The Digestive Role in the Functioning of CBD Edibles
25 January 2024When you consume CBD edibles, it’s important to understand that digestion plays a crucial role in how CBD works. When using oil or tablets, CBD is directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes in the mouth. However, the CBD in edibles takes a longer route through the stomach and intestines. How does this affect its functioning? This blog will tell you all about it.
Differences Between CBD Products
There is a wide range of choices when looking for a CBD product. There is CBD oil, but there are also tablets, capsules, skin products, and of course, CBD edibles. It’s good to know that all products containing CBD have a similar effect. Regardless of how you consume this cannabinoid, it can interact with your endocannabinoid system and therefore exert its relaxing, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.
You can use CBD edibles for stress and anxiety, sleep problems, headaches, muscle pain, and other types of pain, and for inflammation-related conditions. CBD can bring relief for a large number of health complaints, which is also why it has become so popular in recent years.
CBD edibles offer a unique way to take your daily dose of CBD. But one of the major differences with CBD oil is that you take them orally, after which the active substances in CBD edibles are absorbed through the digestive system. This has consequences for the effects.
The Role of Digestion in CBD Edibles
An edible is food that has CBD incorporated into it. Nowadays, you can choose from a wide variety of edibles, from CBD Candy to CBD chocolate. All these delicious snacks contain a dose of CBD, and you can determine how much you consume. This is comparable to CBD oil, for example. However, the absorption of cannabidiol happens differently.
CBD oil is dropped under the tongue. The oil reaches the mucous membrane and this tissue is highly vascularized. Through the mucous membrane, CBD is directly absorbed into the blood, after which it is distributed throughout the body. This method of intake thus ensures a rapid effect. Usually, you can feel these effects within 10 to 20 minutes.
When you take an edible, you chew on it and swallow the food. Your bite of CBD then ends up in the stomach. The stomach is responsible for the next step in digestion. The food is digested, and active substances are sent to the liver for metabolism. Only after these substances have traveled this long path, are they absorbed into the blood. Then CBD can start to have an effect. Generally, this takes between 30 and 90 minutes.
Factors that Play a Role in the Processing of CBD
However, there are also other factors that are important in digestion when you eat CBD edibles. When your stomach and intestines are busy processing the edible, factors like the type of edible you eat, the dosage, whether you’ve eaten something else, your own metabolism, and your weight come into play.
Of course, this makes sense. You as an individual have a unique metabolism. How quickly your digestion works also determines how quickly you notice the effects of CBD. If you have a fast metabolism, then your liver can work faster and your body will need less time to notice the effects of CBD. Your weight also plays a role. When you are heavier, you need a higher dose to notice the effects.
All these factors are important when looking at digestion and the functioning of CBD edibles. It makes it almost impossible to predict how quickly you can notice these effects. But it does make it clear that you have to be patient with CBD edibles. A paracetamol works quickly, CBD oil takes a little longer to have an effect, but with edibles, you really have to wait before you notice anything.
Usually, it takes at least an hour for the effects to arise. If you still don’t feel anything (this will be especially difficult if you have pain, for example), wait a little longer. It is not wise to eat more CBD edibles then, because your digestion simply needs a little more time. You better not take an extra dose too quickly. Although CBD is a safe substance, it can cause side effects.
The Benefits of Combining CBD with Food
As you read, the type of food you eat along with CBD is also important. It turns out that fatty food can have a positive effect on the processing of cannabinoids in an edible. Fats form small bubbles around CBD (and terpenes) and these ensure that the cannabinoids are better protected during digestion. This way, more CBD can reach the bloodstream intact.
This is also evidenced by research. When you take CBD orally, only about 20% of the CBD is absorbed by the body. But ultimately, this percentage can be even lower because the active substances are lost during the long journey they have to make in the body.
In a study on the role of food in dosing CBD (in the form of the drug Epidiolex, which is used for epilepsy), it was noted that the concentrations of CBD in the blood were significantly higher in patients who took the drug with food. It was especially sesame oil that contributed a lot to the effectiveness of the drug. The scientists conclude that fatty acids can greatly improve the absorption of CBD.
CBD in edibles is therefore absorbed differently than oil, which is due to the substances having to make a long journey through the digestive system. Although it takes longer to notice the effects, the advantage is that these effects last much longer. So there are plenty of reasons to prefer CBD edibles. If you want to try CBD edibles, take a look at our shop. We have an attractive offer, from CBD coffee to oatmeal.
