CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound found in cannabis plants. This therapeutic cannabinoid has been receiving a lot of attention in recent years thanks to an increase in scientific knowledge regarding its safety and efficacy and changes in the law and public opinion that have made its widescale popularity possible.
Today, there are many CBD products available on the market ranging from edibles made with CBD-infused oil to topical creams, but CBD tinctures remain one of the most enigmatic of these products. Read on to find out about everything consumers need to know about CBD tinctures to clear up misconceptions and reduce the mystery surrounding these beneficial products.
What Are Tinctures?
Traditional tinctures are herbal preparations that use a mixture of alcohol and water to extract plant compounds, in this case, CBD and sometimes other cannabinoids. Alcohol-free tinctures are also available that use glycerin, vinegar, or oil as a solvent. The CBD tinctures available from Veritas Farms are high-quality, full-spectrum tinctures made with organic fractionated coconut oil, hemp flowers and leaves, and other natural ingredients.
How to Make Tinctures
Tinctures usually come in specialty bottles with droppers built into their caps. Don’t be put off by the fact that the bottles can look like something out of a medieval apothecary. The products they contain are formulated and tested using modern science. Most manufacturers stick with this format primarily because the dropper makes it easier to determine serving sizes and administer the tincture.
There are two ways to take CBD tinctures. For the fastest results, consumers can place a small amount of CBD beneath their tongues using the dropper, hold it for 60 to 90 seconds, then swallow it. Holding the tincture beneath the tongue allows the CBD to enter consumers’ systems more quickly than it would if 100% of it had to be digested and processed by the liver first.
Those who aren’t concerned about fast-acting results can also mix tinctures with water or other beverages and drink them. It doesn’t matter whether the beverage is warm or cold. Ingesting the tincture in this way means it will take longer to experience beneficial effects but it can help to cut the taste, making it more palatable for consumers who don’t love herbal formulations.
Benefits of Tinctures, in General
Tinctures offer a convenient route of delivery for herbal preparations. When taken under the tongue, they are faster-acting than edibles, and the use of a dropper makes it easy to measure and adjust serving sizes by either increasing or decreasing how many drops consumers take as needed. Tinctures also have a longer shelf life than other herbal preparations, which means those who only take them infrequently don’t have to worry about whether they will go bad.
Benefits of CBD Tinctures, in Particular
CBD tinctures haven’t been studied as thoroughly as other herbal preparations, but there is already a growing body of scientific evidence that CBD can help with managing stress and anxiety. It can promote feelings of ease, help consumers stay calm even when faced with stressful situations, and even make it easier to sleep.
Recently, researchers have also been studying the effectiveness of CBD for helping to combat addiction. No substance can eliminate addiction, but CBD’s stress-relieving effects may help alleviate cravings. For some consumers, it can also replace or supplement dangerous prescription painkillers, which can reduce the risk of becoming addicted to certain substances, to begin with. That’s because CBD has also begun to show promise as a form of holistic pain management for those with acute or chronic pain conditions.
CBD tinctures aren’t a cure-all, no matter how much everyone would love it if they were, and not all the supposed benefits of CBD have been proven by modern science yet. That should come as no surprise given how recently it has come under study and how long it takes to complete rigorous scientific experiments. Anecdotal evidence also points to CBD tinctures as a potential means of providing relief for those suffering from certain psychological disorders, inflammatory or autoimmune conditions, eating disorders, and heart health or bone health issues, but more research needs to be performed before scientists can corroborate it with any certainty.
What About Side Effects?
This article has already discussed how CBD tinctures are made, how they’re taken, and why consumers might want to start incorporating them into their daily wellness routines, but the question remains: what about side effects? So far, CBD tinctures and other hemp-derived products have been shown to be generally safe. In large quantities, CBD can trigger some mildly unpleasant side effects ranging from drowsiness to nausea and diarrhea.
To date, there are no known serious side effects of CBD and no instances of CBD-induced fatalities, though, so don’t worry too much about unwanted side effects. They will pass without causing any serious harm.
For most consumers, side effects can be reduced or even eliminated by cutting back on the serving size. Like most things, CBD is best taken in moderation. Too large of a dose will be less effective and will be more likely to induce medication interactions or unpleasant side effects.
There are no widely accepted recommendations regarding CBD dosage since the right dose varies depending on factors like age, weight, gender, and intended use. Consumers should start off with smaller doses, then make adjustments as needed until they find the serving size that produces the best results.
The Bottom Line
Consumers can take advantage of the benefits of CBD in many different ways. They can use topical products for skin disorders and joint or muscle pain, eat CBD-infused edibles or gummies before bed to promote restful sleep, or take tinctures sublingually to get fast-acting, system-wide results.
Full-spectrum hemp-based CBD tinctures offer consumers an easy and effective way to introduce not just CBD, but a host of beneficial cannabinoids and terpenes into their systems without having to worry about unwanted psychoactive effects. Just make sure to buy them from a reputable vendor that ensures the highest safety and quality standards with third-party lab testing.
