There is a high chance that you must have heard about the numerous health benefits of CBD, but the issue most people face is knowing how much they should take.
CBD is actually short for cannabidiol which is one of over 60 active compounds found in the cannabis plant. It is available in different formulation including gummies, oils, tablets and creams. Moreover, it is a psychoactive compound so it wouldn’t get you high. Rather, it would positively affect your body in a lot of ways. Some of them are:
- Helps to soothes pain and inflammation
- Reduces anxiety and depression
- Improves symptoms of IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
- Improves heart health
- Improves sleep
- Reduces seizures in people suffering from epilepsy
However, no matter what condition you intend treating with CBD, one key thing to take seriously is giving yourself adequate dosage. This is one of the factors that would determine whether or not it would work for you.
One reason why it is quite difficult to figure out how much CBD you should take is because it is not currently regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), thus there are no official dosages that are recommended.
This however, shouldn’t be a cause for alarm as there are ways to figure out the right amount for you. The amount of CBD you should consume largely depends on a range of factors, including:
- Your individual body chemistry
- Your individual body chemistry
- The concentration of cannabidiol present in each capsule, pill, gummy or drop
- Your body weight
The above factors are only the specific ones. There are also a lot of variables to consider before knowing how much to take. So, before trying CBD, it is advisable to talk to your doctor about an appropriate dosage to start with. This is especially important if you’re taking a medication containing CBD like Epidiolex, a medicine for seizure.
If you are unable to get a doctors’ recommendation, you could start with smaller dosages before gradually increasing it. What this means is that you could start with 20 to 40 mg before gradually increasing it by 5mg after a week. For the treatment of severe pain, you can start off with 40mg, and then increase by 5mg after a week also. In doing this, you shouldn’t forget to keep track of how much you are taking so you’ll check whether your symptoms are improving.
How you can calculate dosage
Several products like CBD capsules, gummies or pills, tell you how much is contained in a single serving. You can simply check the packaging on the bottle for this. For CBD oil, it comes in a dropper bottle so the packaging should also specify how much CBD there is in a single drop.
However, sometimes it is harder to figure out how much CBD is in a drop because most CBD oil packaging specifies the total amount present in the entire bottle. You need not worry. One drop is about 0.05 mm. This means that a 10ml bottle of CBD contains about 200 drops. If the packaging for that bottle says the bottle contains 1000mg of CBD, then, each drop will contain around 5mg of CBD. Thus, to have 20mg, all you have to do is take four drops.
Some dosages that have been used in research studies for some conditions are:
- Bowel disease: 10mg daily
- Anxiety: 300 to 600mg
- Psychosis: 600mg daily
- Cancer-related pain: 50 to 600mg daily
- Poor sleep: 25mg daily
- Parkinson’s disease: 75 to 300mg daily
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, to enjoy the health benefits of CBD, ensure you take the dosage that’s right for you. Don’t forget to start with a low dose before gradually increasing the amount until you achieve the desired effect.