How Much CBD Should You Take?

It can be more difficult to determine the right dose of CBD to take than to determine the right dose of common pharmaceutical drugs. CBD is non-intoxicating and offers a wide range of effects depending on how you choose to take it. With that in mind, the answer to “How much CBD should you take?” will vary greatly depending on the CBD product used, how it is taken, how it is made, and where it is sourced from. All of these factors should be carefully considered and explored in order to find your optimal dose and method of dosing CBD.

Pick a CBD Product

When finding your optimal dose of CBD, it is important to choose your product wisely. Depending on what you are using CBD for, there are different kinds of products that will work best for you. Thankfully, there is a lot of variety on the market today and you have many options to choose from. A large number of brands make topicals, edibles, wax, oils, or concentrated CBD products. Each will have a different kind of effects and expected time for onset.

But for the sake of discussion, and because it is one of the most popular types of CBD products, we’ll discuss dosing when it comes to edibles. CBD edibles can include gummies, cookies, candies, chocolate, baked goods, ice cream, drinks, tinctures, and capsules, to name a few popular products. While all of these products will have similar effects because they are being digested, not all of these products will have the same dose of CBD. You’ll want to look carefully at both the total amount of CBD included in an edible, as well as the dose included in each portion. For example, a ten-pack of 50mg CBD gummies is made up of ten gummies containing 5mg of CBD each.

Outside of considering the dose that each piece of an edible provides, you should also consider how that product was made and what ingredients are included. If you have any dietary restrictions, this might already be second nature for you. But if not, look for the keywords “Full-spectrum hemp extract” and “CBD isolate” on the label of any CBD edible. This will tell you how the CBD extract was made and what other plant compounds are included. Typically, full-spectrum CBD products are favored because they include the entire range of potentially beneficial compounds found in hemp plants.

Start Low CBD Dosages

Since there is so much variety in the effects of CBD on people, it can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to finding your optimal dose of CBD. Many medical professionals say that dosing CBD is nothing like the dosing methods used with pharmaceutical drugs. Some users will find that just 1mg of CBD is needed to achieve their desired effects, while others will require over 1,000mg of CBD a day to achieve the same effects. There are many different reasons for this, including factors beyond how much CBD you are ingesting. What time of day you take it and how much you’ve eaten or drank before taking CBD products will also have an effect on how your body processes any dose of CBD. So, if you are trying out CBD for the first time, it is generally recommended to start with a low dose first. The standard recommendation among CBD users is to start with just 1-2.5mg a day if you have never ingested CBD before. The onset of effects should happen anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half after taking an edible.

Go Slow

However, if 2.5mg of CBD does not prove to be enough for you, you should slowly increase the amount you take over time. For example, try taking just 5mg a day of CBD for a week. If this does not provide any visible effects, then bump up to 10mg for the next week. If that does not work, then give 15mg a day a try the following week. It’s arguably easier to take less than needed than to take back the side effects of taking too much CBD. Also, if CBD is taken in too high of a dose it can be less effective than if it is taken in a moderate dose. The side effects of CBD on the body and the various factors that will influence the effects are still being studied in greater detail. But by starting with a low dose and gradually building on it, you are likely to hit the sweet spot eventually, without experiencing adverse effects.

Track Your Results

Since there is so much room for variation when it comes to the effects of CBD in any one person’s endocannabinoid system, it is important to track your dosing method. Your experience will be the most reliable when determining what dose of CBD to take for your body, so recording this in detail will help. Grab a journal or make a note on your phone, and note the amount of CBD you took, the method you used for taking it, what time of day you took it, and what else was taken with it. Most importantly, don’t forget to write down how that dose and method made you feel. CBD is personalized medicine, and no single dose is optimal for everyone. Also, taking too high of a dose of CBD can have weaker side effects in the long run. With that in mind, it is important to track both your dose and method for dosing to find the optimal dose for your body.

Finding the right dose of CBD for your body can be a long and tedious process, but it can also be well worth the practice in patience. It is always best to “start low and go slow” though. Everybody is different and will take on CBD with varying levels of intensity. Remember that you and your needs are unique and should not be treated the same as everyone else. It’s up to you to find the optimal dose of CBD to meet your needs, without going overboard. Be sure to track your method and dosing carefully, and after a few days to a few months, you will find the right dose for your body.

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