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If you are considering taking cbd oil for the first time, you are definitely in good company. Hemp oil is rich in potential health and wellness benefits, including the potent naturally-occurring compound CBD, or Cannabidiol.

CBD is not psycho-active like the active ingredient in marijuana, THC. But CBD is increasingly associated with a wide range of beneficial effects, from relieving anxiety, lifting depression, decreasing pain and improving sleep and many more benefits besides these.

But how much cbd oil do you need to get these beneficial effects? Let’s find out now!

What to Do When Taking CBD Oil for the First Time

When you are taking hemp oil for the first time ever, it is important to understand that the way you take it and the type you take can each impact delivery times and overall effects.

If you have not yet chosen your CBD hemp oil product, this guide will help you make your selection. As well, if you are not sure how to take your new hemp oil product, the following guide will give you a lot of options to consider.

Meet the Three Basic Types of CBD Oil

There are three basic types of hemp oil: full spectrum, broad spectrum and isolate.

The full spectrum hemp oil contains the active ingredient CBD as well as all the other active naturally-occurring compounds contained in the hemp plant. Even full spectrum hemp oil, however, is legally required to have THC levels of 0.3 percent or lower to be sold over the counter.

The broad spectrum hemp oil also contains most of the naturally-occurring active ingredients found in wild-growing or cultivated hemp plants. However, broad spectrum hemp oil will have the lowest possible THC levels.

Hemp oil isolate is a type of hemp oil where everything else other than CBD has been carefully removed. This is a very pure form of cbd-only hemp oil.

Learn the Different Ways to Take CBD Oil

Hemp oil can be taken in lots of different ways. This can help you adjust the speed and type of delivery to personalize your results.

Oral or ingestible

Oral and ingestible CBD is the category that contains the greatest variety. For example, you can take a simple hemp oil capsule that fast and easy and goes wherever you go.

If you like to cook, you can use hemp oil in cooking. Hemp oil powders, pastes, essential oils and tinctures can also be added to juices, coffee or tea, smoothies, salads, baked goods and other foods and drinks.

Ready-to-eat cbd hemp oil gums and candies also exist.

Edible forms of cbd hemp oil work more like a “time release” in that they first pass through the digestive system before being dispersed to the cells of the body.

This allows for a slower but more sustained result that is often helpful for promoting better sleep and easing depression or anxiety, as well as chronic pain.

Topical

Topical hemp oil is a popular addition to personal care products, including bath salts, lotions, essential oils, soaps and similar products. Skin patches are another easy option for topical use.

Topical cbd hemp oil can offer the ability to target results to specific areas of the body, such as a joint that is aching or a localized headache.

Smoke/Vape

For those who like to smoke or vape, patches, waxes, e-liquids or cartridge CBD hemp oil makes adding hemp to your daily life easy.

Smoking or vaping is a fast delivery method that provides instant results that are system-wide.

Temporary Side Effects Reported by Some CBD Oil Beginners

Even though cbd oil is totally natural and pure, it can still cause some temporary side effects. Experiencing side effects is more likely with incorrect dosing, however.

Take too little hemp oil and you may not experience any beneficial results at all. Take too much and you may experience unpleasant side effects.

The most commonly reported temporary side effects from taking cbd hemp oil include drowsiness or sedation, light-headedness, dry mouth and low blood pressure.

If you anticipate any of these temporary side effects may occur and impact your daily life, the wisest course of action is to take your first doses of cbd hemp oil in the evening when you are home and can monitor how you react.

Dosing Guidelines for CBD Oil Beginners

Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not delivered any dosing recommendations based on age, gender or health condition, this is where it is especially important to review the manufacturer’s own dosing recommendations for the product and delivery method you have selected.

The manufacturer-recommended dosages typically offer a range for your initial dose depending on the delivery method. For example, a tincture might recommend taking two to 10 droplets in a glass of juice. In this example, two droplets would be a low dose and 10 droplets would be a high dose.

Always start out at the low end of the dosing recommendations – if need be, you can always increase your dose after your body has gotten used to it.

Here are some very general dosing guidelines.

Anxiety

Dosing for two independent research studies using human participants suggests an oral dose of between 300 mg and 600 mg can reduce anxiety.

Depression

The Depression Alliance recommends doses between 5 mg and 25 mg depending on symptoms severity.

Sleep

Dosing for a large study focusing on use of cbd for sleep disorders suggested that dosages between 40 mg and 160 mg could be useful for promoting sleep.

Pain

Healthline recommends starting off with a 40 mg dosage for acute pain and adjusting as needed for ongoing pain-relief maintenance by increasing or decreasing each dose by 5 mg.

Ultimately, it is important to remember that the recommended dosage may vary depending on the reason why you are taking cbd hemp oil.

Here, talking with your doctor and researching any available research studies involving hemp oil and your specific health issue can give you more targeted dosing guidelines for your personal needs.