Many adults use CBD to soothe minor aches and pains, calm the mind and body, deepen nighttime relaxation, and help ease the tension of daily stress.** In the last decade, CBD products have become one of the most popular health supplements on the market. In fact, a recent study found that 60% of U.S. adults either use or have tried a CBD product.[1] With its multifaceted benefits, CBD has become a household supplement and carved out its own niche in adults’ wellness routines, helping them find relief from daily stress, minor aches and pains, and sleepless nights.** But how does this single compound achieve so much?
Here, we’ll break down the widely associated benefits of CBD, and teach you how different types of CBD products create different effects.
What the FDA Says About CBD
The history of hemp is rich with diverse uses, from therapeutic to industrial applications; and its history weaves into many different cultures, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Vikings.[2] It wasn’t until the late 1930s that hemp ran into legislative trouble in the U.S., which caused its current taboo.
In 1937, the federal government outlawed all cannabis cultivation, refusing to distinguish between heavy-THC marijuana and low-THC, non-psychoactive hemp—the two types of cannabis. This inexplicable legislation ultimately led to the end of all hemp manufacturing in the U.S. and caused the current confusion surrounding hemp- and marijuana-based products.
This stigma lingered until research into CBD expanded, leading to a wider understanding of the compound’s non-psychoactive, therapeutic effects. Then, in 2018, the Farm Bill defined the difference between low-THC hemp and high-THC marijuana, effectively legalizing hemp at the federal level. The 2018 Farm Bill paved the way for our current legal hemp marketplace and helped chip away at the century-old stigma associated with CBD-rich hemp.
But even though the federal government has walked back its stance on hemp, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been slow to approve CBD for medicinal uses, including sleep and minor pain management. Currently, the FDA is currently reviewing the compound for medicinal use.
What Is CBD?
CBD, cannabidiol, is a prominent member of the cannabinoid family. Cannabinoids are unique compounds native to cannabis plants, including both hemp and marijuana plants, and they are the driving force behind CBD’s patented wellness-boosting effects.
While over a hundred different cannabinoids exist, CBD is one of the most abundant. When you take a CBD product, whether a CBD edible, vape, or tincture, the cannabinoids in that product filter through your body and engage your endocannabinoid system—a network of receptors that work around the clock to regulate essential functions like sleep, mood, appetite, memory, pain, and more.**
When cannabinoids interact with these receptors, they bolster the system’s functions, leading to a cascade of wellness-boosting benefits.** This is believed to be the mechanism behind CBD’s potential health benefits.
Commonly Noted Benefits of CBD Products
But what are those potential health benefits?
In the last few years, with the CBD market budding to all-time highs, companies have started crafting CBD products with unique formulas. Some formulas keep CBD in the spotlight, while others add a few more all-natural ingredients to create complementary benefits.
Here are the most popular uses for hemp-derived CBD products.
CBD for Sleep
For many adults, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. A 2020 study found that almost 15% of adults have trouble falling or staying asleep.[3] And “sleep” is one of the most popular results when you research “the benefits of CBD”—maybe it’s why you first sought CBD-rich products. But how do CBD products help with sleep?
When making CBD products for sleep, companies will add other sleep-enhancing compounds to enhance CBD’s relaxing effects on the mind and body. These ingredients include melatonin, chamomile, and CBN—the ultimate relaxation cannabinoid. Brands often pair CBD with CBN to deepen relaxation. When taken before bed, these CBD + CBN sleep products can lead to a stronger feeling of nighttime relaxation.**
If you’re interested in enjoying more profound nighttime relaxation, check out CBDistillery’s Dreamberry Deep Synergy CBD Gummies with THC + CBN.
CBD for Stress
Another popular use of CBD is to help manage day-to-day stress. Like we’ve said before, CBD provides non-psychoactive, calming effects on the mind and body—effects that can help soothe tension. But, as with any health supplement, it’s best to use CBD daily, rather than on an as-needed basis. Daily use can help establish a baseline and help manage stress before it takes root.
If you’re interested in adding CBD to your daily routine, check out The Essential Co.’s Ultra Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture. This tincture is potent and easy to use, making it the ideal, high-quality CBD product for daily stress management.
CBD for Energy & Focus
With its calming, relaxing properties, CBD might not sound like the right ingredient for an energy and focus supplement. However, these unique properties balance out the energizing effects of ingredients like long-lasting caffeine, L-tyrosine, and sharp PS (phosphatidylserine), creating a more grounded, calming, focused state. Take a CBD for energy or CBD for focus product in the morning or midday and enjoy its stimulating effects well into the afternoon.
To enjoy the swirl of calming, energizing effects of CBD and long-lasting caffeine, check out CBDfx’s CBD Gummies for Focus & Energy. These blueberry-flavored gummies have effective doses of 50mg of CBD, long-lasting caffeine, and sharp PS each—the perfect formula for a calm and focused workday.
CBD for General Wellness
You’ll find the term “general wellness” on many products’ packaging, and let’s face it: the term may sound, well, general. “General wellness” describes homeostasis, or balance in your mind and body. Maintaining this balance is one of the endocannabinoid system’s key functions. When this system is not working optimally, your mind and body can feel out of sync.
When CBD and minor cannabinoids interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system, they bolster the system’s effects, helping it retain homeostasis, or balance in the mind and body.**
For a daily approach to CBD-infused wellness, check out Charlotte’s Web’s Raspberry Lime Daily Wellness CBD Gummies. These relaxing, full spectrum CBD gummies provide an effective dose of CBD, alongside natural sweeteners and flavorings. Charlotte’s Web uses high-quality hemp extract, giving users some of the best products on the market. Like other CBD products and health supplements, daily use leads to optimal benefits.
CBD for Sex & Enhanced Intimacy
Within the last few years, many adults have found new ways to implement CBD oil into all areas of their lives, including the bedroom. With its calming properties and natural benefits for mind and body wellness, CBD oil can help you and your partner find little moments of daily relaxation, which can help set the mood and close the door to unwelcome stress.
These cranberry-orange CBD gummies combine the all-natural properties of high-quality cannabidiol with maca root, a popular sexual health supplement, to help men and women reclaim their intimate wellness.
CBD for Minor Pain Relief
Another popular benefit associated with CBD oil is its soothing effects on minor aches and pains.** Typically, companies make specially formulated CBD topicals to penetrate deep into muscles and joints. Simply rub a CBD cream or CBD balm on the area and let it air dry. The cannabinoids in the CBD oil will work their way through the dermal layers, down to the soft tissue. These products often contain other natural pain-relieving ingredients, like white willow bark, camphor oil, and menthol, to aid CBD’s effects.
This Muscle & Joint CBD Cooling Cream from CBDfx combines the natural soothing effects of CBD with caffeine, menthol, and white willow bark to help you enjoy lasting localized relief.**
CBD for Pets
Dogs and cats can savor CBD oil’s multifaceted wellness benefits, too! Like humans, animals also have endocannabinoid systems, meaning they process and react to cannabinoids similarly to us.[4] Many companies craft specific dog- and cat-friendly CBD products with the same all-natural ingredients. These products include CBD dog treats, CBD oil pet tinctures, and CBD pet balm.
These Calming CBD Dog Treats from CBDfx come in hard- and soft-chew options. Both dog-friendly formulas boast multiple all-natural ingredients to deepen relaxation and let your pet enjoy a full-body sense of calm. Plus, they come in two flavors: sweet potato & coconut or natural hickory.
Timeline for Benefits
While you can enjoy the potential health benefits of cannabidiol with all CBD products, each one delivers these benefits in different ways—and at different times. Let’s explain.
CBD Edibles
When you take a CBD edible, like CBD gummies, the edible breaks down along your digestive tract, en route to your liver, where the cannabinoids usher into the bloodstream and go on to incite their wellness-boosting benefits. That path is basic Anatomy 101.
But, on the molecular level, this path is a grueling gauntlet for cannabinoids, and not all of them reach the finish line. Some get lost along the way. This process describes a CBD product’s bioavailability—how much and how quickly CBD absorbs into your body.
Each CBD product has a different bioavailability. And everyone has unique factors that play a role in their personal bioavailability, like body composition, height, weight, and more. So, how your body handles CBD edibles differs from a friend’s body. So, bioavailability is a complex issue.
Though they have low bioavailability, CBD edibles have a unique advantage that other CBD products can’t quite capture: CBD edibles provide longer-lasting effects. Generally, these effects set in later than other products, around 30 minutes to two hours, but they can last for six to eight hours.
CBD Capsules
CBD capsules take the same route as CBD edibles, but companies add different ingredients, like MCT oil, to boost a capsule’s bioavailability. MCT oil is a natural fatty acid that absorbs quicker than other types of fat.[5] So, companies use MCT oil as a carrier oil, mixing it with cannabidiol-rich oil to boost absorption and bioavailability. Think of MCT oil as a bodyguard, taking CBD to the head of the line.
CBD Oil Tincture
Alongside gummies, tinctures are one of the most popular ways CBD users enjoy cannabidiol.[1] CBD tinctures are little bottles with a dropper attached to the lid. Tinctures contain cannabidiol-rich oil, often paired with MCT oil to boost absorption, just like capsules.
Because they introduce cannabidiol into your body sublingually, CBD tinctures have a higher bioavailability than edibles. To use a tincture, just measure your desired serving and place the cannabidiol-rich oil under your tongue. Hold it there for around a minute before swallowing.
During these 60 seconds, the capillaries in your mouth (aided by the MCT oil) quickly absorb the cannabinoids and deposit them into your bloodstream, where they go on to incite their multiple wellness benefits. This process is relatively quick. Effects from tinctures can generally set in after 15 to 30 minutes and last for around four to six hours.
CBD Vape
In terms of bioavailability, CBD vapes generally have the highest. Cannabidiol from vapes enters your bloodstream in a matter of seconds, thanks to the immediate route through the cells in your lungs. But these effects don’t last nearly as long as CBD edibles, CBD capsules, and CBD tinctures. Calming effects from CBD vapes can last between 30 minutes and two hours—a pretty dramatic difference from edibles’ six to eight hours.
CBD Topical
Last, we have CBD topicals, which take us on perhaps the most unique path to wellness-boosting benefits. Unlike every other CBD product, CBD topicals introduce cannabidiol into your body locally through your skin. The cannabinoids seep through your dermal cells and target underlying tissue, like sore muscles and aching joints. This path to minor pain relief bypasses the bloodstream completely. Cannabinoids from topicals are the only ones that don’t enter your bloodstream, so you can pinpoint CBD’s soothing effects on specific areas.
*Depending on personal factors, like height, weight, and body composition.
How to Find the Right Hemp-Based Product
Considering all this, you’re probably eager to experience CBD’s multifaceted benefits. If you’re new to CBD or looking to switch up your CBD product of choice, let’s look at what to look for.
Additional Ingredients
In many CBD products, companies add different ingredients to complement CBD’s patented effects. Some of these ingredients are energizing, while others enhance cannabidiol’s deeply relaxing effects. So, consider what type of effects you’d like to enjoy, and choose a CBD product with ingredients that can help achieve this desired experience. You don’t want to mistakenly take a CBD sleep product just before an 8-hour workday—or an energizing CBD gummy just before bed.
High-Quality Hemp
As a member of the cannabis family, hemp is a very versatile plant. Though cultures have grown hemp for thousands of years, cultivation can have its challenges, especially if a company isn’t careful. Hemp naturally absorbs most of the compounds in its surrounding soil. This includes healthy nutrients and minerals, and, unfortunately, harmful agricultural chemicals, like heavy metals, herbicides, and pesticides. If a company isn’t careful, these toxic chemicals can weasel their way into the finished product.
That’s why it’s essential to buy from brands that make their cannabidiol products with organic hemp. You can verify if a brand does so by checking their Certificate of Analysis.
Third-Party Lab Tests
A Certificate of Analysis is a third-party lab test that shows a product’s purity and potency. Companies publish these alongside each batch of their CBD products to reveal their cultivation, extraction, and manufacturing processes. These tests essentially prove whether or not a CBD company followed gold-standard practices—all brands we offer debut these tests in tandem with all their CBD products.
Final Thoughts
Because it’s such a versatile compound, CBD offers a wide range of benefits—and in a wide range of products. From sleep to energy to sex to minor pain relief, CBD products can help many different areas of your daily life.** And at CBD.co, we aim to help you find the product that fits seamlessly into your daily routine.
Ready to enjoy all the wellness-boosting benefits of CBD? Check out our assortment of CBD tinctures from industry leaders, like CBDfx, Canna River, Charlotte’s Web, and more!
- Hall, A. (2023, June 22). CBD Statistics, Data And Use (2024). Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/cbd/cbd-statistics/#cbd_statistics_at_a_glance_section
- Crocq M. A. (2020). History of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 22(3), 223–228. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.3/mcrocq
- Adjaye-Gbewonyo D, Ng AE, Black LI. Sleep difficulties in adults: United States, 2020. NCHS Data Brief, no 436. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:117490.
- FAHA, S. V., Ph.D. (2020, October 27). Understanding the endocannabinoid system in cats and dogs. IVC Journal. https://ivcjournal.com/endocannabinoid-system-cats-dogs/
- Brown PhD, J. (2020, May 18). What to Know About MCT Oil. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mct-oil-101#metabolism-of-mc-ts
