The recent years have witnessed an ever-growing trend of using CBD oil for, well, everything. Countless studies have been made indicating all kinds of health benefits you can get from using it, and even more, people are telling stories of how miraculous it is. As the popularity of CBD oil keeps growing, so does its different methods of administration. As it turns out, smoking CBD obtained from the Hemp flower provides the most benefits when it’s compared with other types of administration, such as dropping oil.
In scientific terms, this statement clears up a lot of confusion about CBD, but it can make the average person even more confused. Does this mean CBD can be acquired from multiple sources? Isn’t smoking generally harmful, even if it’s a healthy oil? If it’s the same substance, shouldn’t it be effective regardless of the way of administration? In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about CBD and why smoking CBD oil is the best way to benefit from it.
CBD: The Basics
There was a time when cannabis was the more scientific term used to refer to marijuana. Today, many more components of the cannabis plant have been introduced into the market, creating quite the confusion for the average person. Between cannabis, CBD, hemp, and marijuana, it’s understandable how lost you can get, and that’s without taking into consideration all the different products that are formulated of each compound. This is why it’s important to start with the basics. What’s the difference between all these compounds? Here’s the answer:
1.Cannabis
Cannabis is the name of a plant species which includes different families under its umbrella. Marijuana and hemp are two subspecies of Cannabis Sativa, and this is where it gets confusing. While both of these plants belong to the same subspecies, they have different active ingredients, making their effects quite different.
The ingredients found in Cannabis are called Cannabinoids, and there are 113 cannabinoids known to us so far. Among these cannabinoids, THC and CBD are the two ingredients that are known to produce the results we see. THC is responsible for creating the high-feeling, while CBD is known for its medical uses. Aside from cannabinoids, cannabis is also rich in terpenes, which have their own health benefits as well. Different types of strains contain different ratios of THC, CBD, and terpenes, and this is what differentiates them from each other.
2.Hemp Seed Oil
The hemp seed oil has been around for decades. It’s extracted from the seeds of the plant by cold-pressing them, a process that ensures the pureness of the oil extracted. It doesn’t contain any CBD or THC, but it’s very rich in omega oils, vitamins, and other nutrients. If the product ingredients say “hemp seed oil” or just “hemp oil,” then this is what they mean.
3.Marijuana
Marijuana has a higher THC:CBD ratio, which is the reason why it’s known for its psychoactive properties. When people use cannabis as a recreational drug, they’re using marijuana.
4.CBD Oil
CBD oil is present in both the hemp flower and marijuana, but the products available in the market are extracted from the hemp flower. It can be extracted as pure oil by isolating it from the rest of the cannabinoids and ingredients, or it can be extracted as full-spectrum CBD. Full-spectrum CBD contains CBD oil as well as the other cannabinoids, terpenes, and nutrients found in the hemp flower, making it even more beneficial.
5.The Market
The legalization of CBD oil overwhelmed the market. Today, CBD can be found in all kinds of products that are used for various reasons. There are no FDA-regulations when it comes to CBD products, which means that there’s no standardization in the products available. This gives rise to a serious problem, as many of the products available online claim to have CBD percentages more than they actually do, making them ineffective.
The interchangeable use of hemp oil and CBD oil has also results in many problems. Technically speaking, you won’t get harmed physically if you consume one instead of the other, but you won’t be getting what you’re looking for. If you’re seeking medical benefits from CBD and you buy a hemp-oil product that’s being promoted as CBD oil, you’ll be wasting a lot of money. CBD oil products sold on the market certainly aren’t cheap.
To make sure you’re getting exactly what you’re looking for, you need to make sure of the quality you’re buying. This is exactly why the botanical experts at Green Unicorn Farms explain that, in order for the CBD oil to be of high quality, it needs to contain pure and unadulterated CBD, be rich in terpenes and provide a superior experience. They also explain that CBD is best acquired by smoking a high-quality hemp flower extract, which maximizes the benefits of the oil and gives the user a full-spectrum entourage effect.
Different Methods of Using CBD
This brings us to an important point. What are the different methods of using CBD? You can get the benefits you’re looking for through one of three ways:
1.Ingestion
The most common way to use CBD oil is by dropping it and then ingesting it orally. Whether it’s found in different products, sold as pure CBD oil, or as a CBD tincture, it can be ingested in any of these ways - although a tincture can only be ingested.
2.Topical Application
CBD oil can also be used in its pure form for topical application to get the full spectrum of its skin benefits, or it can be found in skin products such as creams to be applied topically.
3.Smoking
The third and most effective way of using CBD oil is through smoking it.
Smoking CBD vs. Dropping Oil
There are so many reasons why smoking CBD is the most effective way of using it, compared to dropping oil for ingestion or topical application. The main 3 reasons are as follows:
1.Speed
Smoking CBD makes it work so much faster in comparison to applying it topically, and the slowest method to work is ingesting it. This has to do with the speed of which the CBD oil gets into the bloodstream. With oral ingestion, CBD has to go through the digestive tract first.
After it reaches the stomach, it has to be absorbed through the walls of the stomach, after which it reached the liver. In the liver, a metabolic process known as the first-pass takes place, breaking down this ingested CBD. After the liver is done with metabolizing it, it passes it on to the blood. Only then can the CBD be carried by the blood to the brain, which is where CBD can adhere to the receptors it acts upon to produce its effects.
Topical application is faster than oral ingestion, but it still takes some time for the CBD to get absorbed through the skin and find its way to the bloodstream. Compared to the previous two methods, smoking CBD is the shortest way to the blood. The inhaled CBD reaches the lungs in a matter of seconds, being transferred across the walls of the alveoli (the tiny air sacs) to the blood instantaneously. As a result, you’ll feel the effects of inhaling CBD in a matter of 3 minutes at maximum, while it can take 30 minutes to an hour to feel its effects after ingestion.
2.Effectiveness
As the CBD oil goes through this very long journey after oral ingestion, the speed of its effects isn’t the only thing that’s affected. During the first-pass metabolism, a lot of CBD is broken down in the process, and the amount that reaches the bloodstream is fewer than the one originally ingested.
There’s also another reason that CBD gets lost in the body after ingestion, and this is due to the hydrophobic nature of CBD oil. As it doesn’t mix well with water, it becomes more accumulated in the fatty tissues, making the percentage that reaches the brain even less. On the other hand, smoking CBD ensures that the amount you’ve inhaled is exactly the amount that enters your bloodstream.
3.Duration
There is another important advantage of smoking CBD over ingesting it, and it’s the duration of which the results last. CBD remains in the blood for as long as 72 hours after smoking, as opposed to the 6 hours it spends in the blood after being ingested.
How To Smoke CBD Oil
There are also many options when it comes to smoking CBD oil. You can smoke CBD oil through any of the following means:
1.Rolls Or Joints
CBD smoked through rolls will look a lot like smoking marijuana, although it’s going to be dried up hemp flower in the roll instead. As it uses the same method for rolling marijuana joints, while replacing marijuana with the hemp flower, this method comes with its own side effects. Smoking joints will still make you inhale all the carcinogens present in the joint.
2.Tea
Some hemp tea is suitable for smoking, which gives many individuals a healthier alternative than smoking joints.
3.Vape
Vaping is the most popular way of smoking CBD, as it’s also the most practical. All you have to do is put the proper form of CBD in the vaping device, and you can puff it right away. Vaping can use different forms of products, such as CBD oils or CBD concentrates, which are wax-like substances. There are also many vaping devices, such as vapes, pods, and pens.
4.Pipes
Before vapes were introduced, pipes were popular smoking methods as well. You can smoke CBD concentrates by placing them in a glass or metal pipe, and you can also smoke it using a water pipe.
Benefits Of Smoking CBD
The benefits are smoking CBD are almost infinite. In addition to the list of known benefits, it seems like every day adds a new item to the list. Some of the most commonly known benefits of smoking CBD are as follows:
1.CBD Benefits
No matter the way of administration, CBD provides a plethora of medical and health benefits. This can be shown in its following effects:
a.It’s Non-Intoxicating
CBD is commonly described as non-psychoactive, but that’s not true. Any substance that alters the activity of the brain is a psychoactive substance. However, CBD doesn’t give the high that’s acquired from smoking THC-rich marijuana. On the contrary, it seems that CBD can even lower the intoxicating effects of marijuana when they’re administered together!
b.It’s Anti-Anxiolytic and relieves pain
CBD relieves anxiety and stress, and it can even be used to ease down symptoms of depression. It is also one of the most promising compounds when it comes to pain relief.
c.It Has Anti-Inflammatory Effects
The majority of the benefits acquired from CBD can be tracked down to its anti-inflammatory effects. As a result, CBD can be quite effective in treating, preventing, or easing down the symptoms of various diseases and conditions, such as digestive problems, auto-immune diseases, nervous system disorders, and skin conditions.
2.Smoking Benefits
We’ve already explained how smoking CBD provides a huge amount of benefits, in comparison to other forms of ingestion. As a result, smoking CBD comes with the following advantages:
- You benefit more from the same amount of CBD.
- It’s a cost-effective solution, enabling you to make full use of the products you buy.
- Its effects are instantaneous, so you don’t have to wait for a long period of time.
- Its effects last much longer.
- There’s growing evidence that supports the fact that smoking CBD provides a much better alternative than smoking cigarettes. As a result, this might exactly be what smokers need to overcome their nicotine addiction.
The recent years have seen the introduction of an overwhelming amount of CBD oil products into the market. Before choosing a product, make sure that you’re buying exactly what you’re looking for. As for the best way of getting the full benefits from CBD oil, smoking has been proven to be the most effective method. Not only does it give you instant results, but it’s also the best way your body can benefit from it without wasting any amount of CBD. On the plus side, you’ll experience its effects for a prolonged period of time.