CBD is an amazing substance that has shown tremendous promise as a health supplement. Despite its benefits, it has a few weaknesses that must be considered to use effectively. While these weaknesses can be an issue, you can overcome them with research and effort.
CBD is a substance still being studied and is still fighting to overcome its poor reputation as a byproduct of cannabis plants, which are infamous as the source of marijuana. While you cannot use CBD supplements for recreational purposes, the association is enough for people to avoid learning more about the specifics surrounding CBD refinement and how it affects subsequent products.
Insofar as CBD is concerned, the compound can be refined into multiple forms that affect how we take and how easily we absorb it. These key differences can heavily influence the rate at which we use CBD and whether it will take more or less to use it successfully. Different CBD compositions will process differently in the body, with some being easier for the body to absorb and retain than others. Among these different compositions are water-soluble and oil-based CBD, though you might not be aware of their differences. This article aims to clarify what water-soluble and oil-based CBD are and how they differ from each other.
What is Water-Soluble CBD?
CBD comes in many forms, and one of them is a water-soluble version. Water-soluble CBD is what it says on the box, CBD that is easily mixed with water and other liquids. Water-soluble is a substance that can dissolve in water and become part of the liquid. If you have ever made drinks from a mix, like Kool-Aid, you have already seen the effects of a water-soluble product. Water-soluble CBD functions the same way as the CBD will easily dissolve into the water or beverage you put it in.
However, water-soluble CBD is difficult to produce due to CBD’s chemical makeup. CBD is hydrophobic, meaning that it does not dissolve in water by itself. CBD is a lipophilic compound, which is any substance that naturally dissolves in fat. This means that getting water-soluble CBD requires a little human ingenuity to produce successfully. Transforming CBD into a water-soluble compound requires it to be subjected to nano emulsification. This process requires a device called an emulsifier that forces substances that would not ordinarily mix to combine with ease.
The fact that CBD does not naturally attain a water-soluble state means that producing water-soluble CBD is more expensive. However, water-soluble CBD is still possible to use due to the product being widely available. The main advantage of water-soluble CBD is that you can quickly mix it into your water without much issue. Water-soluble CBD is not the only form of CBD we are discussing, however. The oil-based CBD remains far more common than water-soluble CBD.
What is Oil-Based CBD
While water-based CBD requires nano emulsification, oil-based CBD is far easier to acquire. This is because oil-based CBD, or CBD oil, is the most accessible medium for CBD after it has been extracted from cannabis plants. CBD oil involves taking the CBD from the plant before using coconut oil or hemp seed oil as a carrier. These specific oils have to do with their lipid content since CBD naturally dissolves in fat. As a result, fattier oils like coconut oil make an ideal carrier oil for CBD. However, just because CBD oil is more common than water-soluble CBD does not mean there is not more to learn.
Similar to water-soluble CBD, you can ingest CBD oil to enjoy the effects that CBD has to offer for your health. While water-soluble CBD can be dissolved in water, CBD oil is usually used to produce additional CBD supplements like edibles that you can consume, similar to a beverage with water-soluble CBD. However, you can also directly consume CBD oil by placing it under the tongue without adding it to any edible supplement. This means that it can be used more directly than water-soluble CBD can.
These differences illustrate the main deviation between water-soluble CBD and its oil-based counterpart. However, these differences are surface deep and do not extend to any potential advantage one has over the other. If any advantages exist between water-soluble and oil-based CBD, we will discuss them here.
Which is Superior?
When deciding between water-soluble or oil-based CBD, you need to consider which is easier for the body to absorb and whether one is more effective than the other. However, the situation surrounding CBD means a fair amount of trial and error is involved in determining what is effective and what is not. When it comes to consuming anything based on plant matter, as CBD is, a specific biological function determines how our body processes and absorbs it. This first pass system absorbs as much of a substance as is biologically possible.
The substance’s bioavailability determines the amount of a substance we absorb via the first-pass effect. If the bioavailability is too low, the first pass system will likely not allow the compound to affect you significantly. CBD’s bioavailability is not lacking, but consuming it can cause the first pass system to wear away at its overall viability.
However, evidence suggests that water-soluble CBD is more bioavailable than CBD oil. Sometimes, the amount of CBD we absorb via CBD oil diminishes as our bodies begin to adapt to the substance. When orally ingesting CBD, the first pass process has an easier time adapting since the CBD has to go through the fat layers and can be dissolved before reaching the bloodstream. This is one area where water-soluble CBD shines a little brighter.
Water-soluble CBD can enter the bloodstream easier than CBD oil since it can bypass the first-pass system. Unlike CBD oil, which allows you to absorb around 10 to 20% of the CBD, water-soluble CBD enables you to absorb 90% and enjoy its effects in earnest. This makes using water-soluble CBD an effective way of introducing CBD to your system while simultaneously overcoming the shortcomings of CBD oil. However, CBD oil is still highly effective and offers a greater level of adaptability that is not present with water-soluble CBD.
While water-soluble CBD might be more easily absorbed, CBD oil can be reconfigured into multiple forms that allow you to alter how you introduce it to your body. The most common application of CBD oil is to create edible treats using the oil and translate the benefits of CBD into a snack. CBD oil can also be refined into vape fluid, allowing it to be used as an inhalant to introduce the effects faster than you would by ingesting it. However, when ingesting CBD oil, the other disadvantage lies in the flavor.
While water-soluble CBD has a subtle, imperceptible flavor, CBD oil has a stronger taste. This is not to say that consuming CBD oil is an unpleasant sensation but a matter of taste. If you do not enjoy the taste of CBD oil, water-soluble CBD is likely the better choice since you do not have to worry about disliking the flavor. However, this particular trait is a matter of taste and not something that will make or break the product for you.
So, when it comes down to it, water-soluble CBD is superior solely because it is easier for our body to absorb. Aside from this, there is very little distinction between water-soluble and oil-based CBD aside from the product’s chemical composition. However, no matter what you decide to use, you will need to consider some of the risks involved in CBD use.
Concerns With CBD Products
There is a lot of concern regarding the consumption or use of CBD. The poor reputation of CBD was saddled primarily due to its origins as a cannabis byproduct. This stigma leads many to view CBD as another form of the recreational drug known as marijuana with no regard for the truth. The odds are that you have not fallen victim to this misinformation if you are researching the differences between CBD types. However, if you still have concerns, we are happy to ease them for you.
The concern surrounding CBD being a recreational drug has long been disproved. CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is a particular compound that you can find in a cannabis plant. The compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. THC, the psychoactive compound, is regulated to ensure that standard CBD products do not contain more than 0.3%. Only a portion of the country allows for recreational marijuana use, and even those states are prohibited from adding THC to CBD products.
However, the reliability of a CBD product, oil-based or water-soluble, to remain in line with the 0.3% requirement is dependent on the manufacturer’s practices. CBD that is cultivated in a poor environment might not be properly filtered and risk having an excess of THC despite being marketed as a CBD product. Fortunately, reputable CBD vendors can offer concrete evidence that their product does not have enough THC to cause a reaction.
A reliable CBD vendor will contract a laboratory to test their product and break down the different compounds. Among the results will be the THC concentration of the product so they can verify that the THC levels are at or below the 0.3% mark. These results are then translated into a full report that the vendor will attach to the product’s webpage on their online store. This is known as a certificate of analysis, or COA, that you can verify before making a purchase and ensure that the product is not rife with unwanted ingredients.
This is especially important since THC is not the only possible contaminant of your CBD product. Since cannabis plants are essential for harvesting CBD, new plants must be grown to keep stocks up. However, since cannabis is a plant, it risks the same issues that face more common crops, such as toxic soil, pesticide use, and pest infestations. The COAs will also evaluate these factors and provide a readout of the toxin levels, so you do not have to worry about buying a poisonous product.
While these risks are not specific to water-soluble or oil-based CBD, it is important to keep them in mind. When looking for CBD products, you will want to go through a reputable vendor that will be transparent with the product’s chemical makeup. A trustworthy vendor is critical if you are in the market for a water-soluble or oil-based CBD product, which begs the question of where you can go to get the CBD you want.
X-perience CBD
CBD can take many forms and is as adaptable as the plant from which it is harvested. While CBD can be cultivated in different ways, some of the more common types are water-soluble and oil-based CBD. Each product has its advantages and disadvantages, with water-soluble CBD being easier to absorb and oil-based CBD being more adaptable. However, determining which is best will depend on your needs.
Neither one is truly superior, as they both have their place in the world of CBD supplements. Especially since water-soluble CBD might be cost-prohibitive for some due to the intense conversion process required to create it. Regardless of which CBD you want to use, you will always need a vendor you can trust.
That is where we at Neuro XPF come into play. We specialize in producing CBD supplements you can use to be your best. Our range of products extends from oil-based drops and gummies to water-soluble drops you can add to your water bottle. If safety is your concern, every product we offer comes with a COA detailing the chemical composition of each batch we prepare so you have no buyers’ remorse.
CBD can make all the difference in the world when taken properly, and with so many options, finding the right way can be challenging. However, we can offer you the path to the right CBD product. So, visit our website today and x-perience the best CBD in the game!
Have any questions or concerns about which CBD product will be the right one for your situation? If so, please feel free to drop us a line at any time! We’d love to assist you on your CBD journey however we possibly can!