Choosing the best CBD product for takes several factors. Consider the following when deciding the best CBD product for you:

1. What are you treating for? (do you need targeted or whole body relief?)
2. Preferred delivery method (onset time and duration)
3. The potency you want
4. Ratio you need
5. Psychoactivity involved

How Does CBD & THC Affect the Body?

Bioavailability refers to the absorption of cannabinoids in the body. This absorption varies by body site and delivery method (i.e., topical, sublingual, ingestion, inhaling). Inhaling 10 mg of CBD through a vape is not equal to ingesting 10 mg of CBD in a tincture.

While smoking is an effective delivery method for many, the heat can burn cannabinoids and other phytonutrients, reducing their availability. Some cannabinoids are also lost to side stream smoke. Any smoke in the air obviously doesn’t make it to the cannabinoid receptors. Tinctures administered under the tongue (sublingually) ensure that every milligram of cannabinoid will be absorbed; nothing is lost to heat or smoke.

This distinction between smoked and eaten products can seem minor at first glance, but psychoactive cannabinoids like THC can vary quite dramatically under these circumstances. Orally administered THC reaches the stomach and then the liver. The liver turns THC into 11-hydroxy-THC, which reaches the brain more easily. So edible products take longer to have any impact, last longer, and create higher peak experiences than smoked or vaporized ones.

Topicals, which include anything placed on the skin like balms and body oils, can create a big impact or a small one depending upon how they are made. Those that focus on natural lipids like the ones found in coconut oil can pass through the skin easily and have a dramatic impact right on the site of contact without ever reaching the brain directly.