What do you think of when you hear CBD? Do you think of a hemp plant or maybe a little bottle with a dropper? The latter is called a tincture, and it’s one of the most common methods for consuming CBD. But, it’s far from the only one. In fact, there are countless ways to get cannabinoids into your system – from eyedrops to foot cream. Here are the best.

To be clear, all of these ingestion methods work and will get CBD into your system. But, they are not all created equal. A couple things to think about when selecting your own method of use: bioavailability, enjoyment/taste, ease of use, and fun-ness. 

CBD Tinctures

Ah, tinctures. You’ll find them almost anywhere CBD is sold. You’ll see them on the shelves of wellness stores and in your cart online. It’s usually the simplest way to make a CBD product. They’re not the most fun, but they get the job done. With relatively high and consistent bioavailability (which is the amount and rate at which something gets absorbed into the system), you can be fairly sure you’re actually getting the benefit of the milligrams printed on the bottle as long as you’re buying from a trusted source.

Tinctures consist of either CBD oil or distilled alcohol base. That’s opposed to the hemp powder usually found in capsules and edibles which we will talk about next.

CBD Capsules and Gummies

What is the easiest way to take CBD? Chewing a gummy couldn’t be any easier. This is the method for the busy man or woman who wants dosing to be very simple. It’s down the hatch and you’re done. Fast acting and precise dosing. It’s literally one bite, and you know the exact milligrams you just ate.

Because it’s so easy, it’s great for newbies who want to try CBD for the first time. Not to mention, they’re delicious But, it’s also great for dialing in your dosing. One not doing it for you? Try eating two.

You also have pills or capsules which are similarly easy. Unfortunately, they are a little boring and subject to breakdown in the digestive system that results in less of an effect on the body. Or at least, those were characteristics of CBD capsules until recently. New innovations from Hemp Synergistics are making things much more interesting.

The aforementioned digestive breakdown and the resulting loss of bioavailability is called the first pass effect. This is caused by enzymes in the gut. But a new innovation from Hemp Synergistics, CannaBoost™, is a CBD capsule that temporarily renders these enzymes inactive by utilizing the inhibition properties of various nutraceuticals.

When you combine that with Bio-Dri™, novel broad-spectrum hemp powder with 50% CBD by weight, you can have a capsule with 80% of the space for other ingredients. So now, the possibilities are endless.

CBD Edibles

Cookies, cakes, brownies, and more. CBD is getting delicious with any and all kinds of baked goods. There may be no more enjoyable way to ingest CBD than through a cupcake. Now, you may not want to eat a cookie everyday (or maybe you do), but there’s no other treat that may also relieve your anxiety as research suggests. Talk about comfort food!

With any given edible, there is the chance you could get a product that smells or tastes a little “hempy”. If you experienced this flavor, it’s not unbearable, but it’s certainly not what you want. However, you can mask this taste with the proper CBD Bake Mix and the right know-how.

Baked goods are far from the only treat that can contain CBD. There’s everything from potato chips, pretzels, toothpicks, toothpaste, and more. Salted caramel pretzels are our personal favorite.

CBD Topicals

CBD topicals absorb cannabinoids through the skin and enter the bloodstream just like anything you would ingest orally. But, people are especially loving it with localized pain. Have you been on your feet all day? Have you been sitting at your desk all day and now there’s a knot in your neck? There’s a creme, salve, or balm for you.

With other methods of administering CBD, it doesn’t really matter exactly what you are suffering from. For example, if you are suffering from anxiety, a tincture and a hemp flower joint should be similarly effective – all things equal. But with topicals, what you put on your skin and where you put it will differ depending on what you’re trying to solve.

Many people use CBD for arthritis pain, and with topicals, you can apply it directly to your knee or hands or wherever you need. More and more seniors and older adults are using CBD for pain management. Topicals can be a great, unintimidating way to try CBD for the first time for people of all ages.

Speaking of all ages, acne is the most common skin condition and affects a wide variety of people. Research suggests “due to the combined lipostatic, antiproliferative, and antiinflammatory effects, CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne.”

In Summary

There are really countless ways to take CBD, but avoid paralysis by analysis. Pick whatever you feel most comfortable with, and you can try out different products as you go along. If you’re not seeing the results that you want, try using more or try using another brand.

As a matter of fact, always make sure you’re buying from reputable sources. It’s fairly common to have a product with a level of CBD that doesn’t match the bottle. Most commonly, it has less milligrams than claimed. In that case, you’re not only getting ripped off, it also becomes more difficult to know how much CBD oil, gummies, etc to take next time around.