HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR CBD TO WORK?

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR CBD TO WORK?

CBD may take 15 minutes to work but may last for one hour or more. Many factors affect the action time of CBD, including the type of CBD one takes, the CBD product potency and quality, and a person’s CBD history and metabolism.

Many would like to know how long they would wait for the CBD effects to surface. Yet, no one figure represents the action time for CBD in all CBD fans. Instead, many factors come into play in determining how long the cannabinoid takes to work, explaining why it would take 15 minutes for CBD to work in one person while another user might have to wait for more than one hour. Some factors like the user’s CBD metabolism and history affect the user, while other factors, including the CBD’s delivery method and potency, are unique to the CBD product. Here is all you need to know about how long CBD takes to work.

WHAT IS CBD?

Before looking at how long CBD takes to work, you must know what CBD is. Although many people have heard about it, only a few know it well. Mascal et al. (2019) and Bauer et al. (2020) define CBD as a non-psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis plants like hemp. Non-psychoactive means that unlike THC, which Schlienz et al. (2018) reported as psychoactive, CBD does not make you high. The active chemical compounds in cannabis plants are called cannabinoids, and there are more than 100 of them in nature. Yet, many people flock to CBD since it does not make one high. Besides, according to Watt & Karl (2017), CBD is therapeutic, and many are after this therapy, so the hype about CBD does not seem to go down any time soon.     

HOW LONG DOES CBD TAKE TO WORK?

With some information on CBD, it is time to know how long it takes to work. Sadly, no one figure denotes the CBD action for all products and all users. Rather, CBD takes different durations to work in CBD users. Unsurprisingly, it may take 15 minutes for CBD to work for one user, while another might have to wait for more than 1 hour. Many factors come to play in determining how long CBD takes to work. As the next section shows, some factors are unique to the CBD user, while others touch on the CBD product.

FACTORS AFFECTING CBD ACTION TIME

The variation in the CBD action in different users for different products is not unusual because many factors come to play in determining how long the cannabinoid takes to work. Whether it takes 15 minutes or 1 hour for one to feel CBD effects; the following factors are key;

THE CBD DELIVERY METHOD

How you take CBD matters and affects how fast or slow the effects will take to surface. For instance, CBD vape oils are the fastest in CBD delivery and will allow the effects to kick faster than gummies that need time to digest.

CBD POTENCY AND QUALITY

The better the potency and quality of the CBD product you want to take, the faster you expect the CBD effects to surface than when you opted for low-quality and potency items.

HOW MUCH CBD YOU TAKE

In most cases, an increase in the CBD amount will result in faster results since there are more molecules than when you take only a little CBD. Yet, you must keep your CBD amounts low when new to the CBD world.

CBD HISTORY

How long you have been using CBD matters and determines how fast the effects take to surface. When new to the CBD world, it may take longer to feel CBD effects, but this gradually improves as you get used to it.

CBD METABOLISM

How fast your system can process CBD is key. The better your CBD metabolism, the faster you expect the effects to surface than when you were new.

BODY FACTORS

Your inherent body properties affect your CBD metabolism, determining how long it will take CBD effects to surface.

TYPES OF CBD TO EXPLORE

Are you trying to join the CBD regime? You must know the types of CBD to opt for. Whether you want CBD oils, gummies, or vapes, you just decide the right CBD formulation. Here are the types of CBD and what they mean for you;

FULL-SPECTRUM CBD

This is the most sought type of CBD, featuring the cannabinoid with THC and additional hemp compound. VanDolah et al. (2019) reported that the many compounds give CBD a full entourage effect, which many fans are after.

BROAD-SPECTRUM CBD

This formulation is more like full-spectrum CBD in operation and features the cannabinoid with extra compounds but no THC. CBD fans who want the full entourage effect but no THC go for broad-spectrum CBD.

ISOLATE CBD

This is the purest form of CBD, featuring the cannabinoid without THC. If you want THC-free CBD, isolates are certainly the best way to go.

CBD PRODUCTS FOR YOU

It is worth noting that there is no better form of CBD than the other. Rather, the three CBD forms allow you to take CBD with your needs in mind. People who take drug tests often would opt for isolate or high-quality broad-spectrum CBD which should have no THC. Do you need the extra compounds in hemp? Go for full- or broad-spectrum CBD. Regardless of your CBD formulation choice, you have the following CBD products to tap into and draw CBD benefits since the human cells cannot directly take CBD.

  1. CBD oils; These are liquid CBD products with an oil base. They deliver CBD effectively and allow for fast effects, but they are bitter.
  2. CBD edibles; including gummies and chocolates, allow you to take CBD with taste and flavor but need time to digest CBD, showing why they take time to produce the needed effects.
  • CBD capsules; like CBD edibles, capsules need time for digestion, but they are great at masking the bitterness of CBD oils.
  1. CBD vapes are the fastest CBD delivery methods but may irritate the lungs.
  2. CBD topicals; allow you to feel CBD effects without interacting with your blood.

CONCLUSION

CBD takes 15 minutes to 1 hour to work. Many factors affect the action time of the cannabinoid, some are unique to the user while others touch on the product. Your CBD history, metabolism, and body factors determine how long the cannabinoid takes to work. The potency, quality, and dose of the CBD product are also key. Peer into this article for explanation on each of the factors above.

REFERENCES

Bauer, B. A. (2020). What Are The Benefits Of CBD–And Is It Safe To Use? In Mayo Clinic.

Mascal, M., Hafezi, N., Wang, D., Hu, Y., Serra, G., Dallas, M. L., & Spencer, J. P. (2019). Synthetic, non-intoxicating 8, 9-dihydrocannabidiol for the mitigation of seizures. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-6.

Schlienz, N. J., Lee, D. C., Stitzer, M. L., & Vandrey, R. (2018). The effect of high-dose dronabinol (oral THC) maintenance on cannabis self-administration. Drug and alcohol dependence, 187, 254-260.

VanDolah, H. J., Bauer, B. A., & Mauck, K. F. (2019, September). Clinicians’ guide to cannabidiol and hemp oils. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 94, No. 9, pp. 1840-1851). Elsevier.

Watt, G., & Karl, T. (2017). In vivo evidence for therapeutic properties of cannabidiol (CBD) for Alzheimer’s disease. Frontiers in pharmacology, 8, 20.

Charlotte Cremers
Latest posts by Charlotte Cremers (see all)

MS, University of Tartu
Sleep specialist

Using the acquired academic and professional experience, I advise patients with various complaints about mental health - depressed mood, nervousness, lack of energy and interest, sleep disorders, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and anxieties, difficulty concentrating, and stress. In my free time, I love to paint and go on long walks on the beach. One of my latest obsessions is sudoku – a wonderful activity to calm an unease mind.

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