How Much CBD Should I Take For My Aches and Pains

CBD and THC are two compounds found naturally in plants that belong to the genus Cannabis. Cannabis plants contain hundreds of components called cannabinoids, and CBD and THC are just two of them. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the main psychoactive compound of cannabis. Thus, it is responsible for the high that the smoking of cannabis produces. CBD, or cannabidiol, is another cannabinoid and its second-most prevalent active ingredient. By itself, it does not cause any highs and exhibits no potential for any dependence or abuse like some say THC has.

Effects of CBD

CBD is increasingly used to deliver potentially therapeutic effects that seemingly might work against a series of ailments. It came into prominence because it apparently is very effective in treating epilepsy in children. Syndromes such as Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet rarely respond to other seizure medications but were found to be responsive to CBD. Using CBD not only led to a reduction in the incidence of seizures for children with these syndromes. In some cases, it even helped to stop them altogether. In fact, the first CBD derivative medicine, Epidolex, is the first cannabis-based medicine to receive FDA approval.

CBD, apparently, is also able to help patients who suffer from anxiety and constant insomnia. It also appears able to help them not only fall sleep but stay asleep. Not only that, but it also shows much potential in addressing chronic pain. When applied to the skin, it can help to reduce inflammation, even if the cause of it is something like arthritis. Neuropathic and inflammatory pain are problems that are very difficult to treat but seemingly respond well to the use of CBD.

CBD is now mainly available as a supplement, not advertised as actual medicine. Thus, there is no regulation on its safety, and it can be difficult to answer the question ‘how much CBD should I take?’. Thus, it will likewise make it difficult to know the right therapeutic doses for any particular ailment that you are going to take CBD for.

Where Does CBD Come From?

While the growing of cannabis is still illegal in most parts of the world, the main source of CBD is hemp. Hemp is a plant of the same cannabis family and grown in many countries for a variety of uses. The plant contains a much higher percentage of CBD and only trace amounts of the compound THC. In fact, legal extraction is only allowed from those plants that have a level of less than 0.3% of THC. Manufacturers extract CBD from the stalks, stems, and flowers of the plant and not from its seeds. Hemp extract made from only those parts of the plant that have high levels of cannabidiol, and this is where you get all the health benefits. As a side note, Hemp seed oil, the product from the hemp seeds, is more of a carrier oil and does not contain any CBD.

Full-spectrum CBD, a type of CBD which uses all the parts of the hemp plant, contains trace amounts of THC. Additionally, it also has several other useful compounds that boost the final effects of CBD.  Broad-spectrum CBD is the same as full-spectrum CBD after the removal of all the THC it held. Broad-spectrum is the acceptable form for the manufacture of further compounds that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits. Isolate extracts go further and remove all THC, terpenes, and flavonoids so that what remains behind is pure CBD.

How Do Manufacturers Extract CBD?

Extraction of CBD requires the use of chemical compounds from its plant material. Then, distilling it so that you get high concentrations of the compound. There are many ways to extract CBD, such as using CO2 or other solvents. It can take three to four hours to process 1200 pounds of cannabis.

Once extracted the CBD oil from the hemp extract, it has to go through the process of removing unwanted elements and impurities from it. It is only after that that it can go on to into a further compound that will have the needed health benefits. Fats, lipids, and waxes go through a removal process of winterization that then converts the crude oil into a more refined state. Winterization, as the name implies, involves having frozen the extracted impure oil mixed with ethanol. The undesirable compounds and any impurities solidify and then fall out of the solution after filtering it. The ethanol then needs removal from the solution that is now free of all impurities.

Short path distillation is the next step for further refinement that creates a CBD product that is the purest possible. This way will allow you to judge measure dosage better next time you ask yourself ‘how much CBD should I take’ when you use it for any ailments you might have. This distillation process uses reduced pressure so that boiling temperatures are lower than normal. The solution then undergoes heating at these reduced pressures so that the ethanol and all other unwanted elements evaporate away. All that remains in the collection chamber is pure CBD oil. The CO2 extraction process produces the best oil.

CBD’s Main Benefits

Now that we have talked about how CBD oil comes from hemp and the process of extracting it, let us move on to the topic of its usage and dosage that concerns more to the lay user.

CBD will never get you high, but it apparently seems able to help in reducing anxiety and depression while also improving sleep quality. The latter can be of great help to those who suffer from insomnia.  As already said, CBD has been effective at treating epilepsy, especially in children. That even led to FDA approval of a drug that contains a considerable amount of this compound. Many people find it useful for soothing pain, inflammation and improving cardiac health. More specifically, CBD also seems to improve the symptoms of IBS, inflammatory bowel syndrome. This affliction is of great concern to the elderly and young alike and often a cause of embarrassment. But the use of CBD is still seen as a supplement and lacks extensive, proper research. Thus, the question of ‘How Much CBD Should I take?’ is still more a matter of conjecture and rarely backed up by medical caregivers. There are no official recommended dosages, as you would find for medicines that do have FDA approval.

Research into it indicates, however, that the use of CBD in any form is a relatively safe form of treatment. There is no universal dosage that everyone can follow, and dosages vary between 20 and 1500 milligrams per day. This is a very wide variation and does leave it up to you the ultimate amount and the subsequent benefits you can get from it.

How to Know How Much CBD Should I Take?

It is advisable that you consider your body weight and the condition that you want to take this supplement for. Also, the way your body and its chemistry react to this compound and the concentration of the CBD presentations you chose. CBD is available in pills, capsules, drops, or even as gummies.

All this makes for a lot of variables that can help you answer the question of ‘how much CBD should I take?’. It can always help if you take the advice of a doctor who is familiar with your medical condition. They can point out if prescription medicines that you are already taking are not compatible with CBD. Yet, many doctors are still not familiar with CBD, and the way to calculate its dosage, so use their word there only as a guideline. Then what can you do?

How to Calculate How Much CBD Should I Take

As we have said, the use of CBD is very safe. So, start with the smallest possible dosage and see if it has any effect on the condition that you are using it for. Start with just 20mg a day or up to 40mg on days when the discomfort from the condition rises. Use this amount for a week, and if the effect is not at the level you desire, increase the dosage by a small 5mg.

Keep track of how you feel on a daily basis, even writing it down if necessary, along with the dosages that you are taking. You should feel some alleviation of the symptoms you are experiencing. A study made on the toxic levels of CBD indicates that it becomes life-threatening only when consuming 20,000mg all at once.

As most tinctures come in bottles that vary from 100 to 1500, this level is not easy to reach. So, it’s something that a sensible person will never attempt. You can go on increasing the dosage until your condition shows some positive response, but 1500mg should be the ceiling limit per day. Beyond that, you will need to undergo a more thorough medical evaluation.

It is safe to say that an average user of CBD never has to worry about taking too much of it. In large doses, CBD can cause nausea, stomach upsets, drowsiness, and lethargy. So, look at your dosage if you feel any of these symptoms constantly. Then reduce your doses to levels where they no longer come into play. This way, you will be consuming CBD and benefiting from it to just the right extent.