Cannabidiol, or CBD, is the second most prevalent cannabinoid in cannabis, and the most prevalent cannabinoid in hemp. In recent years, it’s been growing in popularity owing to dozens of new studies showing its many benefits.
Cannabinoids are therapeutic substances that can work directly with your endocannabinoid system and help maintain homeostasis. A homeostatic balance in your endocannabinoid system helps it work to its full potential– effectively turning on and turning off other systems in your body as needed. For that reason, CBD can help with a wide range of conditions, from anxiety to insomnia, and from inflammation to chronic pain.
Benefits of CBD
Supplementing your endocannabinoid system with CBD has the potential to provide many benefits. Scientific studies as well as the anecdotal evidence of CBD users shows that daily CBD use seems to have multiple benefits. Here are the main benefits of vaping CBD:
Can ease anxiety and depression
Relieves inflammation in the body
Relieves chronic and acute pain
Improves sleep
Has antioxidant properties
Supports digestion
May lower blood pressure
May prevent seizures
Could prevent diabetes
Relieves nausea and vomiting
CBD Bioavailability
What is bioavailability? Bioavailability describes the amount of a substance that is able to enter your bloodstream, thus enabling it to deliver its effects. The bioavailability of any substance depends on its method of consumption.
If you take 100 milligrams of a particular substance or medication, you want as close as 100 mg as possible to reach your bloodstream, so that your body can fully access its benefits. One hundred percent bioavailability would mean that all 100 of those milligrams enter your bloodstream. Seventy-five percent bioavailability means that your body receives 75 mg of the 100. If only 50 mg of the 100 mg taken reaches your bloodstream, its bioavailability would be rated 50%, and so on.
Higher bioavailability gives you more effectiveness and more benefits at a lower cost. So no matter the substance, it makes sense to choose the method of administration with the highest bioavailability. This will increase its effectiveness and save you time and money.
Methods of Administration and Their Bioavailability
The only drug administration method that offers 100% bioavailability is intravenous administration. Of course, this is not a convenient or safe method for daily use of any substance, and because fat-soluble CBD extract is typically suspended in MCT oil, it is not even an option for at-home administration. There are four main routes of administration for CBD:
- Ingestion
Taking CBD orally, whether by taking it in capsule form or in a CBD edible or CBD beverage, is a convenient and discreet method of taking CBD.
However, it takes 2-3 hours for the CBD to reach your bloodstream, as it has to pass through your entire digestive system first. And the bioavailability of ingested CBD is only 13-19%.
Ingesting CBD is not the most effective or efficient way to get CBD into your bloodstream.
- Sublingual
Because of its increased speed of effectiveness, sublingual (under the tongue) administration of CBD oil has become a popular way to take your daily dose of CBD.
There is a vast network of blood vessels under your tongue. Applying CBD oil directly to this area and holding it there for 30-60 seconds as it absorbs is a quick and effective way to take CBD. Although it is fast-acting, the bioavailability of taking CBD sublingually is still only 13-19%, though some studies have measured it at up to 35%.
- Topical / Transdermal
While applying CBD products to the skin can be an effective way to directly treat
particular skin conditions, it is not the most practical or bioavailable way to get CBD into your system. The bioavailability of topical CBD is medium, estimated to be around 40%.
Delivery of CBD through a transdermal patch, which can deliver CBD directly into your bloodstream throughout the day may be even higher. This technology is still being developed but shows promise, especially for people who suffer from chronic pain.
- Inhalation
Inhaling CBD directly into your lungs is the easiest and fastest way to get it into your bloodstream. Because the lungs push oxygen directly into your bloodstream, the effects are felt nearly instantaneously.
Inhalation of CBD via smoking or vaping has a bioavailability of 34-46%, with somestudies finding bioavailability of up to 56%.
What is the Most Bioavailable Form of CBD?
The most bioavailable method by far of taking CBD is through inhalation (smoking or vaping). While smoking CBD has the dangerous side effect of inhaling smoke into the lungs, vaping is a cleaner form of inhalation, with no lingering secondhand smoke to annoy those around you.
Vaping is a safe, clean, and highly bioavailable method of getting your daily dose of CBD!
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