What is the number one way to enjoy CBD’s health benefits? Of course, it is CBD oil. It has been around for some time and remains one of the most popular ways to enjoy CBD’s health effects. Some other good ways to experience CBD’s health benefits are gummies and vaping.
There are many reasons for the popularity of CBD oil. It is generally quite affordable, easy to produce, convenient to carry, use, and dose.
As a rule, CBD oil is not ingested immediately. Instead, it is good to use it sublingually, as it results in better CBD absorption and quick effect. Only after keeping CBD sublingually for a few seconds can one ingest it.
Humans have used oil-based natural remedies for thousands of years. There are many ways to make CBD oil. Traditionally, the process of producing oil-based remedies was simple. Traditional herbalists would just soak the herb in oil for prolonged periods or boil it in oil, and this way, many beneficial compounds in herbs would make their way into the oil.
In modern times, CBD oil is made differently. Modern technology allows the production of more potent CBD oil and also helps ensure consistent quality. Therefore, in modern times, no one would boil hemp in an oil.
In modern times, most manufacturers of CBD oils would start with CBD extract. Of course, they can extract CBD from hemp using some advanced methods like supercritical CO2 or using hydrocarbon gases. CBD extraction, on the other hand, is done at an industrial scale by more specialized units.
So, after procuring CBD isolate or full-spectrum CBD they would mix it with some carrier oil.
There is a reason why they mix CBD isolate or full-spectrum CBD extract in an oil. It appears that cannabinoids are naturally lipid soluble. They do not dissolve well into the water. Of course, modern technology has now allowed the creation of water-soluble CBD products, but they remain less popular than CBD oil.
This carrier oil, theoretically, can be just any edible oil. However, good manufacturers would generally use easy-to-digest and healthy oils as carrier oils like olive or, even more commonly, MCT oil. MCT oil has the benefit of faster absorption and, thus, better CBD’s bioavailability.[1]
Though CBD extract and carrier oil are two primary components of any CBD oil, commercially available products also contain other beneficial compounds in smaller amounts, like terpenes, which are natural flavours.
Here, it is worth noticing that using terpenes and full-spectrum CBD has some unique benefits due to the entourage effect.[2] It appears that some natural compounds work better with each other than in isolation. Hence, mixing specific terpenes into CBD oils is both an art and a science, which also allows the creation of CBD oil products with some unique health effects.
Generally, CBD oils do not contain chemicals, as CBD is quite stable in the oil base. Hence, there is no need to add preservatives.
So, though CBD oil is not very challenging to produce, there are still some commercial secrets. That is why some CBD oils work better than others.
This article was authored by: Dr. Preet Pal Singh Bhinder.
This article was peer-reviewed by Dr M Mansoor Siddique (PhD). Dr Siddique has over eight years of experience working with CBD and CBD products.
Disclaimer: All of our products are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. It is recommended to check with doctor before starting a new dietary supplement program. All CBD products sold have less than 0.2% THC content and abide by both EU an UK law.