Just a few years ago, CBD was almost unheard of. Fast-forward to today, and it has become the most discussed health product of 2019 due to it seemingly never being out of the news thanks to its multiple therapeutic applications.
In response to its increasing popularity, companies have created a wide variety of CBD products. Customers have never had so much choice. However, it can be difficult for those new to CBD to compare different methods of using CBD.
One way to compare different CBD products is to measure its bioavailability. Bioavailability sounds complicated, but it just means the amount of a compound that is absorbed into your bloodstream.
To help make comparisons a little bit easier, we decided to cover three popular types of CBD and their bioavailability.
Vaping CBD E-Liquid
Vaporizers have become increasingly popular in recent years due to consumers becoming more knowledgeable about the risks and dangers of smoking tobacco.
Vaping CBD is one of the most effective ways to ingest CBD because our lungs offer one of the quickest paths into your bloodstream. This is because the lungs are incredibly well designed. Inside our lungs are hundreds of millions of air sacs called alveoli. Each one of these is able to extract CBD from vapor and immediately transfer it into the bloodstream
As a result, vaping CBD E-Liquid has an impressive bioavailability of around 55%. This means if you vape 100mg of CBD, your body will absorb 55mg.
The effects of vaping CBD are usually felt within 8-10 minutes.
CBD Edibles
Edibles refer to anything you can eat or drink.
Edibles are a great option for those new to CBD because they are so unobtrusive; everyone eats and drinks!
As a result, edibles are probably the most popular method to enjoy CBD. There are plenty of choices: I have seen CBD chocolate, CBD cookies and even CBD water!
Unfortunately, edibles are not very effective. This is because anything we eat or drink must pass through our digestive system. This includes our stomach which is filled with strong acid and the liver which acts as a filter. As such, edibles have a bioavailability rate of just 20%. This means if you eat or drink 100mg of CBD, your body will absorb just 20mg.
CBD Tinctures
Tinctures are liquid extracts made from highly concentrated alcohol (typically ethanol) with CBD dissolved into it.
Despite being a liquid, tinctures are not designed to be drunk. Instead, you place drops under your tongue.
Underneath your tongue is thousands of capillaries and blood vessels. These vessels have very thin walls that allow CBD to pass directly into your blood.
Effects from using a CBD tincture are usually felt within ten mins or so. The bioavailability of tinctures is around 60%. This means if you drop 100mg of CBD under your tongue, you’ll body will absorb 60mg.