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How to Take CBD for Beginners

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If you are just being introduced to the world of cannabis, something that you might not be overly familiar with is CBD or cannabidiol. Well, today we're going to provide you with a crash course on CBD for beginners. We're going to talk about CBD oil and how to get started using it, and much more.

One of the main questions that we are here to answer is how much CBD should I take the first time? We're going to talk about what exactly CBD is, how it makes you feel, how much you should start with, what affects dosage, how CBD can be taken, how long it lasts, and more. We're going to answer all of your most pressing questions about CBD, so let's get to it.

* Remember that in the USA, in the majority of places, you must be at least 18 years of age to legally purchase CBD, with some areas even requiring you to be 21 years of age.*

Key Takeaways

  • CBD stands for cannabidiol, one of the main cannabinoids found in hemp and cannabis.
  • CBD may be able to help relieve anxious thoughts, help you sleep better, help relieve stress, and help relieve pain and inflammation.
  • A good starting dose for a first-time beginner is 0.1 milligrams for every pound of body weight.
  • There are four main ways to take CBD, including inhaling, sublingually, orally, or by topical application.

What is CBD? – An Introduction

CBD stands for cannabidiol. This is one of the two main cannabinoids that can be found in the cannabis plant. The main component is of course THC, but that's not what we are here to talk about today.

On that note, keep in mind that THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis, the component that gets you high and changes your state of mind. CBD on the other hand is not known for being psychoactive, which means that it does not intoxicate you or alter your state of mind, unlike THC or alcohol.

With that being said, people do still love consuming CBD in a variety of forms, with the reason for this being that CBD can have many potential benefits for both the human mind and the body. CBD should be able to help relieve some symptoms of stress and anxiety, it may be able to help you sleep better at night, and it may also help to relieve some pain and inflammation.

Also important to note is that as far as the USA is concerned, according to the 2018 Farm Bill, any cannabinoids, such as CBD, which are derived from the hemp plant and contain less than 0.3% THC, are legal. Therefore, if you are having feelings that are anxious or stressful, you are having trouble sleeping, or you are feeling pain and inflammation, trying some CBD might be a good idea.

How Does CBD Make You Feel?

As mentioned above, CBD is not psychoactive or an intoxicant. This means that it will not make you feel high like THC does. You're not going to feel super euphoric, talkative, happy, giggly, or anything else of this sort. It is not going to alter your state of mind in this sense, and it is certainly not going to change your perception of reality.

With that being said, CBD is still known for having some benefits, particularly for the human mind, which is why people take it. It is thought that CBD can help reduce or eliminate the amount of cortisol that your body produces when you are stressed out. Your body produces cortisol when it is stressed out as a means of providing you with energy and keeping you alert.

However, this serves no other purpose than to keep you in a state of high alert and stress, which is probably not what you want. If you can reduce the amount of cortisol your body produces when you are stressed out, it should help calm you down. This means that CBD should therefore be able to help relieve feelings of stress and anxiety, and should be able to help you calm down.

At the same time, CBD is also thought to affect the serotonin and dopamine receptors in your brain, mainly causing them to create more of these substances. Both serotonin and dopamine are brain chemicals that are known for being mood regulators, in other words, they help to increase feelings of joy, happiness, and elation, while also reducing the anxious, depressive, and stressful feelings.

In other words, CBD may be able to help reduce stressful, anxious, and depressive feelings, while helping to regulate your mood. On that note, CBD is also thought to help you get a better night's sleep, mainly because it puts your mind at these and stops you from feeling super anxious and stressed out. Furthermore, although it's not a mental benefit, it is often thought that CBD can help relieve pain and inflammation. It is thought to be a fairly potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent.

In terms of serious short-term or long-term side effects, there is really nothing to indicate that any of these are present with CBD. Yes, there are instances where CBD, particularly ingested CBD, may produce a bit of gastrointestinal upset, such as bloating, diarrhea, and a bit of a stomach ache, but other than that, there's nothing serious to worry about. There are also instances where vaping or smoking CBD may cause slight dizziness or a headache, but once again, nothing serious.

How Much CBD Should a Beginner Start With?

If you are worried about any potential side effects or how CBD will make you feel as a first-time user, we recommend starting with around 0.1 milligrams for every pound of body weight. This means that if you weigh 200 pounds, you should start with 20 milligrams. This is just for people who are being very cautious. The official recommendation is that you take around 0.25 milligrams of CBD for every pound of body weight.

This means that if you weigh 200 pounds, you would start with 50 milligrams. However, if you are a very large and heavy person, you might need to start with even more, especially if you are looking for potent pain relief effects. If this is the case, you could push this to 0.5 milligrams for every pound of body weight, although caution is recommended, as you are a beginner.

What Can Affect CBD Dosage?

In terms of how much CBD you should take, there are a few different things that are going to affect the dosage. Let's take a quick look.

Purity of the Product

The purity of the product in question will, of course, affect the dosage. After all, not all products are as pure as others. You may get the tincture that has only 50% CBD, whereas another might be closer to 100% CBD.

If you are going for hemp or cannabis flower with high concentrations of CBD, some may contain as little as 5%, whereas others may contain as much as 30%. Therefore, the actual concentration or the amount of CBD contained in the product in question is going to make a difference.

Weight and Height of the User

Another big difference maker in terms of how much CBD you will need to take to feel the effects, whether for your mind or body is how big you are. Simply put, the bigger you are the more you will need. A 400-pound person is likely going to need twice as much, if not more, than a 200-pound person. It's nothing more than simple biology.

Metabolism of the User

OK, so your metabolism isn't going to affect how much you should take as much as it will affect how long it takes for the CBD to hit you. The faster your metabolism is, the faster you process the foods that you eat, such as CBD.

If you have a very high metabolism, you will feel the CBD faster than somebody with a slow metabolism, but the effects will also wear off faster. Therefore, if you have a higher metabolism, you might want to consider taking slightly higher doses of CBD.

What are the Most Common CBD Delivery Methods

There are four common delivery methods of CBD, so let's take a look at the very best ways that you can take CBD.

Inhalation (Vaping and Smoking)

A popular method of taking CBD is by inhalation, or in other words by vaping a concentrate or by smoking CBD hemp or cannabis flower. Inhalation generally allows for the fastest absorption time, and it should also hit you the fastest.

When you inhale CBD, you should start to feel its effect within just a few minutes, with the effects peaking in about an hour. You should notice that the effects last anywhere from three to six hours. This is one of the fastest ways of taking CBD, although it also lasts for the least amount of time.

Many people would also consider inhaling anything, whether smoke or vapor, to be somewhat unhealthy. If you want to try smoking some CBD, check out our Botany Farms Blueberry Kush CBD strain. We also have some really nice CBD flower pre-rolls for you to check out.

Sublingual (Under the Tongue: Oils and Tinctures)

Another popular method of taking CBD is sublingually, which means putting either a tincture or oil directly under the tongue. This does allow for fairly fast absorption. If you put CBD oil under your tongue, you should start feeling the effects within about 30 minutes, with the effects peaking after about 60 to 90 minutes, and the effects lasting for up to five or six hours, depending on your size and metabolism.

This is a good way to achieve maximum absorption, although eating CBD oil or ingesting any oil for that matter, never tastes very good. If this sounds like something for you, and you also like your THC, you should check out our very own Botany Farms Live Resin CBD + THC Tincture.

Orally (Capsules, Drinks, and Edibles)

The next way of taking CBD is orally, by which we mean consuming any kind of edibles, capsules, or drinks that contain CBD. This is generally the best way to take CBD if you are going for a good taste. Moreover, this method does make it take a bit longer for your body to absorb it.

Depending on your metabolism, it could take anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes for your body to absorb the CBD, with the effects peaking after about two or three hours, and lasting for up to 8 or even 10 hours, depending on your size and metabolism. Here we have some really nice Botany Farms Mixed Flavor CBD Gummies that you could check out.

Transdermal (Balms, Salves, Topicals)

Another way to take CBD is via direct application to your skin, or in other words topically. CBD can be mixed into oils, salves, bonds, creams, and anything else that you can smear onto your skin. These generally take around 45 to 90 minutes to take effect, with effects lasting anywhere from 6 to 10 hours, depending on the dosage. If you have localized pain, such as a strained muscle or sprained joint, then this form of CBD may be beneficial for you.

How Long Does CBD Last?

If we are talking about smoking or vaping, expect the effects of CBD to last for up to around 4 hours, and if you have ingested edibles, the effects may last up to twice as long. If we are talking about how long CBD lasts before it starts to go bad, if properly stored, it could potentially last for up to two years.

Final Thoughts: When in Doubt, Start Small and Be Patient

The bottom line here is that CBD does have many potential benefits for the human body and mind. As a beginner, there are many benefits for you to discover, but you do want to start slow. Also, remember, there are some age restrictions in place, particularly in the USA. In most places in the USA, you need to be at least 18 years old to legally purchase CBD products. In some cases, you may even need to be 21 years of age.

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