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One major hurdle people face when exploring CBD is figuring out exactly how much they should take. There are many out there who believe CBD doesn't do anything for them—but that could actually be because they're taking too much. Read on to discover how microdosing CBD oil could possibly be more beneficial than larger servings.
What Does “Microdosing” CBD Mean?
The term microdosing means taking very small amounts of something, while still benefiting from its therapeutic potential. It usually involves working a small serving of CBD in your daily routine, which could help you better understand how CBD affects you before you jump into a full-on CBD regimen. Others may choose to do it to reset their system after building a tolerance to CBD for some time.
Microdosing allows your body to feed off a steady stream of cannabinoids so it may produce more of its natural endocannabinoids over time. Introducing small amounts of CBD into your system may trigger your endocannabinoid system (ECS) to function more efficiently.
With that in mind, many consider microdosing CBD to see more optimal effects. According to a study by Dr. Dustin Sulak, more CBD doesn't necessarily mean more potent effects.¹ In many cases, less is actually more! Cannabinoids like CBD tend to become less therapeutic when you introduce more into your system than you should. Meaning microdosing CBD might offer better results for some than a higher serving.
What Does Research Say About Microdosing?
This is where things get a little hairy. There’s limited research on microdosing in general—let alone microdosing CBD. However, there are a handful of studies out there on animal models that support the idea that microdosing might be therapeutic.
One study discovered that a single milligram of THC "resulted in significant inhibition of disease progression" in mice with aggressive heart conditions.² The publishers conveyed, "This effective dose is lower than the dose usually associated with psychotropic effects of THC," indicating that cannabinoids like THC or CBD may be beneficial even if they're not rendering the same effect a larger serving may make you feel.
What Are Some Potential Benefits of Microdosing CBD Oil?
While further research is still needed to truly determine whether or not microdosing CBD is more advantageous than a standard serving size, the main benefit is that microdosing gives you more control over your CBD regimen.
As you microdose, you're like a guinea pig in your own little science experiment. By taking small servings at a time, you'll have an easier time figuring out just how much CBD you really need to better manage things like stress, anxiety, or inflammation. You may find you only need 25mg to help you feel mellow, but twice as much to help soothe sore muscles after an intense workout.
As far as benefits go, a fair amount of evidence supports the idea that microdosing CBD might be helpful against brain fog, burnout, stress, and/or anxiety. Studies show that small amounts of CBD may activate your serotonin receptors and boost your overall well-being by elevating your mood.³
Evidence suggests that CBD may help with the inflammatory responses triggered by your ECS to cause pain and muscle soreness.⁴ Many of CBD's effects come from its interactions with the ECS—which exists to help level you out and keep you feeling balanced. Your endocannabinoid system is responsible for a host of natural processes in the body—including mood, inflammatory responses, immune system function, appetite, and sleep-wake cycles.⁵
With that in mind, microdosing CBD may help balance out your endocannabinoid system so that it may better regulate these natural processes itself.⁶ In theory, that may mean that microdosing CBD could help support energy levels, sleep readiness, appetite, relief of pain or inflammation, and mood.
How To Microdose CBD
Microdosing CBD involves spreading your intake throughout the day instead of taking the whole serving all at once. In the same study we mentioned earlier, Dr.Sulak also noted cannabinoids are similar to other substances in terms of finding the optimal serving size. Since there really is no one-size-fits-all approach to taking CBD, the serving size that’s most ideal for you depends on the experiences you're trying to manage—as well as physiological factors such as weight and metabolism. However, it could go a bit deeper than that.
The thought behind Sulak's research is that everyone's ideal serving will be different based on the factors we mentioned above—but it also correlates to how regulated your ECS is, and how many endocannabinoids you naturally produce. However, that’s not exactly something you can test. It’s proposed that people with high levels of natural endocannabinoids benefit more from microdosing CBD, while those with irregular endocannabinoid levels might need more CBD.
Microdosing CBD oil may make it easier to determine your ECS's functionality, as well as make it easier to find the ideal serving. It might also make it easier to get more out of less by splitting a larger serving into two smaller ones.
If you're interested in microdosing CBD oil, you may want to start by lowering your serving size and increasing your frequency.
For Example:
- If you're taking 5mg of CBD, split it into two servings of 2.5mg.
- If you're taking 10mg of CBD, split it into four servings of 2.5mg.
- If you're taking 20mg of CBD, split it into eight servings of 2.5mg.
- If you're taking 50mg of CBD, split it into ten servings of 5mg.
- If you're taking 100mg of CBD, split it into ten servings of 10mg.
(You get the point.)
The key to microdosing CBD is precise and consistent servings. When microdosing 2mg to 5mg servings, try taking each serving after an hour or two. This gives it a chance to work within your system a bit before you add more to the mix.
It helps to keep a journal to track how you feel after each serving. After each microdose, you'll want to note things like pain or anxiety levels, how you're currently feeling, and whether you see improvements compared to how you felt before your CBD dose. You can use this information to keep track of your ideal serving size and identify which levels of CBD work best for your desired effects.
Three Ways To Microdose CBD
Microdosing CBD is much simpler than you might think. There are so many different ways to introduce CBD into your system, which we've broken down below.
Microdosing With CBD Oil
CBD oil is a quick and easy way to introduce CBD into your system. It most often comes in the form of CBD tincture, which allows you to take precise servings any way you'd like. You can mix it into your morning coffee or tea, add some to foods or beverages, or take it as a sublingual by holding it under your tongue for a few minutes before swallowing. Just keep in mind that if you choose to mix your serving into a beverage, be sure it's chilled or at room temperature because CBD becomes less effective at high temperatures! If you’re new to CBD oil, be sure you take the same serving size every hour or two and keep track of how you feel.
Microdosing With CBD Edibles
CBD edibles, such as chocolates and gummies, are another popular way to introduce a precise serving of CBD into your system every hour or two. Since CBD edibles are emulsified, you can break them into smaller pieces and still get a measured serving of CBD. While this method isn't exact—cutting a piece of chocolate or gummies into identically sized pieces allows you to enjoy bite-sized CBD treats throughout the day. Remember, though, that CBD edibles may take up to two hours to kick in—so you'll want to wait it out before taking another microdose. The effects of CBD edibles may last up to eight hours, so be sure to keep track of the effects in your journal.
Microdosing With Using Both
While it may be easier to keep track of your progress by sticking to either oil or edibles at first, once you know which products and serving sizes work best for you, you can feel free to mix the two! All that really matters at the end of the day is that you're taking consistent microdoses. With that being said, if using CBD oil is easier for the first hours of your mornings but you enjoy a few bites of chocolate while you wind down in the afternoon, find the approach that works for you!
Microdosing CBD With Lazarus Naturals
Whether you're just starting out with CBD or a CBD connoisseur with a tolerance to explore, you can count on Lazarus Naturals for CBD that's made to work. All of our CBD products are tested by third-party labs to ensure you’re only getting products that are clean, consistent, safe, and of the highest quality.
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Sources:
¹https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/cannabis-dosing-dr-sulak
²https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15815632/
³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6319597/
⁴https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7023045/
⁵https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569
⁶https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5412000/