How Do CBD Gummies Work?
The world of CBD (cannabidiol) is a booming market, one with an overwhelming array of Products. There are many ways to take CBD, and many people prefer the convenience and taste of CBD gummies.
CBD gummies are an easy and effective way to get the benefits of cannabidiol without altering your daily routine.
If you find yourself suffering from sore muscles after a workout, taking a CBD gummy is a great way to allow your body to recover through rest and relaxation. They’re also an option for anyone looking to maintain focus during their day-to-day activities, as cannabidiol can help create and maintain clarity without slowing down your thought process. Replacing an afternoon coffee with CBD can provide a boost without caffeine’s risk of dehydration or sleep disturbances. In fact, they can even help you get a good night’s sleep!
But how do CBD gummies do all of this? How do they actually work?
HOW DO CBD GUMMIES ACTUALLY WORK?
Gummies are merely a vehicle to deliver CBD to your body’s endocannabinoid system. Other delivery methods, like vaping or applying a topical cream, can take effect more quickly but the benefits may not last as long.
Your endocannabinoid system is in charge of making sure everything in your body is working in harmony. Its job is to achieve and maintain homeostasis, or balance throughout your body. This means that it is in charge of imbalances that affect things like your mood, appetite, sleep quality, pain, and memory. These imbalances can also cause inflammation, which is also under the jurisdiction of the endocannabinoid system.
When you take a CBD gummy, it goes all the way through the digestive system and is metabolized in the liver before it enters the bloodstream and subsequently effects your endocannabinoid system. This process, known as “first pass metabolism”, can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on a variety of individualized factors.
To exert its effects, CBD teams up with the cannabinoids that your body naturally produces (called endogenous cannabinoids), boosting their efficacy and enabling a quicker path toward whole body homeostasis. Endogenous cannabinoids like anandamide, AKA “the bliss molecule”, and 2-AG flood the body to promote homeostasis and a calm, blissful mood, but their effects are often blunted or short-lived because both molecules are rapidly degraded by nearby enzymes.
When CBD enters the picture, it allows the endogenous cannabinoids to do their job more effectively and for a longer period of time. CBD is basically a linebacker – it blocks the enzymes that eat up endogenous cannabinoids, slowing their degradation process and prolonging their circulation. This increases your endocannabinoid system’s opportunity to utilize your bliss molecules and prolongs their positive effects. When your body has more than enough tools to manage inflammation & disharmony, it’s that much easier to return to balance.
BENEFITS OF CBD GUMMIES
Besides enjoying a tasty treat, what are the benefits of taking a CBD gummy? Here are four main benefits of taking a CBD gummy.
Accurate dosing – Great for beginners, easy and accurate dosing takes the guesswork out of your CBD experience. Just read the label to determine how much CBD is in each gummy and rest easy knowing that’s what you’re getting.
Convenient – They’re uncomplicated to carry, simple to store and easy to eat. They’re not messy, and they don’t leave a cloud of vapor when you exhale.
Lasting Relief – Ingestibles spend more time in your system, making them more available to your endocannabinoid system.
Delicious – There’s never been a tastier way to wellness.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CBD GUMMY
Now that we know how CBD gummies are going to work in our bodies, and we’ve learned some key benefits of the gummies as a delivery method for the cannabidiol, it’s time to learn what to look for in your CBD gummy product.
Read the labels – Is it full spectrum? Broad spectrum? Isolate? What is the total dose per gummy? Consider it a red flag if these crucial details are not obvious.
Quality ingredients – This isn’t much different than what you’d look for at your local grocery store. Things like all-natural, no high fructose corn syrup, and vegan are all green flags.
Third Party Testing / Certificates of Analysis (COA) – Remember that CBD is not currently regulated. Any company worth buying from will prominently display their product’s COAs, which will tell you exactly how much of each cannabinoid was found in the batch of CBD used to make the CBD gummy you’re considering. It will also test for purity, so you can be sure your gummy is free of contaminants. Brands with excellent quality control and transparency provide COAs, but check that the tests were actually done by a reliable, third-party laboratory. A third-party means an objective outsider confirmed potency and purity.
Understand the spectrum – Full spectrum CBD products should contain all of the cannabinoids and terpenes that the plant has to offer. This includes THC. Full spectrum CBD products are federally legal if they are derived from hemp and contain no more than 0.3% THC. Full spectrum products are best for people who are familiar with CBD and their tolerance for THC. Broad spectrum CBD products should contain all of the cannabinoids and terpenes the plant has to offer, but without any detectable THC. Broad spectrum products are best for people who want the benefits of many cannabinoids without the possibility of THC. Isolate CBD products contain only cannabidiol. Isolate products are best for people who want the benefits of cannabidiol but may need to submit to more strenuous drug testing, like professional athletes.
Infused vs. Sprayed – An infused CBD gummy has had its active ingredients as part of the mixture that creates the actual gummy. This ensures an even mixture and equal distribution of beneficial ingredients. Sprayed CBD gummies is just what it sounds like. An already existing gummy is sprayed with a CBD solution. This method is less effective because cannabidiol is easily sloughed off on the packaging or during transport. Sprayed gummies risk inconsistent dosing and do not have the reliable shelf-life of infused gummies.
FIND A CBD GUMMY THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
It’s a crowded marketplace and not all CBD gummies are created equal, so it pays to do your research. Do the legwork to find a reputable brand that offers a CBD gummy formulated to support whatever benefit you seek. CBD is still an unregulated market, so demand transparency: Only consider brands that have readily available, comprehensive COAs. Read customer reviews and check out brands’ social media presence to get a feel for what they’re all about. Your health and wellness is quite literally vital, and you should feel comfortable with the brand you’ve chosen to join you on your journey.
