It is likely that Cannabidiol (CBD) has been on your mind recently. Numerous anecdotes and early research show cases where CBD has been used to effectively give people relief from anxiety, pain, insomnia, intimacy issues and more. There are plenty of different forms that you can take CBD in— however, it is first important to understand how to find your ideal dosage.
Full Spectrum vs. Isolate: What’s the difference?
The most common forms of CBD are full spectrum hemp extract and CBD isolate. Understanding the differences between these two forms is key to determine your dosage because they each interact differently with your body.
Full spectrum hemp oil contains high levels of CBD and is derived from the whole plant, therefore containing other compounds such as terpenes, various cannabinoids and essential oils. Whereas CBD isolate is the compound by itself.
Current research suggests that full spectrum oil is more effective than isolate because all of the different elements are able to work together in what is known as the Entourage effect.
The Entourage effect suggests that when hemp compounds from the full plant are able to interact, a beautiful synergy is created. This synergy allows the whole plant to be much more effective as medicine. Isolated compounds of the plant such as CBD isolate have a much weaker effect and are even shown to not vary much from the placebo in clinical testing.
In a recent study analyzing the effects of CBD on 670 epilleptic patients, 447 participants were given full spectrum extract and 223 took isolated CBD products. Impressively, the full spectrum patients exhibited a 71% seizure reduction over 3-12 months compared to a much lower 36% reduction for patients who were given isolate. Another benefit is that the patients didn’t need as high of a dosage with the full spectrum extract.
CBD Dosage Guide
Now that you’re familiar with how the different forms of CBD will affect your dosing, you can get started! We always encourage starting with a smaller dosage and giving your body time to adjust and determine what works best for you.
Start with 10.5mg at least once daily, adjust accordingly.
1.0 ml drops ~21 mg of CBD
.75 ml drops ~15 mg of CBD
.50 ml drops ~10.5 mg of CBD
.25 ml drops ~5 mg of CBD
