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CBD Explained: Dosage

by CBD and You on 0 Comments

The major question about the use of cannabidiol is; What is the best CBD dose? or How much CBD should I use?

The CBDandyou team have collected enough data over the last few years to begin to answer these important questions, but with research and studies still ongoing we expect the following information to be amended continually.

We Are All Different

Yes, we are all different except we all have the Endocannabinoid System within our bodies. Without getting too scientific, the ECS can be briefly described as the gatekeeper within our body or the balancer, making sure that everything is behaving as it should and providing your body feedback to function as best as it can. Our bodies can become deficient in many things, think Iron Deficiency for one, and the ECS is no different. The 'everyone is different' explanation is important because there's no one size, fits all dosage. Whilst we all have the ECS, our biology and neurochemistry are all unique and that is why there is no black and white rubber stamped correct dose for CBD.

CECD - Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency

Clinical studies show that a deficiency in the Endocannabinoid System can prevent us from acheiving homeostasis, a state of health equillibrium, contributing to the severity and persistence of a variety of conditions including; migraines; fibromyalgia and IBS, as examples. [1]

The encouragement of homeostasis can explain why consuming CBD has been reported to have therapeutic results by many users presenting a wide spectrum of conditions, including conditions that are treatment-resistant.

...But isn't there a COR Standard for CBD?

Yes, you will be able to find a COR Standard of 25mg CBD taken twice daily by a number of websites on the internet, but as mentioned above, our bodies differ and a standard dose for CBD will not help those who may need more, or even less to see possible benefits.

'My friend said to take...' or 'The manufacturer recommends this much...'

Due to CBD only becoming a popular supplement in recent years, users might be tempted to take advice from friends or follow recommendations from the producers or sellers about dosage. Whilst this may be helpful to start we would highly recommend that you treat this as your own journey rather than adopt someone else's. Fortunately, the CBD community has been great at sharing experiences from personal use and this information can provide people new to CBD with some clarity, although searching through a forum or Facebook comments about a subject you know little about can become slightly confusing or even overwhelming. Fortunately, there are methods you can adopt to quickly find the best dosage for you...

By Body Weight and Necessity

You can calculate your CBD dosage by your body weight and requirement. For example, someone who weighs 151-240 lbs may start with a dose of 12mg CBD for mild pain, whilst a person of the same weight ratio may take 15mg for medium pain and 18mg for severe pain. See the image chart below for potential guidance.


Start Low and Record Your Experience

Perhaps the best advice we can offer in this article is for you to start low and build up your dosage until you find your very own 'sweet spot'. You know your own body and the reason you are choosing to consume CBD, so open a new notebook or app on your phone and record your experience, noting what product you are using, the CBD in MG of the product and MG you are consuming each time, then make a note on how you feel after each one.

Biphasic Effect and Herxheimer Reaction

It is important to point out two factors when talking about CBD dosing and recording your CBD journey. Firstly, the Biphasic Effect is when low and high doses of a particular substance can cause opposite effects. For example, if you know someone who can drink a low amount of alcohol and feel chatty at a party and that same person has a high amount of alcohol and ends up crying uncontrollably or angry, that's a Biphasic Effect. In relation to CBD, it can also have a Biphasic Effect which means that taking a high dose from the start, could be detrimental compared to the method of starting on a low dose and working up to find your optimal dosage.

The Herxheimer Reaction or 'herxing' is a term to describe when your body is detoxing and this can also occur when taking CBD. Some users may report feeling 'worse' or having some mild side effects. It is also called the 'die-off' effect and can happen when participating in a detox diet or taking antibiotics. This can happen if you take too much CBD, too soon which is why starting low and working up with your CBD dosage is a good method.

You Can Not Overdose on CBD

If the last two paragraphs above concerned you, rest assured that CBD is non-toxic and chronic use/extremely high doses over 1500mg per day has been shown to be well tolerated by humans.

Dosage if you are taking other medications...

If you are taking other medications then it has been advised to leave 2 hours between consuming CBD and 4 hours if taking medications related to the heart. This is because of the Chrytochrome P450 enzyme in your liver, its job is to metabolise certain drugs into your system. Leaving a break in between CBD and your meds, will allow your body to consume both of them more effectively. It's not just CBD that has an effect on drug metabolism with grapefruit, watercress and St.John's Wort, amongst others that can impact the CYP450.

Microdose to kickstart your ECS

Another way to start your CBD dosage practice is to micro-size it. Microdosing can kickstart your ECS (Endocannabinoid System), especially if you have a deficiency. Microdosing may also be a good method for consuming CBD if you are solely taking it to help improve your health and well-being rather than for specific conditions. Again, record your dose and experience so you can learn and find what works best for your body.

Knowing your CBD dose through applications...

So, you may be more informed about the importance of dosage with your CBD intake but how do you measure it with so many various applications? It's important to consider how you are taking your CBD in order to measure correctly.

Measure Oral Drops (CBD Oil) dose

Perhaps the most popular method for consuming CBD is through CBD Oil Tinctures. Typically, they come in glass bottles with a tincture dropper that usually measures 1ml of oil when full. We can measure how much CBD we are consuming by calculating the total milligrames 'mg' of CBD in the bottle divided by the millilitre 'ml' of the bottle.

Let's use the CBD Living 1500mg Tincture as an example. It's a 30ml bottle of CBD that has 1500mg of CBD in total. A full dropper is 1ml, so we would need to calculate 1500 ÷ 30 = 50mg.

One full pipette of this CBD Living CBD Oil will be 50mg of CBD. Whilst half a pipette would be equivalent to the daily recommended dose of CBD (25 - 30mg).

Measure CBD Vape dose

With vaping, it may be a little trickier to accurately measure your dose of CBD but let's try with a similar method as above, this time using Canavape Complete CBD Super Sour Haze 30ml 600mg. If you were using this in a 2ml vape tank, that is usually the standard size you can measure by how often you need to vape or refill the tank. So to calculate, it would be 600 ÷ 30 = 20. So if you have a 2ml vape tank of this lovely Canavape Complete e-liquid, it will be 40mg of CBD.

CBD Capsules, an optimal way to dose

A great way to know exactly how much CBD you are consuming would be from taking Capsules. Wildflower CBD+ Capsules contain 30mg of CBD per capsule and the company themselves recommend taking 1 to 2 caps a day. However, you may need to just take one or more than 2, depending on the dose you require, especially when taking your weight and necessity as explained earlier on, into consideration. The drawback for capsules would be that you are limited to how much each capsule contains if you wanted a more accurate dose to what you require. Alternatively, ECS Complex CBD Capsules contain 25mg of CBD and 5mg of CBG each.

CBD Edibles

Getting your dose of CBD through edibles can be an enjoyable method, although it is not the fastest onset application, it can have a longer lasting effect on the body. CBD Living Gummies have 300mg of CBD per bottle with 30 gummies and each contains 10mg of CBD which can be a convenient way of knowing your CBD dosage in multiples of 10.

CBD Topicals

Topicals like Bath Bombs, Soap, Lotions, Roll-on and other CBD cosmetic products can be a convenient way of benefiting from CBD, as part of your daily health routines. Unlike oils and edibles, topical products are not ingested and processed by the liver. Instead these are absorbed through the skin, with the potential for a long-lasting effect. Frequency of application is the single largest factor to obtaining benefits, especially with the use of Lotions, Soap or Bath Bombs. If however you do want to determine CBD dose, as an example of how to do this, our popular CBD Living Body Lotion contains 250mg of CBD per 450ml bottle and dispenses 1ml of lotion (250 ÷ 450 = 0.55mg of CBD per push).

Mayo Clinic recommendations...

The following is from the Mayo Clinic who have found these CBD dose recommendations relating to a number of conditions through scientific research, publications, traditional use and expert opinion.

Loss of Appetite in Cancer Patients: 1mg of CBD for six weeks. [2]
Chronic Pain: 2.5-20mg of CBD (orally). [3]
Epilepsy: 200-300mg of CBD (orally) daily. [4]
Movement Problems Due to Huntington’s Disease: 10mg of CBD per kg of body weight daily for six weeks (orally). [5]
Sleep Disorders: 40mg-160mg of CBD (orally). [6]
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) symptoms: Cannabis plant extracts containing 2.5-120 milligrams of a THC/CBD combination daily for 2-15 weeks. Patients typically use eight sprays within any three hours, with a maximum of 48 sprays in any 24-hour period. [7]
Schizophrenia: 40-1,280mg oral CBD daily. [8]
Glaucoma: A single sublingual CBD dosage of 20-40mg (>40 mg may increase eye pressure). [9]

DO CONSULT YOUR GP

We stress to remind you that CBD should be seen as a benefit and not a cure, we strongly advise that you consult with your GP or trained Physician before adding CBD to your lifestyle for any of the above conditions mentioned.

Brands you can trust...

The team at CBDandyou all use the CBD products we sell and they are all sourced from reputable companies that supply 3rd party lab results for full clarity of ingredients. We advise that as part of your CBD dosage methods, you choose a CBD brand that provides transparency in the creation of products.

If you want to stay informed on the topics raised in this article please sign up to our Newsletter at the bottom of our Homepage.

[1] Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD) revisited: can this concept explain the therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?
Smith SC, Wagner MS.
Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2014;35(3):198-201.

[2] Cannabis ingredient can help cancer patients regain their appetites and sense of taste, study finds
February 25, 2011 Oxford University Press (OUP)

[3] Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2008 Feb; 4(1): 245–259.
Published online 2008 Feb.
PMCID: PMC2503660
PMID: 18728714
Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain
Ethan B Russo

[4] Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2017; 2(1): 139–154.
Published online 2017 Jun 1. doi: [10.1089/can.2016.0034]
PMCID: PMC5569602
PMID: 28861514
An Update on Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol: A Review of Clinical Data and Relevant Animal Studies
Kerstin Iffland* and Franjo Grotenhermen

[5] Mov Disord. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as:
Mov Disord. 2015 Mar; 30(3): 313–327.
Published online 2015 Feb 4. doi: [10.1002/mds.26142]
PMCID: PMC4357541
NIHMSID: NIHMS649683
PMID: 25649017
The Therapeutic Potential of Cannabinoids for Movement Disorders
Benzi Kluger, M.D., M.S.,1 Piera Triolo,1 Wallace Jones,1 and Joseph Jankovic, M.D.2

[6] Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2012 May; 5(5): 529–552.
Published online 2012 May 21. doi: [10.3390/ph5050529]
PMCID: PMC3763649
PMID: 24281562
Cannabidiol in Humans—The Quest for Therapeutic Targets
Simon Zhornitsky1 and Stéphane Potvin2,*

[7] Mov Disord. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as:
Mov Disord. 2015 Mar; 30(3): 313–327.
Published online 2015 Feb 4. doi: [10.1002/mds.26142]
PMCID: PMC4357541
NIHMSID: NIHMS649683
PMID: 25649017
The Therapeutic Potential of Cannabinoids for Movement Disorders
Benzi Kluger, M.D., M.S.,1 Piera Triolo,1 Wallace Jones,1 and Joseph Jankovic, M.D.2

[8] Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2017; 2(1): 139–154.
Published online 2017 Jun 1. doi: [10.1089/can.2016.0034]
PMCID: PMC5569602
PMID: 28861514
An Update on Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol: A Review of Clinical Data and Relevant Animal Studies
Kerstin Iffland* and Franjo Grotenhermen

[9] J Glaucoma. 2006 Oct;15(5):349-53.
Effect of sublingual application of cannabinoids on intraocular pressure: a pilot study.
Tomida I1, Azuara-Blanco A, House H, Flint M, Pertwee RG, Robson PJ.

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