How to Take CBD Oil

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound that is exclusively found in the cannabis plant, along with the intoxicating compound associated with marijuana, THC. CBD oil is produced from strains of cannabis that are very low in THC, defined as "hemp."

The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill, legalized the nationwide cultivation of hemp containing less than 0.3 percent of THC. This legislation also opened the door for full spectrum CBD products with these trace amounts of THC to be sold, and thus the CBD oil industry was born.

To make full spectrum CBD oil, the first step is extracting CBD compounds from the hemp plant material, then mixing it with a carrier oil. At Cornbread Hemp, we use only the flowers for our extracts, never leaves or stems. This Flower-Only™ extraction makes our oils rich in THC content, and they also taste great naturally without the need for added flavors.

There are many different carrier oils that CBD manufacturers use to make CBD oil. Hemp seed oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, or sunflower oil can all be used to dilute the raw hemp extract to the desired potency. But the best carrier oil for CBD is MCT— short for medium-chain triglycerides— coconut oil.¹ The molecules in MCT coconut oil are small enough to pass easily through our mucous membranes. This makes it a great choice for delivering CBD to the body’s system, increasing the absorption rate.

One of the most common ways to take CBD is to take CBD in oil or tincture form. These forms are be taken under the tongue for the greatest effectiveness. We’ll discuss why in a moment. In order to use CBD oil, put the serving size you want under your tongue using the included dropper. Then, you want to leave it under your tongue for at least 30 seconds so that as much CBD as possible can absorb into the tiny capillaries that are there. This way, the oil is absorbed directly into your bloodstream and can work more efficiently than other delivery methods.

Some CBD oil products are made to be swallowed (like capsules), or chewed and swallowed (like CBD gummies or edibles). Some producers even make baked goods and beverages that are infused with CBD. These products can be great—we make CBD capsules and gummies of our own—but the difference between the various ways to take CBD is in the bioavailability, CBD dosage, and on-set of action.

While CBD oil delivered sublingually enters the bloodstream directly, CBD capsules must first be swallowed and travel through the digestive tract and liver before entering the bloodstream. The coating on the capsules helps protect from some of the loss of bioavailability that occurs when you swallow CBD oil by itself. But it does take longer for you to feel any effects from your dosage.  

Another important difference between taking CBD oil and taking capsules is that with the oil it is easy to adjust how much CBD you are taking. Everybody is different and your preferred dosage may have to do with factors like body weight, metabolism, genetics, etc. So the dropper is ideal for making minute adjustments.

Many people find that a good starting dose is 25 mg CBD per day. Keep in mind, though, that initial starting point for you may need to be adjusted to a higher dose or a lower dose based on body weight. It will also be necessary to adjust the mg of CBD dosage as your body acclimates to the new levels of cannabinoids. While you are making adjustments, try bumping your dosage up or down by 5 mg CBD oil and keeping track of how you’re feeling until you arrive at what you decide is the best dose for you. Be sure to give yourself a couple of weeks in between each adjustment to know how you are responding to the change.

This process of starting out and adjusting your dosage is easier when you are using CBD oil and measuring the dosage carefully with the enclosed dropper. CBD gummies and other edibles may be halved or otherwise divided, but it is less precise. CBD in capsule form really can’t be adjusted at all, since they are liquid-filled softgels that cannot be divided.

Let’s talk a little about anatomy. The human mouth is the first part of the body’s alimentary canal. The oral mucosa is the mucus membrane that lines the inside of the mouth. The mouth consists of 2 regions: the vestibule and the oral cavity proper. The vestibule is the area between the teeth and your lips and cheeks. The oral cavity is bounded at the sides and in front by the teeth area and at the back by the opening of the back of the mouth into the throat, which is called the “isthmus of the fauces.”²

If you’ve ever cut the inside of your mouth, you know it can be a horror show of blood. That’s because there are so many capillaries and vessels in the veins in your mouth. You also know, fingers-crossed, that mouth abrasions and wounds tend to heal more quickly than ones elsewhere on your body. That’s also because of the tremendous blood supply that reaches that region.

So, when you hold the oil under your tongue for anywhere from 30-60 seconds, the active ingredients in the CBD oil have the opportunity to pass under your mucus membranes into the tiny capillaries that live there.

Once you are done holding it under your tongue, use your tongue to coat your gums and cheeks with the oil and spread remaining oil into your mouth’s vestibule before swallowing. Remember, your gums and cheeks also have a very thin membrane covering the capillaries underneath, and this action helps with absorption before you swallow the rest.

This is why it’s so important to have a good tasting oil. Many producers of CBD oil mask the taste of their sub-par products with flavorings like lemon, orange, even mint chocolate! Cornbread Hemp’s Whole Flower Organic CBD oil, however, has a pleasing floral taste all on its own. No need for added flavorings or artificial sweeteners. And our Distilled Organic CBD oil has had the plant matter gently removed leaving behind a clear, clean oil; it is so pure that it has very little taste at all.

What if you’ve been using CBD wrong? What if you’re swallowing the oil, or putting it into your morning coffee, for example? Well, it’s okay. You’ll still see some effect from the digested CBD. But remember, any amount of CBD that passes past the back of your throat, or the isthmus of the fauces, will then go on to enter your digestive system to be broken down by stomach acids and passed through the liver. During this process, you will lose some of the effectiveness of the CBD, and it will take longer to feel whatever residual effects are left because the digestive process takes time.

Using CBD oils and CBD oil tinctures incorrectly can lead people to think that CBD oil doesn’t work for them. This is because of the reduced effectiveness that happens when you swallow the CBD oil and the increased time it takes for what’s left of it to take effect.

It’s also wasteful to take CBD oil incorrectly. High quality CBD products that work are not cheap. If you’re losing some of the active ingredients to the digestive process, you’re basically digesting money. When you use CBD products correctly it will help them to last longer. If you’re swallowing the oil, you may be using too much CBD unnecessarily to combat the lost ingredients, and in doing so you’re running through your products faster.

Some supplements and vitamins are most effectively delivered to the body sublingually, but you may not be someone who is used to that process, so it can feel weird at first. And it can be a total bummer of a way to start or end a day if the oil doesn’t taste good. Cornbread Hemp’s CBD oils have appealing tastes without the additive filler of artificial flavoring. (We have to be honest—the idea of “mint chocolate” oil is the opposite of appealing. That is only our opinion, though.)

CBD oil taken sublingually provides greater bioavailability of the ingredients to the body, and the effects kick in faster than they do with products that are swallowed or chewed and swallowed. Taking CBD oil sublingually is the best way to manage your dosage precisely and find the correct dose for you.

If oil is not the best way to take CBD for you, then try the CBD oil capsules, gummies and CBD oil drops. We even have full spectrum CBD creams and an organic CBD balm! Different people have different ideas about the easiest way to take CBD. No matter what way you choose to take CBD, know that all ingredients in Cornbread Hemp’s products that can be organic are USDA organic, and our CBD oil is sustainably sun-grown without fertilizers or pesticides right here in Kentucky.

Our products are full spectrum to allow for the best entourage effect on your system for maximum benefit. We have some of the best reviewed CBD oils, CBD topicals, CBD capsules, and CBD pet products available on the internet and they can be safely and legally delivered right to your doorstep.

1. “What’s the best carrier oil for CBD?” CBD Oil. Accessed: 19 Jan. 2021. https://www.cbdoil.co.uk/whats-the-best-carrier-oil-for-cbd/.

2. “Human mouth.” Wikipedia. Accessed: 21 Jan. 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mouth.