Cannabidiol, popularly abbreviated as CBD, needs no introduction. CBD is the main compound in cannabis extracts that accounts for most of the plant’s pharmacological benefits.
Cannabidiol is commonly used for pain management. However, the compound can also help with several other ailments, including anxiety, insomnia, nausea, seizures, and inflammation, to mention but a few.
But as with any medicinal drug, it’s important to tread with caution while planning to administer CBD for therapeutic purposes. A considerable part of that cautious approach includes determining the right amount of CBD oil to consume.
How Does CBD Oil Treat Pain?
To understand the effects of CBD oil on pain management, it’s best to start by familiarizing yourself with how the body receives and transmits pain signals.
Pain signals are transmitted by receptors commonly known as nociceptors. These receptors operate within a cell-signalling system called the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system not only hosts nociceptors. The system also contains receptors that determine how the body perceives appetite changes, mood swings, inflammatory responses, and other physiological processes.
Besides its dense network of receptors, the endocannabinoid system also maintains a host of chemical neurotransmitters that support its overall functions. These neurotransmitters include hormones and enzymes.
Now, CBD oil treats pain by impacting the vanilloid receptor, a nociceptor widely studied for its role in pain management. Studies have also shown that a full-spectrum CBD vape pen may treat pain by stimulating anandamide signalling. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid neurotransmitter that significantly influences the body’s pain-signalling mechanisms. CBD oil stimulates anandamide signalling by blocking fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), an enzyme notorious for degrading anandamide.
Further Research on CBD’s Analgesic Properties
Cannabidiol oil has been widely studied for its analgesic properties. Findings from these studies indicate that the compound could help with both acute and chronic pain.
In a 2011 animal study, researchers found that CBD could reduce inflammation-induced pain in rats by impacting the body’s pain-signalling processes. The findings from the 2011 research were corroborated by those from a 2016 study, which established that applying CBD oil topically might alleviate the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis.
A more recent study suggests that cannabidiol oil not only addresses pain directly. The substance may also treat various side effects of pain, such as inflammation, anxiety, and insomnia.
Other chronic pain diseases that you can manage using cannabidiol oil besides arthritis include;
- Cancer pain
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Endometriosis pain
- Migraines
- Pancreatitis pain
How Much CBD Oil Should You Take For Pain Relief?
Potency is a crucial consideration while planning your cannabidiol oil doses.
Also known as strength or concentration, the potency of cannabidiol refers to the percentage of CBD in a product. This concentration is commonly given in milligrams per millilitre (mg/ml).
Note that CBD’s strength differs from one product to another. All other factors held constant; higher CBD potency should translate to lower serving amounts.
That underscores the importance of reading the ingredients list of CBD oil before purchasing the product. The packaging label generally indicates the concentration of CBD in the bottle. This potency can range from as little as 5 milligrams of cannabidiol to as many as 5000 mg.
However, knowing the total concentration of cannabidiol in CBD oil is only half the work. The other half involves working out the potency per serving. Remember, you won’t be consuming the entire product in one sitting.
Fortunately, CBD oil usually comes with a dropper. The dropper is incorporated into the package to help accurately measure CBD doses.
One drop of CBD oil measured from a standard dropper is 0.05 millilitres. The implication here is that a 10-millilitre bottle of CBD oil would contain 200 drops.
Now, assume that the entire product contains 2,000 milligrams. Therefore, it would mean that the potency of CBD in the product is 2,000/10 = 200mg/ml. And since a single drop is 0.05 millilitres, we can determine the actual amount of CBD consumed per drop as 200 x 0.05 = 10 mg.
Since you now know the standard amount of CBD in a single drop, you can determine the number of drops to consume depending on your doses. For instance, if your ideal CBD dose is 50 mg per serving, then you’ll need five drops each time.
In addition to CBD potency, the severity of pain is another significant aspect to consider when determining the amount of cannabidiol to consume for pain relief.
Pain differs in severity. Acute pain tends to be sharper and more unbearable compared to chronic pain. However, acute pain may only last for a couple of hours or days, whereas chronic pain may persist for years.
Here’s a guide to the average amount of CBD to consume based on the condition you’re suffering from;
Arthritis Pain: 200 – 300 mg per day, split into three servings
Cancer Pain: 150 – 300 mg per day, divided into three servings
Fibromyalgia: 100 – 300 mg per day, divided into three servings
Endometriosis Pain: 100 – 200 mg per day, divided into three servings
Multiple Sclerosis Pain – 100 – 200 mg per day, divided into three servings
Workouts-induced Pain – 100 mg per dose, whenever required
Final Word
There’s no standard dosage of CBD oil for pain relief. Servings generally depend on CBD potency and the nature of pain you’re suffering from.
