The 5 Most Popular Ways To Consume CBD

If you’re a recreational cannabis user, you probably don’t give much thought about how or why to consume CBD. But in the world of medical cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) is where it’s at. CBD is the active compound in cannabis that is responsible for many of the health benefits marijuana has to offer. And that means that for medical cannabis patients, CBD is the most important chemical in the plant. Of CBDs, many unique traits, the single most important, from a medical point of view, is its non-psychoactivity. In other words, CBD won’t get you high. Which is why, for medical patients, consuming CBD is extremely popular.

Medical cannabis researchers continue to discover and confirm the medicinal properties of cannabidiol. CBD has shown remarkable promise as a treatment for a variety of disorders that affect the nervous system. Whether it’s stopping or preventing seizures or treating multiple sclerosis, CBD has shown itself to be a remarkably effective medicine.

Additionally, CBD can treat anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. At the frontier of current research, studies have shown that CBD can even block the growth of cancer cells and inhibit tumors. Pretty exciting stuff! And even if you don’t suffer from any of these conditions, CBD can contribute to overall wellness. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Literally, in this case!

So if you’re interested in using CBD as a medicine or for personal care, here are the 5 most popular ways to consume CBD.

1. Ingesting CBD Oils

Oils are easily the most popular way to consume CBD. CBD oil is easy to make, cheap to manufacture, and widely available, thanks to the legal ambiguity of the cannabinoid.

CBD oils enjoy such popularity for a few main reasons. Thanks to advances in the process of extracting CBD, very high-quality, professional grade medical CBD oils are easy to get your hands on.

CBD oils are also extremely versatile. You can mix them into virtually any food or beverage. Drop some CBD oil in a smoothie or protein shake. Replace other fats in your baking recipes to make CBD edibles. You can even use edible oils like olive or vegetable oil. Finally, CBD extract can be administered in a capsule for more precision dosing.

The process of making CBD oil begins with extracting the cannabinoid from either hemp or cannabis leaves and flowers. Typically, a highly volatile solvent is used to suck out the CBD. Then, the extraction is simply evaporated to remove the solvent, leaving you with an oily CBD concentrate.

The problem, however, is that the solvents can leave trace amounts behind. And many of the solvents, such as butane, are toxic. Not ideal if you’re taking CBD for health purposes.

Professional, industrial manufacture of CBD, however, uses carbon dioxide instead of toxic solvents. Using extremely low temperatures and high pressures, carbon dioxide is safer and more efficient. It pulls out more of the cannabidiol and leaves behind no trace elements. This is the most potent and the purest way to obtain CBD oil.

For the DIY-minding, you can also purchase your own extraction setup to make CBD oil at home. The only catch is that you have to purchase a large quantity of cannabis.