How to Use CBD Oil and Tinctures

Step 1: Read the Serving Size on the Label

Start with what the label says

Before the dropper comes out, read the serving line on your bottle. On our Partnered Proof Full Spectrum Oil that line says 1ml per serving, taken orally up to twice per day or as directed by a medical professional. Droppers vary: some have measurement marks printed on the glass and some do not, so check yours before you assume a full squeeze equals one serving.

The serving line tells you how much to draw up and how often. It does not tell you how much CBD that serving contains, so look for the milligrams per serving or per ml. If the label only lists a bottle total, divide it by the ml in the bottle. Our post on how to read a CBD tincture label walks through that math.

While the label is in your hand, find the batch number and check it against the Certificate of Analysis. Every batch we make is tested by a third-party lab and the COA is posted on our Lab Results page. NCCIH notes that over-the-counter CBD products may contain more or less CBD than the label states, so this step confirms the serving you measured is the serving you get.

Step 2: Hold the Drops Under Your Tongue

Under the tongue, then swallow

Shake the bottle gently, draw up your serving, and tilt your head back a little. Lift your tongue and squeeze the oil onto the floor of your mouth, underneath it, not on top. Hold it there for 60 to 90 seconds, then swallow what is left. That is the sublingual method.

The idea is that the thin tissue under the tongue lets some CBD pass into the bloodstream directly, bypassing the stomach and liver. The human research here is thinner than people assume. A 2018 systematic review of CBD pharmacokinetics in Frontiers in Pharmacology found peak blood levels generally arrive between zero and four hours after oral or oromucosal dosing, and two small studies of sublingual drops reported average peaks between about 1.7 and 2.2 hours. Most of that data comes from pharmaceutical sprays and capsules, not hemp oils.

In plain terms: holding the drops under your tongue is a sensible habit, but do not expect an instant change. Keep the first few days simple. Same serving, same method, same time of day, and let the log in Step 6 do the judging.

Step 3: Swallow CBD Oil or Add It to Food

When you would rather not hold it

Some people never get used to holding oil in their mouth. You can squeeze the serving onto your tongue and swallow it right away, or stir it into something you are already eating. The CBD still gets in. It takes the longer road through your digestive system, and the same 2018 review notes that oral bioavailability of CBD is low in animal studies and that human data is not yet sufficient to pin it down.

• Stir a serving into oatmeal, yogurt or a smoothie, where the fat helps the oil blend.
• Stir a water-soluble oil, like our Broad Spectrum Oil, into a drink or soft food.
• Skip hot cooking and add drops after the heat is off, since our oils are processed with low heat for a reason.

Standard CBD oil floats in coffee or tea and clings to the mug. It mixes better into fat: yogurt, oatmeal with nut butter, a smoothie. Our Partnered Proof Broad Spectrum Oil is water-soluble, so it can be dropped in the mouth and swallowed, or added to a drink or food. If you want the drink route, that is the bottle to choose.

Whatever you pick, keep it the same for the full two weeks, or your log will be impossible to read.

Step 4: Time CBD Oil With Meals

Take it with food, same time daily

Food changes how much CBD your body absorbs, and not by a little. A 2018 Phase I trial published in CNS Drugs gave 12 healthy adults a single 1,500mg dose of a pharmaceutical CBD solution, once fed and once fasted. The high-fat breakfast raised CBD exposure roughly four to five fold, with no change in how long the peak took to arrive. That dose is far above a hemp oil serving, so take the direction from it, not the multiple. The systematic review above saw the same pattern across studies: higher peak levels in a fed state and in lipid based formulations.

That is one reason our Partnered Proof Full Spectrum Oil is blended into certified organic MCT oil, and it is why taking your serving with a meal is the easier habit. Breakfast and dinner are the two natural anchors. Pick one, not both, for your first week, so you learn what a single serving does before you add a second. The label allows up to two servings a day, and you can grow into that.

Morning or evening is a personal call. The FDA lists changes in alertness, most often drowsiness, among the side effects seen with CBD, and some people report feeling relaxed or sleepy after a serving. If that is you, take it with dinner, and do not drive until you know how a serving affects you. If not, breakfast ties the habit to a meal you rarely skip.

Step 5: Check Medications and Alcohol First

A word with your pharmacist first

CBD is processed by the same liver enzymes that handle many prescription drugs. A 2019 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that CBD can inhibit cytochrome P450 enzymes including CYP3A4, CYP2C19 and CYP2C9, which metabolize medications such as warfarin, some antidepressants and antiepileptics, statins, benzodiazepines and opioids. The result can be higher levels of those drugs in your blood, or less CBD reaching you when a drug induces the same enzymes.

The FDA's consumer page says the same thing in fewer words: CBD may impact other medicines you take, or those medicines may change the dose of CBD you get. It also notes that CBD can cause liver injury, a risk found during the Epidiolex review, and that combining CBD with alcohol or other substances that slow brain activity raises the chance of sedation and drowsiness.

None of this means CBD oil is off the table. It means a five minute conversation with your pharmacist or doctor belongs before Step 2 if you take any regular medication, drink most evenings, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a liver condition. Bring the bottle and the COA. A pharmacist can check your prescriptions against that enzyme list far better than a blog post can.

Step 6: Keep a Two-Week CBD Log

Give it two weeks, then decide

This is the part most people skip, and the part that tells you anything. Every evening for 14 days, write three lines: when you took your serving and how, one or two words about how the day went in the area you care about, and anything unexpected. The NCCIH lists decreased appetite, changes in mood and digestive upset among reported side effects, so note those if they appear.

Why two weeks and not two days? Partly because CBD takes a little time to settle: in the CNS Drugs trial, people dosing twice a day reached a steady blood level after about two days, with an effective half-life of 10 to 17 hours and a terminal half-life near 60 hours. Mostly because one odd Tuesday proves nothing. Our older post on how long CBD takes to work puts the window for tinctures at two to three weeks for the same reason.

At the end of 14 days, read the log back. If you see a steady pattern you like, keep the routine as it is. If you see nothing, the label allows a second daily serving, so add one at the other meal and run another two weeks. If you see side effects, step back or pause and talk to your doctor. Start low and go slow is still the best dosing advice we know, and the log is what makes it work.