CBD Bioavailability aka How Much CBD Is Your Body Actually Getting

How much CBD should I consume?

That depends… how are you consuming your CBD products?

The body absorbs substances differently depending on how it’s consumed and CBD is no different! CBD is consumed either by vaporizing it, sublingual/oral absorption, by eating it, or by rubbing it on your body and having it be absorbed through the skin.

Vapor Cartridges

Current studies suggest that using CBD vape cartridges is the most efficient method of consumption of any CBD product. This is because the CBD is inhaled directly into the lungs. This allows the CBD to enter the bloodstream almost immediately.

Medical studies suggest bioavailability rates around 45% due to the large surface area of the lungs.

Sublingual/Oral Absorption

Sublingual absorption is considered the second most efficient way of consuming CBD products. According to an article published in 2007 in the Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, bioavailability rates are between 20% and 35% for sublinguals.

In order to consume CBB sublingually you’ll take your CBD spray and mist some under your tongue, allowing it time to sit. It can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream by the capillaries under the tongue.

Edibles

Consuming CBD products by swallowing them will result in bioavailability rates around 6% to 15%. This is because the liver and gut wall processes all food and liquids you swallow. During this process a significant portion of the CBD itself will be lost.

Topicals

“Topicals” in this case refers to CBD products that you apply topically– that is, onto the skin. In order to get ANY effect from topicals, it is imperative that the mixture be able to penetrate the skin. Some people call these products transdermals as a result.

Transdermal CBD products offer two main benefits– they can be applied locally on the area you want to focus on and they avoid the first pass effect caused by the body processing it through the liver and gut wall.

The bioavailability rate of topical products is highly variable. Some topicals may never actually penetrate the skin causing a bioavailability of 0%. Studies suggest that good transdermal topicals may reach bioavailability rates in the teens.

Ok… so how much CBD should I consume?

We hope that our brief exploration of bioavailability has given you some insight into how the body processes CBD. Check out our article on the ideal CBD dose here.