You probably heard a lot lately about CBD oil, but what does actually do to our body? How quickly it gets absorbed by the body determines how fast you feel the effect. Mike Marleys in his book ‘’The Natural healing power of CBD oil ‘’ wrote the whole chapter about it.
So, once it gets into our body, it affects the endocannabinoid system (CCS), which plays the role in regulating sleep, memory, appetite, mood, fertility, and reproduction.
With the rise in popularity of Cannabis, many established companies produce a diverse range of products containing both CBD as well as THC, such as salves, creams, pastes, topical sprays, ingestible capsules, gel-caps, and other products. CBD can enter the body’s endocannabinoid system via several pathways. Through the gastrointestinal tract, the sublingual glands, and directly through the skin via systemic distribution.
The most common way to take CBD is orally and on our skin.
Orally:
The best way to take CBD products is to do so orally. Sublingual consumption involves holding the product under the tongue for approximately 2 minutes. There are mucous membranes present in the mouth under the tongue, which absorbs CBD and allows it to reach the bloodstream while effectively bypassing the digestive system and the liver metabolism. So the compounds do not get broken down by the digestive juices and can enter the bloodstream more quickly, making it more potent and effective.
On our skin:
When used for topical application, you can directly apply the oil on your skin. CBD products such as oil, infused creams, lotions, and sprays are suitable for topical use. When applied topically, the absorption takes place on the skin surface and never reaches the bloodstream.
The reason is that the human skin has a low permeability, which means that although it prevents most substances from entering the body, it still allows some compounds to enter the body through the pores. However, the rate of absorption of human skin is slow.
Even though the cannabinoids do not enter the bloodstream via this method, the cannabinoids molecules can bind with the cannabinoid receptors that are near the vicinity of application as the skin slowly absorbs it; the term for this process is systemic distribution. This method of using CBD is very effective in treating non-systemic health complications such as joint pain and inflammation of the joints and muscles.
Photo by Shiny Diamond