CBD oil has become exceptionally popular in the last few years. CBD may offer many health and wellness benefits and yet many people are still not clear about how to take it.
This is especially the case with people who are required to submit to drug testing as a part of employment and for people who live in states where the relationship between CBD and its better-known counterpart, marijuana, remains a gray area.
In this article, we tackle the question head on of how long CBD oil stays in your system so you have the information you need to make smart choices.
The general answer to this question is “between two and five days.” This is based on the limited research available through reputable scientific journals.
But for many people, such a general answer isn’t enough to feel confident and comfortable taking CBD oil, especially if there is a job at stake.
Marijuana Versus CBD Oil
The major concern here for people who want to take CBD oil is determining the product’s concentration of THC, the psycho-active compound in marijuana. This is also the major source of confusion for those new to CBD oil. Marijuana and hemp, the varietal from which CBD oil is derived, both belong to the cannabis family and both contain psycho-active chemical compounds. Marijuana contains THC.
The primary psycho-active compound in marijuana is called THC. THC is responsible for the “high” and other psychological side effects. Hemp contains less than 0.3 percent THC.
The primary compound in hemp is cannabidiol. Hemp also contains trace amounts of THC but it is a very secondary compound, so it does not cause the “high” or pose any risk of hallucinations or delusions.
How Long Does CBD Last in Your Body?
Surprisingly, a great deal of the variance in how long CBD lasts in your body is quite personal. These are the major factors that can influence how long CBD remains in your body:
Amount
It is always smart to start with the lowest manufacturer-suggested dose of CBD oil until you see how your body reacts. Then you can adjust as needed to get the best results.
Delivery Method
CBD oil is used in many ways. Balms, baked goods, tincture, oil, spray, vape, inhalers, and other delivery methods can impact how quickly (or not) CBD oil moves through your system. For example, taking CBD oil sublingually will accelerate the amount of time it takes CBD to get into your body as well as the speed at which it moves out of your body. Eating a baked good with CBD in it will take longer, because it has to first move through your stomach to get digested before it will be distributed and then eliminated.
Plant Strain
The cannabis family of plants includes hundreds of different strains, including both pure and hybrid varietals. The strain used to produce your CBD oil can have an impact on how long CBD effects last in the body.
Your Biochemistry
Your age, weight, overall health, gender, metabolism, use frequency and other very personal factors can each impact how slowly or quickly CBD exits your body. The length of time it takes for CBD to leave your body may be quite different than it is for your partner, friend, neighbor or family member.
Why Take CBD Oil At All?
CBD oil has potential to offer health and wellness benefits but further research is necessary to accurately define those benefits. CBD oil is now being researched and tested for use with a wide variety of neurological disorders, chronic pain and inflammation, insomnia, anxiety and depression, and other difficult-to-treat human health conditions.
There is even one new CBD-based medication that has recently been approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat two rare forms of epilepsy.
However, nearly all research studies that involve CBD oil are in the early phases as of time of publication. What little research is available highlights the potential CBD oil has to improve quality of life in a multitude of areas, and that is what is fueling the rise of new research studies for various health issues.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a specific health issue, you can look for clinical trials that involve CBD oil. With the amount of research going on at the moment, chances are good there is a trial that is recruiting somewhere!
How Long Does CBD Effects Last?
One of the main determinants of how long CBD effects will last is how you take it. For example, at CBD LUXE, we offer a wide range of options to suit your lifestyle and specific needs, including CBD inhalers, isolates, sublingual sprays, vape pens, and tinctures.
Here, you will notice some CBD products can be applied topically, while others can be applied orally. Topical and oral applications are two of the fastest ways to distribute the benefits of CBD to your body. As such, they are also two of the methods that offer the fastest elimination from your system.
The amount you take at one time can also influence how long CBD will stay in your body. But, it is not always wise to take more CBD all at one time in the hopes that it will remain in your body for a longer period of time. There are two reasons for this: taking more CBD all at once may produce some temporary side effects, especially if this is your first time taking CBD, and taking more CBD all at once may not mean it stays in your body any longer than if you took less.
A better method is to take CBD more frequently so that you don’t experience a period of time when all the CBD is out of your body and your symptoms begin to return.
Finding the Best CBD Dose for Your Health Needs
The best way to start enjoying the benefits of CBD is to first identify your preferred delivery method. Would you prefer using a tincture or an isolate? Perhaps you enjoy vaping or a sublingual spray sounds easy and fast. Or maybe an inhaler is the most convenient method for you.
Once you identify how you want to take CBD, the next step is to select your product and read the manufacturer dosing instructions in detail. You might notice the manufacturer has made recommendations for how often, and/or how much to take. These recommendations are made to help you get the most out of your new CBD product.
If you are taking CBD in hopes to manage specific symptoms that tend to recur, like insomnia, stress or chronic pain, you will want to start taking the minimum recommended dose at the recommended frequency. This will help avoid putting your body back into a state where there is no CBD circulating in your system. Here, it might help to set an alarm in your phone to remind you of when to take your next dose so your symptoms do not return.