What is the Perfect Dose of CBD?

While we’re discovering more and more of CBD’s therapeutic potential with each passing day, the best way to dose CBD remains an elusive topic. 

Some advocate for a fixed dosing schedule based on body weight...others suggest starting at 5 milligrams per day and then slowly ramping up. Both methods have some merit...but neither is fully comprehensive.

Keep reading to learn how to find your perfect CBD dose — regardless of your goals or current health status.

Why CBD dosing is different

CBD isn’t like the pharmaceutical drugs we so often get our conceptualization of dosing from. Because it interacts with the endocannabinoid system, CBD is different. It’s more adaptable! But this also ensures that CBD dosing remains more of an art than a science. 

Unlike pharmaceuticals, CBD dosing depends on one major factor more than any others: endocannabinoid levels. 

The endocannabinoid question

Have you heard about clinical endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome (CECDS) before? If not, we can’t blame you...yet CECDS may well be one of America’s largest hidden epidemics. And if you suffer from chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, or other conditions that don’t respond well to normal treatment, you could be most at risk. [1]

CECDS is actually what the name implies: an internal deficiency of endocannabinoids. Considering that humankind has been using hemp since its recorded beginning, we shouldn’t be so surprised that our modern-day lack of cannabinoids would lead to such detrimental results. 

Thankfully, CBD has surfaced as a viable solution. According to cannabis expert Dr. Ethan Russo (who actually brought the concept of endocannabinoid deficiency to light in the first place), CBD is among the best ways to restore endocannabinoid levels. 

He puts it this way: “[...] Cannabidiol is an endocannabinoid modulator, in other words, when given chronically it actually increases the gain of the system, which is, at its core, a homeostatic regulator.” [2] 

What’s the implication here? The ‘lower’ your endocannabinoid system is, the more CBD you may need to renew it. Since those with lower eCB levels often experience more anxiousness and pain than most others, it follows that people with greater health challenges will often need more CBD than others. 

An intuitive approach

For the reasons above, the best thing the CBD user can do is listen to their body.  

One should begin at a low CBD intake — true to that popular dosing strategy — but then ramp up slowly to a range appropriate to their health status. For some, this may mean taking 20 milligrams of CBD per day; for others, 100 will be better. Though low doses demands (10 mg/day) aren’t at all uncommon, either! 

It’s true: optimal CBD dosing can vary widely from person to person. And what’s more, it isn’t always obvious (or intuitive) how much CBD someone needs to take based on their age, weight, or health status! One person with aches and pains may need 5mg’s a day; another may need 50. 

And for this reason, virtually any initial CBD routine starts off with one basic concept: start low and go slow. 

How low is up to you. If you’re someone whose body is sensitive to new substances in general, consider starting off with a single drop of our 1,500 mg CBD oil on day one — that’ll contain almost exactly one milligram of CBD total. From there just increase your dose by ~1 drop/day until significant relief is experienced.

If you’re in more of a hurry to feel better, you can always begin a little higher. Regardless of what route you take, one more concept also applies: listen to your body. Some people even keep a dosing journal where they write down how much CBD they took, how it made them feel, and what they’re learning along the way.

Also keep in mind that the amount of CBD you’ll need depends greatly on the quality of the CBD you’re taking. Full spectrum CBD products tend to absorb more fully than other alternatives — to the extent that one study found they kick in 4 times better. That could mean you can get away taking 4 times less.  

CBD dosing by condition

What type of final CBD dose will you end up at? Once again, it depends — but through steady progression you’ll eventually find what works best for you. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind. 

CBD dosing for mood

Mood disorders may be one of the easiest things for CBD to address. Many people who suffer from it report feeling better with just a few milligrams! CBD microdosing may be enough to help you escape the clutches of brain fog and begin to fire on all cognitive cylinders. 

CBD dosing for sports

Many athletes love taking CBD for its antioxidant properties. Sports-specific dosing is simple, too: just take a conservative baseline daily dose and add some extra CBD oil and/or CBD capsules into the mix when you’re training hard. [3] 

Perfect doses, perfect products

At five™ CBD we make every effort to provide premium CBD products — products that make finding your optimal does simple. 

Our CBD oil goes above and beyond the normal definition for full spectrum by featuring a true-to-nature blend of CBD and other important cannabinoids. If you’re looking for products to do some first-hand research with, we probably have something for you. 

Citations

1. Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions? (2008). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18404144/ 
2. CBD & Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency. (2016). Project CBD. https://www.projectcbd.org/es/node/543 
3. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol. (2019). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31881765/