CBD is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK. In a recent report by YouGov, it was estimated that 6 million people had tried CBD in the past year. That’s 11% of the UK population! However, if you’re not familiar with the world of CBD it can seem tricky to figure out where to begin.
At Kanna Creations we believe in openness and clarity. That’s why we’ve put together this blog post to provide you with all of the details you need to start your CBD journey. We’ll discuss what CBD is, your options for taking it, and how to decide your dosages. If at any point you feel lost or in need of support, check out our contact page and reach out to us!
What is CBD?
CBD (short for ‘Cannabidiol’) is a naturally occurring compound that can be found in plants from the Cannabis family. It’s part of a family of organic chemicals known as ‘cannabinoids’ which were first discovered in cannabis plants, but have since been discovered in a host of other biological networks. In fact, you can even find them in the human body!
The most famous cannabinoid is THC, the psychoactive chemical responsible for most of the effects you’d normally associate with cannabis. THC is what gets you high, and has been shown to cause anxiety and paranoia. CBD, on the other hand, has been proven to never get you high and has been qualified as having a “good safety profile” by the World Health Organization.
CBD isn’t just harvested from any old cannabis plant though. It’s extracted from industrial hemp plants bred specifically to reduce the amount of THC and to increase the amount of CBD. The CBD extract will then also go through another level of processing to ensure the THC has been reduced to below quantifiable levels.
This guarantee of safety is why so many people across the UK are turning to CBD. What they often don’t know is that CBD actually mirrors cannabinoids your body already produces. These cannabinoids (known as endocannabinoids) work around the human body alongside a series of receptors in the ‘endocannabinoid system’.
It might surprise you to learn that this system can be found throughout most major organs, the nervous system, and the immune system. The purpose of the endocannabinoid system is to regulate each of these key networks. It’s kind of like an assistant manager, checking all the different departments are performing their jobs in the right way.
CBD is a direct analog for one of the most common endocannabinoids your body produces, known as 2-AG. That means that when you introduce CBD into your body it’s supporting this existing network. The body recognises it as similar to compounds that already exist within it, which is part of why it’s so safe.
Methods for taking CBD
Hopefully, you now have a good understanding of what CBD is, but you still want to figure out all of the different ways you can take it. The fact is you might as well ask how many leaves there are on a tree, or how many fish there are in the sea.
That’s why we’ve put together a quick breakdown for each of our methods of taking CBD. At Kanna Creations we pride ourselves on creating easy, user-friendly solutions for ingesting CBD. We believe each of these options is truly one of the best available on the market (we’re not that biased, honest!).
Oral Drops
CBD Oral Drops are one of the most common CBD tinctures you’ll see on the market, and one of the earliest forms CBD extract was developed into. The CBD extract is simply blended with a carrier oil and bottled, making it one of the purest methods for taking CBD available.
We recommend using the provided pipette with our Oral Drops to apply the CBD oil beneath your tongue (sublingually) since this increases the amount your body absorbs. When taking a CBD oil sublingually it’s absorbed into the blood vessels under the tongue rather than reaching the digestive system where it takes longer to be processed.
Our Oral Drops use hemp seed oil as a carrier due to it being high in healthy omega fatty acids and proteins. They’re available in two strengths (300mg and 600mg) and in three flavours: natural, strawberry, and peppermint. This means you can either really enjoy the flavour of hemp, or trade it ours for some organic fruity flavours.
Oral Spray
At Kanna Creations we love user-oriented innovation, which is where the idea for our Oral Spray came from. Rather than using a dropper to apply the CBD like other tinctures, instead, our spray delivers the CBD in a mist.
For users that don’t like the oily texture of CBD tinctures, the fine spray makes the whole process much easier. To aid this we’ve also selected MCT (Coconut) Oil as the carrier since it’s been known to mask the taste of hemp. The spray also makes judging your dose easier, since you can just do it based on a number of spray compressions.
Other than this, our Oral Spray is just like any other sublingual drop or tincture. It also shares the same strengths and flavours as our Oral Drops, meaning you can switch between the two to figure out which you like best. Everyone is different after all!
Muscle Balm
If you don’t like the idea of applying CBD orally, then why not try our Muscle Balm? Topicals can just be applied directly to the skin for a slow-acting, long-lasting duration. It comes in just one strength (300mg) making it perfect for applying externally throughout the day.
Our Muscle Balm also contains a variety of essential oils including Eucalyptus, Geranium, and Lavender, all hand-picked to ensure they work fantastically alongside CBD. These high-quality ingredients would all make a worthy entry into your cosmetics routine already, and CBD is a great means of supporting them.
The right CBD dosage
At Kanna Creations our first-time users often seem most confused about how much CBD to take each day, or in each dose. Our products all have a recommended dosage which we don’t suggest you exceed, but the fact of the matter is that everyone processes CBD differently. Thankfully the Kanna Creations team is here to help!
There are many different factors that have an impact on how much CBD oil you require. This includes the likes of product consistency, environment, metabolism, age, and weight. This is why the best thing to do is start with a small dosage and then continue tweaking your dose until you have found your individual sweet spot.
We recommend starting at around 70mg a day for 7 days. After one week, if you are satisfied with the results, then decrease your dosage by 20mg. If not, then increase it by 20mg. Continue this process until you find your sweet CBD spot. Read this blog to find the CBD dosage that’s right for you.
We’re here to help
We understand that CBD can seem super intimidating to a first-timer, which is why we’ve tried to create a simple starting guide here. However, if you have any further questions we’re all on hand to help.
We all started out as beginners at one point, so most of the questions you have, we already asked! Just drop us a message on our contact page, and one of our team will be in touch with you with all the answers you could need.