor contain any harmful chemicals or materials.
6. Understand that CBD doesn’t work for everyone
One of the most important things about CBD is that its effects are different from person to person. What strength or amount of CBD may affect one person more than another simply due to our own biological factors like weight, health and metabolism. Also, the way you take your CBD can impact how strong or how little the effects are.
CBD products that require digestion like gummies or food, need to be in high strength to feel any effect due to the poor absorption after going through your digestive system. Sublingual drops or CBD vapes offer the highest and quickest absorption rates meaning you’re more likely to feel effects from these.
And simply, some people just don’t seem to benefit from any effects of CBD. It can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on your CBD product type, for you to notice any effects so patience is key. But even after increasing your strength of CBD or swapping to a product with better absorption, if you still don’t notice any benefits, then you may be one of the unlucky few.
7. Set a clear goal for your reasons on trying CBD
To make sure you optimise your CBD set yourself goals for what you want to use your CBD for. Whether it’s to improve your wellness, as part of your workout routine or as an extra step in your luxury pamper routine, decide what you want to see out of using CBD. This way you can keep in mind what you want from CBD, and if it doesn’t meet your goals, then it’s time to rethink. You may need to increase your CBD strength or the amount you use, or perhaps swap to a product with better absorption to see if that is the issue.
8. Be mindful while using CBD to see if it really is for you
Most importantly, be mindful of your CBD usage. The FSA (Food Standards Agency) suggest that you should have no more than 70mg a day but it’s up to you. Keeping a note on the CBD products you use, and their strength is a great way to keep tabs on any improvements. Sometimes you may not even notice the subtle effects so by being mindful and taking note, you can decide if CBD really is something for you and if you wish to keep using it.
Hopefully these points give you something to think about when trying CBD for the first time. Let us know if you enjoy taking CBD and what CBD works for you, in the comments below!
