Cannabidiol (CBD) is now commonly hailed as an effective method to help you support a sense of relief throughout your day. Before beginning a new wellness regimen, many people want to address concerns about how CBD will impact their health.
CBD is a lipid-based chemical compound, meaning it is fat-soluble rather than water-soluble and therefore less quickly flushed from the body. Because of CBD’s association with euphoria-inducing chemicals, many people express concerns about how long CBD stays in your system.
Typically, CBD leaves your system after 2 to 5 days, but the actual amount of time CBD will remain in your system and provide health benefits is dependent on how you’re using your CBD.
Method of Delivery
The way you put CBD into your system affects your entire experience with it, including how long CBD stays in your body. Using a CBD cream to support healthy joints and muscles will give much more targeted results than the overall calming effects of a CBD tincture or e-liquid.
Vaping with a CBD e-liquid is widely considered to be the fastest method to deliver CBD to your system and is consequently quick to leave your body. When inhaled, CBD enters your bloodstream directly through cells in your lungs and takes effect almost immediately.
Products that are taken sublingually are relatively fast-acting; many people feel a calming sensation within about 15 minutes. Edible forms of CBD take more time to enter your system, as they must be digested and then metabolised. This can take a few hours depending on the edible, your metabolism, and how long ago you ate your last meal.
CBD in lotions, creams, and gels is absorbed through the skin to provide fast-acting and targeted relief. Topical CBD products often do not enter the bloodstream; instead, CBD reacts with cannabinoid receptors in the skin.
How Often You Use CBD
Another determinant for the length of time CBD remains in your body is the frequency with which you use it. If used consistently, CBD will ‘build up’ in the body. This is why Canzon recommends new users try CBD products for at least a week to discover the full effects CBD can have on their well-being.
The more CBD you have built-up inside your system, the longer it takes for CBD to leave. If used only occasionally, CBD will leave your body more quickly.
How Much CBD You Use
When taken in high doses, CBD works like any other substance. The higher the dose, the greater the length of time it stays in the body, and the longer you will feel the effects of CBD.
Your Body
CBD, just like any other substance that’s introduced into the body, affects different people in different ways. Factors like metabolism, BMI, and water content are just a few considerations that can influence the length of time CBD remains in your body.
Studies have found the elimination half-life of CBD to be two to five days and not impacted based on the gender of the subject.
Will CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?
CBD doesn’t present the same kind of psychoactive effects that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) does; drug tests are rarely designed to detect CBD. However, because CBD is harvested from a hemp plant, it may contain trace amounts of THC which is often tested for.
If you are concerned about THC showing up on a drug test, you can avoid THC by being mindful of the CBD products you choose. Here’s a quick overview:
Isolate/crystal is pure CBD, meaning it is THC-free.
- Broad-spectrum CBD
Broad-spectrum CBD contains many of the compounds that naturally occur in the cannabis plant, but it undergoes an additional process to eliminate THC from the product.
- Full-spectrum CBD
Full-spectrum CBD contains all the natural benefits from the hemp plant. Full-spectrum CBD products can legally contain up to 0.2% THC. Canzon’s products are third-party tested to ensure you know exactly how much THC is in your CBD product, helping you avoid surprises.
How Long Until it Kicks In?
Many of the same factors that influence how long CBD remains in your body impact the length of time it takes to feel the effects of CBD. From the delivery method and dosage to the specifics of your body, you can safely expect variations in the way CBD will take effect.
CBD aerosols and oils enter the body relatively quickly, while edibles and topical products could take several hours to produce an effect.
The effects of CBD can last anywhere from 2 to 6 hours and are also dependent on you and your CBD habits.
The Bottom Line
Predicting the amount of time CBD remains in your body is tricky because of the complexity of the way CBD interacts with your biological systems. To roughly estimate the length of time CBD will stay in your body, consider the way you intend to take a certain amount of CBD.
The best way to discover how CBD will affect you is to try it out yourself. The Canzon team would be happy to discuss any lingering concerns you have before introducing CBD into your wellness regimen.
CBD for the win!