GUIDE TO VAPING CBD
You vape CBD just like using a normal vape device – fill your tank with CBD e-liquid (not just any CBD Oil!) and activate with the fire button - or if they come in pre-filled cartridges, attach your CBD cartridge to your E-Cigarette and vape away! Just keep in mind that CBD stored cold will work your battery harder, so warm your CBD e-liquid if it’s kept in the fridge.
INTRODUCTION
You may have heard of CBD by now, and the positive effects it can produce, but did you know you can also vape CBD?
If you aren’t sure what CBD is though, and what it can do to help, then read on and see what the science says and how it works.
WHAT IS CBD?
Before we talk about how to vape CBD oil, it’s a good idea to understand what CBD is and where it comes from.
CBD (otherwise known as Cannabidiol) is a naturally occurring compound taken from hemp plants and cannabis. It probably isn’t new information that Cannabis has some health benefits, and scientists now think that a lot of these positive effects stem from CBD.
CBD though isn’t just cannabis put into oil form, the CBD is extracted from hemp and cannabis to carefully make sure that all the good stuff is kept, and anything unwanted is removed.
By “good stuff” we mean the other hundreds of helpful chemicals in the cannabis plant that can also be included in CBD oil, such as terpenes and amino acids. As the research is still new on CBD scientists as of yet don’t know which chemicals help with what. In fact, almost everything in the cannabis plant can be helpful!
In CBD isolate and broad spectrum CBD products there is something that is removed, and that is the THC. This is another chemical you might have heard of, as it is the reason that cannabis is a psychoactive drug (and why cannabis is illegal).
When CBD is made then the THC is taken out, which means that CBD vape juice or CBD oils will not get you “high” (and why they are legal to sell).
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CBD?
Vaping CBD seems to help with a lot of different issues, and as more studies on CBD come out the more we see how it can help. So far studies are suggesting CBD affect:
- Diabetes
- Focus and concentration
- Anxiety and panic disorders
- Arthritis and inflammation
- Chronic pain
- Insomnia and trouble sleeping
- Multiple sclerosis
As you can see effects of CBD can help with a wide range of issues, with pain, sleep and inflammation being the main 3 at this current time. However there have been interesting studies that show CBD can also help with your mental health as well.
CBD does this all by boosting and activating the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system (ED for short) is a group of neurotransmitters and receptors which are everywhere in your body including your brain, organs and spine.
By boosting this system, CBD seems to be able to make it work harder, helping with everything mentioned here.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CBD
If you start looking into trying CBD you will see a range of CBD being sold. They are all CBD, but how they are made and what they can contain will each be different.
Each type is focusing for a slightly different effect, and so is made up slightly differently.
There are three main types of CBD you can find are:
Full Spectrum CBD Oil - This CBD type is trying to keep as much of the cannabis plant as possible. In the removal method to get rid of the THC, the full spectrum tries to take out as little as possible. Due to this full spectrum will have all the amino acids and terpenes that can be useful, but might well contain some THC
Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil - This type tries, like full spectrum, to keep as much of the cannabis plant in the CBD oil, however this type makes certain that the CBD is THC free.
Isolate CBD Oil - This type is just the CBD compound, with no other cannabinoids, terpenes or THC.
Here at SMOKO we offer the broad spectrum type in our CBD oils and CBD gummies, as you not only get the CBD but all the other cannabinoids and terpenes that can help, without the risk of THC.
IS CBD LEGAL IN THE UK?
As we mentioned before, there is no THC in CBD oil, which means it is absolutely legal in the UK.
No legal CBD will have THC in, or if it does the CBD has to be less than 0.3% in the UK, which means CBD isn't psychoactive and isn’t considered a “drug” like cannabis is.
But legal doesn’t always mean safe to use, but the good news is that CBD is also safe to use as well!
Early studies are showing that CBD, when used in moderation, doesn’t seem to have side effects for the majority of people. Even among those who did report side effects, they only reported minor side effects like mild drowsiness. Studies such as this one have been going for a few years now, and as of yet there have been no signs of long term issues.
But perhaps the biggest endorsement of CBD’s safety and legality is that the MHRA (Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency) is now open to CBD’s being classified as a medicine.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER BEFORE PURCHASING CBD?
One big caveat to the safety of CBD is that it needs to be produced correctly, and the product contains the right levels of cannabinoids. The good news though is that it is easy to tell that before you buy.
With all CBD products a seller should provide a certificate showing exactly what is in the CBD liquid. That certificate should be from an independent lab that has tested and approved of the CBD.
If the seller is on the up and up, then you will be able to find this certificate before even buying any CBD from them.
For example at SMOKO we put a link to the certificates on each and every CBD product, so everyone who wants to buy CBD from us can check before they buy.
Also where the CBD made can be important as well. Here at SMOKO we are proud of the fact that all our CBD is made in the UK and so has to be up to UK standards.
The last thing to consider before you buy CBD is the strength.
With CBD it is always a good idea to start on a low strength and gradually increase the strength to find exactly what works for you.
CBD VAPE LIQUIDS
Now that we have explained what CBD is, we can go into what CBD Vape liquids are and how they are different from other CBD.
To put it simply, CBD Vape liquids are a type of CBD that you vapourise and breathe in.
Unlike other styles like the oral drops (that you put under your tongue) or gummies (that you eat) these liquids are designed to be made to be breathed in and absorbed by the lungs.
WHAT DOES CBD VAPE LIQUID CONSIST OF?
Before we explain what is in CBD Vape liquid something has to be made clear: DO NOT VAPE ANY CBD OIL NOT DESIGNED FOR VAPING.
As we just mentioned, there are different types of CBD, and it is vitally important that you only vapourise CBD that is designed for it. If you do use a CBD oil that is made for putting under the tongue, you have a chance of damaging your lungs.
When you buy CBD to vape then, please be certain that you can vape it safely!
CBD vape liquids are like any other e-liquid you put into your vaping devices, they are made up of the same 4 ingredients that have been proven to be effective for e-liquids, with added CBD.
The four ingredients a CBD e-liquid will be made up of:
Vegetable Glycerine (VG) - is normally made from soybean, coconut or palm oil. VG is used in a huge variety of food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products.
Propylene Glycol (PG) - Propylene Glycol has been the base ingredient in thousands of products for years. You can find PG in medicine, food (like ice cream) and more.
Flavouring - Normally food flavourings are used to give the e-liquid a nice taste.
CBD - Vaping liquid can contain CBD isolate or broad spectrum CBD here in the UK, and should have been tested to make sure that there is no THC or any other compound in.
These ingredients have been used for years in other products, and have also been used by E-Cigarettes as well to create a much less harmful way to consume nicotine.
WHY IS CBD USED FOR VAPING?
There are a few different ways to get CBD into your diet, from eating CBD gummies to CBD drops, to vaping it. Each one can be useful, and which one works for you will depend on what you want out of the CBD.
At the end of the day, though, it will be down to personal preference and how it affects your body.
VAPING CBD VS OTHER METHODS OF CONSUMING CBD
Vaping CBD rather than any other method does have a few advantages, with one of the biggest ones being that CBD e-liquids seem to be the most efficient way to take cannabidiol.
According to the study, due to the way that CBD is being absorbed by the lungs - there are a huge number of blood vessels in lungs - the CBD is absorbed the most as a vapour.
Consuming CBD from drops or food the absorption rate is about 12%, meaning only 12% of the CBD is actually getting into your body and helping. With vapour you can get up to 56% of the CBD!
Another benefit of vaping CBD is that gets in to the blood much quicker than the other options, taking about 20-30 minutes for the vapourised CBD to start working. Compare that to other methods which can take a few hours for you to feel the effects and you can see the difference.
As we said before though, there are downsides to vaping, in that it is much more obvious than other methods as it creates a cloud of vapour.
Vaping CBD can also make it harder to accurately control how much you take, as each puff will be slightly different. With the drops though you can accurately measure what you are taking in.
As we said before, it will all come down to your individual body and exactly what you are using CBD for. If you want to use CBD to help with your sleep or mental health then a slow and accurate drop system might be for you.
However if you want to be able to use it whenever you want, and want that CBD to affect you quickly, then vaping might be for you.
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF CBD E-LIQUIDS
If you have read this far, vaping CBD seems to be what you are going for, so the next step is to figure out what type of CBD e-liquid you want.
Currently there are 3 ways that you can your CBD e-liquid:
Bottles of CBD Vaping e-liquid - These will be for someone who has already got a refillable Vape kit. Vape kits come in all different shapes and sizes but to use bottles of CBD you will need one designed for CBD and that you change the coils, batteries etc. For someone just trying vaping for the first time these can be a bit fiddly. You will also need to replace the different parts of the vape kit, which can make bottles less cost effective.
Disposable CBD vape pens - These will seem like the easiest choice, as they are vape pens that you don’t have to refill or change coils (unlike the bottles). Everything is built into the disposable and once you are done with it you throw the whole thing away. For the environmentally conscious this won’t be great, and there is no changing flavours or re-charging the battery.
CBD Pods - A middle ground between the disposable types and the bottles. The Pods will be pre-filled (so you don’t have to mess around with changing coils or re-filling) but you can buy multiple refills and re-charge the battery. That means less plastic thrown away and the convenience of pre-filled in one package.
At SMOKO we have always been advocates of the pod system, as it is the best of both worlds. It allows for a hassle free way to vape CBD, but you get to have a battery that you can re-charge. You can also have multiple different flavours of pods which you can swap out at any time.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY CBD FOR VAPING?
As CBD is a growing business more and more places are starting to sell it. However if you want to get CBD that you can check the certificates to be certain of what you are buying (like we mentioned earlier), UK made and tested then your options shrink quite a bit!
Before you are buying anything that you are going to put into your body it is important that you don’t get the cheapest liquid you can get. It might save you a few pounds, but if it isn’t going to be effective, or worse has something in there that isn’t good for you, then you haven’t saved much in the long run.
GUIDE TO VAPING CBD: CONCLUSION
Although vaping CBD is still new, from studies so far it seems that it can be a great help for people with a wide variety of issues. If you want to use CBD in the most efficient and quickest method, then vaping will be the method for you.
Just make sure that the CBD liquid you are vaping is designed for vaping, and that you are getting it from a trusted source with provable certificates and you, too, can find out how effective CBD can be!
Try the UK's premium CBD range today!
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