Need help sorting-out this whole CBD oil thing

December 11, 2016 10:42 AM

I am very interested in trying CBD oils for various reasons...stress being one...but I need to know if the stuff lives up to the hype. As always, there's...

As someone who is dealing with various levels of stress and depression, I'm always on the look for something that might help me deal. I'm not a "chamomile tea" person, and CBD oils have been on my radar for awhile now, and it's only recently I discovered that the stuff is 50-state legal. Living in one of the more backward red states, I am doubly interested.

Searching the web for information leaves me confused and with a throbbing headache (which, ironically, the oil supposedly might help relieve.) So, I'm hoping my fellow MeFites can help improve the S/N ratio for me on this subject.

~ The terms "hemp oil with cannabinoids" and "CBD oil" seems to be used interchangeably, but others seems to infer that if it says "hemp oil" it isn't what I want. What's the straight poop on this terminology war?

~ What would be an adequate CBD concentrate level to start with?

~ It's kind of hard to find a manufacturer/supplier that actually sells themselves. Most that I can find prefer to distribute through dispensaries, of which, here in Indiana, we have none. Does anyone have a recommendation for a web-based source of high-quality CBD oils? One I found (Charlotte's Web) seems ok/professional, but they seem to blur the line a bit in the "hemp oil with cannabinoids" terminology thing. And, wow, is the stuff expensive (to be expected, I guess.)

Any other info, recommendations, warnings, or knowledge would be very welcome.

Thanks, all!

posted by Thorzdad to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Cannabinoids are a diverse set of compounds found in the various species of cannabis plants. Some have properties that make a user feel high (like THC) and some don't make a user feel high (like CBD - the abbreviation used for Cannabidiol). Industrial hemp has high concentrations of CBD and almost no THC, so extractions made from hemp are legal to sell regardless of your state's laws regarding medical or recreational cannabis.

I'm quite impressed with Green Mountain's operations. They're very careful about both organic growing and safe extraction done without potentially toxic solvents. Their lab testing program is robust.

The general recommendation is that a naive user try a dose of CBD (20mg isn't a bad place to start) in the evening before bed on a day when you don't have to work the next day. This is usually recommended for medicinal THC products, but is also the most conservative approach for CBD. It likely will make you sleep well. Then experiment with daytime doses. The oil can also be used topically for local pain in joints or muscles or for headaches. The oil can be aromatic, though, so of you're using it topically, be aware that you could smell fairly herbal.
posted by quince at 11:22 AM on December 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'm certainly not an expert, but from my understanding:

CBD oil = CBD extracted from Cannabis
Hemp oil / hemp oil with cannabinoids = CBD extracted from hemp

Hemp oil is federally legal. Anything extracted from cannabis varies from state to state and might need a medical marijuana prescription. Also note that hemp does contain some THC, so depending on how it's extracted you could potentially still fail a drug test.

There's no regulation in the CBD world, so purity standards or naming conventions are up to the retailer. Some argue the other ingredients from the CBD oil extracted from cannabis (the small amount of THC, terpenes, etc) work synergistically to offer more medicinal benefits, hence retailers blurring the lines between the two.

I can't offer any recommendations, but there's a sub-reddit dedicated to the medicinal uses of CBD.
posted by bluecore at 11:28 AM on December 11, 2016

Part of the perceived expense of CBD oil is the fact that it's quite concentrated. Relative small vials can last a very long time. Manufacturers havent gotten away from a maximalist concentration because of some of the weird arbitrary limits placed on the industry (almost all regulations are based off volume, not strength). Most of what you see out there is really, absurdly strong. Yeah you're hot going to get high, but you may want to dilute it drastically at first.

The headache as a side effect depends on a couple factors, one of which is just how your body deals with it. The other is what exactly the oil was derived from. Certain strains of CBD weed give me a terrible headache. Others trigger some pretty nasty headaches. My wife gets migraines and she hasn't run into a single CBD strain that doesn't help.

And remember; CBD doesn't get you high, but it is a drug and indeed does alter your experience. CBD makes me oh so pleasantly sleepy. Just like I wouldn't drive while exhausted or crushing some melatonin, I don't drive after taking CBD oil. Ymmv.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:39 PM on December 11, 2016

Note: in the last two days the DEA has put CBD hemp oil on the Schedule I drug list.
posted by bluecore at 6:17 AM on December 17, 2016