The Ultimate A-To-Z Mega Guide To Micro Dosing Pure CBD Oil
The Ultimate A-To-Z Mega Guide To Micro Dosing CBD
If you are reading this page, odds are that you have already tried CBD, you like the personal effects it has for you and you may be looking for “deeper” information about the best ways to take it.
Luckily, this “mega-guide” fits the bill perfectly for that, because it covers one of the latest trends in the CBD world: micro-dosing.
So why has this method of dosing become so popular lately? Simple.
CBD is still relatively new without a lot of specific dosing information. What works for one person’s may work differently for others when it comes too using CBD oil or even CBD Vape.
On top of that, everyone’s endocannabinoid system will react differently to CBD.
That’s why micro-dosing is becoming much more popular. It is a precise method for learning the exact dose of CBD you should be taking. And with the benefit of cutting-edge scientific strategies backing it up, it may well become YOUR favorite method of dosing pure CBD oil, too.
In this guide, we are going to go through every aspect of micro-dosing, from its very interesting history, to what it does to your body, and all the way to how to do it, plus the kinds of conditions that may benefit from long-term micro-dosing. Let’s get started!
What Is Micro-Dosing
So for starters, what exactly is micro-dosing? Micro dosing is based on the idea that sometimes taking more of medicine is not always the best way to get the maximum effect. In our western society, it’s often assumed that taking more medicine is better when that might not be the case.
Here at Pure Hemp we make no claims that CBD is a medicine and CBD was not intended to treat any serious conditions. Micro-dosing CBD was intended only as a form of dosing for finding your personal preference.
Micro dosing is the practice of taking much smaller amounts of a medicine, more regularly, so that you can gain the benefits for either a longer period of time or manage your dose in such a way as to achieve a different effect.
The idea seems to be that you can take CBD to interact with your body on a specific physiological level without “overdoing” it. Instead of dumping your entire dose into your system all at once, you can microdose and get a longer and sometimes stronger effect.
For example, if you take a big dose once a day, it is likely to not all get absorbed in one go, and it will wear off relatively quickly.
But if you take multiple smaller doses throughout the day – totaling up to the same amount, you can prolong the effects of your CBD oil and improve your physical, emotional, and mental comfort.
And there are many benefits to taking CBD this way. Mostly, it’s just being able to find your “sweet spot” and then stay there.
Finding Your “Sweet Spot”
The sweet spot is that magic dosage that triggers the feeling of overall wellness – the point of micro-dosing is to discover that level and then keep yourself there for a long time. Think about it this way:
If you take too low of a dose, then you won’t have much effect at all, and if you are taking too high of a dose, then you may not be gaining any additional benefits from it, and it will wear off sooner than if you spread out your dosage.
Micro dosing is the balance between these two extremes. So how can you tell when you reach the perfect sweet spot?
While that decision is actually subjective, and totally up to you; ie. no one but you is going to be able to know exactly when you’ve hit the right dosage…
There are methods of micro-dosing that seem to work better than others and can help you discover the perfect dosage for your needs faster than any others.
But before we explain the exact methods you can use to determine your sweet spot, how did micro-dosing come about? It actually has a very fascinating history.
A Brief History of Micro Dosing
Some people believe that micro-dosing began as long ago as the dawn of humanity. Terence McKenna was the main contributor to this theory because trace amounts of psilocybin (a psychedelic found in mushrooms) were found in the mushrooms that early homo sapiens ate.1
He theorized that these microdoses may have contributed to homo sapiens’ “out-of-the-box thinking” and allowed us to evolve our intellects to become the super-intelligent humans of today.
It’s certainly true that humans have a long history of discovering natural medicines and this may have come from micro-dosing until they found a “minimum effective dose” on accident.
So in a way, micro-dosing may have led to the discovery of many of the herbs and substances we use today to treat our maladies.
Modern Micro dosing
The modern, formalized form of intentional micro-dosing, however, was discovered much later. It all started in the 1930s when a man named Albert Hofmann discovered a potent psychedelic called LSD.
When Albert made his landmark discovery of LSD, he used it to conduct experiments on himself.1
But instead of taking massive psychedelic doses that would cause the kind of “trip” straight out of a 1960’s music video, he eventually settled on “micro-dosing” as his preferred method of ingestion.
This would primarily be taking small amounts to gain positive physical effects from LSD without experiencing the psychedelic effects.1
In fact, by some accounts, Albert was micro-dosing LSD for the final 20 years of his life! He was able to keep up with a full lecturing schedule and maintain excellent health.1
Albert was a very healthy man who lived to be 102 years old!1 So in a way, no one can say he was wrong about the benefits of micro-dosing and you might even say it could have contributed to his long life span.
Pharmaceutical Micro dosing
Disclaimer: Pure Hemp Shop makes no claims that CBD can cure, treat, or prevent any illnesses, whether that is mental, physical, or emotional. All data here was provided from customer experience with our products. If you have any serious medical issues we recommend you consult your doctor. Pure Hemp CBD Products are only designed to help promote an overall sense of wellness.
There is even a pharmaceutical version of micro-dosing that every new pharmaceutical company has to go through before running clinical trials on a new drug. This is called a “phase 0 study”.
Instead of active doses, human participants in the study are given extremely low doses of a drug so that they don’t receive the full effect of a normal dose, but it still affects them on a cellular/physical level.
Then the doctors monitor the participants, and the cellular response is studied to determine if the drug is ready for a full clinical trial.1
This is the way some people use micro-dosing as well, discovering the right dosage and experiencing the effects of CBD in a very light way and keeping track of their encouraging results.
Why MicroDose CBD?
Obviously, CBD is extraordinarily different from LSD in a large number of ways. CBD is 100% natural, not created in a lab – and it also doesn’t produce intoxicating or mind-altering effects. But micro-dosing can still be very useful for CBD users to get the maximum benefit out of their CBD oil when it comes to promoting on an overall sense of wellness.
The purpose of micro-dosing LSD was mainly to avoid the negative side effects. Since CBD doesn’t have any negative side effects, and it’s not dangerous at any dosage, the reasons for micro-dosing CBD are completely different.
In fact, micro-dosing CBD has almost the opposite effect. Instead of lessening the effect, the main purpose of micro-dosing CBD is to prolong its effects or to achieve a specific effect. Here’s how that works.
Physiological
Probably the most interesting thing about micro-dosing is that CBD has been shown to have dosage-dependent effects on your body and mental state. When you take different amounts, it can have a totally different effect.
For example, small doses of CBD have been shown to make people more alert , while larger doses have been shown to have a more relaxed effect.2
Micro dosing is allowing you to “tune in” to that perfect dosage where you get the benefits you are looking to get, and then prolong that effect for as long as you need it.
Since CBD works to balance the endocannabinoid system in your body, it would make sense that maintaining a balanced level of CBD in your body throughout the day would be help support many issues. CBD is still in it's infancy stage of research so no true claims can be made yet.
Dumping a big dose once a day might not be the best way to take your CBD for all of these reasons.
Half-Life Of CBD
Another thing to remember when you are micro-dosing CBD is how long it stays active in your body or its “half-life”.
CBD has an effective half-life of roughly 4 hours.3 This means that it stays active in your system, with perceptible effects for 4 hours. After that, your body has already used up enough CBD so that it’s no longer having any effect.
…Yet another reason that micro-dosing is so valuable. Without refueling your endocannabinoid system every 4 hours, your CBD “tank” will run dry and you won’t feel the same benefits later on in the day.
More Differences Between Micro dosing And Regular Dosing
Overall, there are many differences between micro-dosing pure CBD oil and using it “the regular way”. “Regular use” involves taking your entire dosage in one lump sum every day, whereas micro-dosing means spreading it out throughout the day.
When you microdose, you may be able to get more effect from less CBD because you are helping your body keep it “in stock” in readily-available concentrations throughout the day, instead of creating a “feast or famine” environment of “all-you-can-eat” CBD followed by a drought.
And you can really “tune in” to the perfect dose for your needs. Who knows, maybe for you to go to sleep in the evening, you really do need to take your whole dose all at once right before you go to bed. But without experimenting with micro-dosing, you’ll never truly know.
Micro dosing is not for everyone, it requires some patience and restraint, as well as good time management and consistent reporting skills so you can note how you feel throughout the day. But if you can accomplish these requirements, micro-dosing will give you a much better handle on the right dosage for CBD and how to maintain “peak performance” all day long.
Which Kind Of Pure CBD Oil Is Best For Micro dosing?
It’s worth mentioning the different kinds of CBD oil in this mega-guide so that you’ll be fully aware of what kinds are out there and which kind would be the best for micro-dosing.
Cannabis CBD is refined from the flowers and leaves of Sativa marijuana plants, which also have THC in them initially. Although most Cannabis CBD oil has been isolated from the THC, leaving only trace amounts, there are in fact still CBD oils with a higher amount of THC in them.
As long as you are aware that this kind of pure CBD oil may have more THC in it, then the choice to use this kind of oil is up to you. But be aware that if you get an oil with THC in it, you’ll also be micro-dosing THC.
Hemp CBD is from a different kind of plant altogether. The hemp plant is marijuana’s sister plant which has less than 0.3% THC in it naturally and very high concentrations of CBD. So with hemp oil, you can be sure you’re only getting practically NO THC and lots of high-grade CBD.
Additionally, hemp CBD is the only kind of CBD oil that also has a “full-spectrum” of hundreds of other natural components in with produce the “entourage effect”. These include vitamins, minerals, natural terpenes, flavanols, and plant fats.
In fact, hemp has been shown to contain 113 other cannabinoids in it!4 Not all of these have been studied, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that natural hemp provides the highest health benefits in comparison to CBD alone.6
In addition, there are also terpenes in Hemp “full-spectrum” CBD oil which has been extensively studied and shown to provide a variety of their own health benefits.7
Which brings us to our final kind of CBD oil…
CBD Isolate. Essentially this is CBD that has been completely removed (or even synthesized in a lab) to be 99% pure, without any other compounds in it. This kind of CBD might be useful for micro-dosing and discovering the effect of just CBD by itself, but considering that hemp CBD is great for promoting general wellness.
Our best recommendation of the kind of CBD oil you should use for micro-dosing is full-spectrum, pure hemp CBD oil.
Exactly How Should You MicroDose CBD?
There are probably other ways to try and microdose CBD than what we are publishing here. But this is a very logical and methodical way to start, based on a recent interview Dr. Dustin Solak gave to Rolling Stone about the subject.2
It has worked for us and for a lot of other micro-dosing CBD, so it should be helpful for you as well!
Before you start, it’s best to clear your tolerance for CBD by not taking it for a couple of days. Obviously, if you are managing pain then this won’t work. But the idea is to allow the CBD in your system to be fully used up before you begin micro-dosing so you can accurately judge the results.2
Now, before you start, you have to establish your “baseline” – so ask yourself on a scale from 1-10 these questions:
- How comfortable and calm does your body feel?
- How easy is it for you to smile authentically, to feel content and grateful?
- How would you rate your symptoms?
Once you have the answer to those 3 questions on a scale from 1-10, you are ready to begin. The method we’ll talk about is called the Hourly Micro dosing method.
Step-By-Step Instructions On The Hourly Micro dosing Method
Step One is to take the minimum dose of CBD oil that you can with your preferred method of ingestion. For instance, if you prefer to use sublingual CBD, then you will take one drop.
Or, if you use CBD vape you will take one puff. If you have gummies, you’ll just take one.
Step Two: write down how you feel after 1 hour, using the same scale we used before (the three questions listed above). Then you will take one more of the minimum dose every hour.
For example, you’ll take one drop the first hour, then 2 drops the second hour, then 3 drops the third hour, and so on and so forth.
Step Three: if you don’t get any effects on the first day, then you’ll pick up where you left off on the next day. For example, if 11 drops are the last dosage you took in the evening last night, you’ll start today with 12 drops.
Step Four: when you begin to get noticeable effects, and your scores on the 3 questions start to go up, then you’ve found your minimum effective dose.
To figure out how much CBD you have in your system currently, add up the CBD you’ve taken in the last 4 hours (since it is effective for 4 hours). For example, 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 = 50 drops.
Then if you want to maintain that level, you can dose ¼ of that every hour and you will keep about 50 drops in your system at all times.
Step Five: Keep raising the dose until you see no further improvement in your scores to those 3 questions. When you’ve found your “peak” dose, follow the instructions above under step four and you will be able to maintain that peak dose all day long!
Micro dosing Differences Between CBD Products
You truly can use any CBD oil-based product for micro-dosing, yet you should remain aware that each and every product has a different potency and concentration.
Some CBD oils may have 7,500 mg of CBD in a 30 ml bottle, while others may have 750 mg in the same size bottle. The first one is fully ten times more powerful than the second. So if you switch products, you’ll have to adjust your dosage accordingly. Some popular CBD dosages are 1500 mg cbd oil.
Absorption Rates Of CBD Products
You should also be aware of the different absorption rates of different products because you’ll need to know how to switch between one and the other and maintain your perfect dosing.
Oral consumption (edibles) has the lowest absorption rate of 4-20%. This is because your stomach destroys a lot of the pure CBD oil while digesting it.
Sublingual (tinctures) have a higher absorption rate of 12-35%. That’s because it absorbs through the mucous membrane under your tongue directly into your bloodstream.
Finally, using CBD Vape through vaporization has the highest absorption rate at 34-46%. It is absorbed directly through your lungs and straight into your bloodstream.
Lotions and topical applications have a more local effect on the area directly around the skin they are on, and usually just absorb directly into those cells.
This is important to remember because if your perfect microdose is 10 puffs of CBD vape every hour, then if/when you switch to edibles like gummies, you’ll have to take almost ten times as much to achieve the same effect.
Are You Ready To Master The “Art Of The MicroDose”?
So what do you think? Are you ready to try micro-dosing your CBD oil after reading this entire guide?
Let’s recap the benefits:
- The prolonged, stronger effect, possibly even while using less CBD than you do now
- Being able to “tune into” the perfect dosage for the effects YOU want
- Being able to know exactly how much CBD your body wants and needs
- No longer playing “the guessing game” with your dosage!
- Provide your body with nourishing CBD all day long instead of one big dose a day
Once you’ve mastered this skill, you’ll be able to keep your body and brain on an even keel all throughout the day, balanced with the perfect amount of CBD to help you feel your best! You won’t have the “hills and valleys” most people experience with their pain, mood, or life.
Tweaking in that perfect balance may not be for everyone, but we’re betting if you’re still reading this guide at this point, then that sounds pretty appealing to you. Hopefully, this guide has given you everything you need to start your new adventure in micro-dosing!
If you are looking for some more CBD oil products to help with your upcoming micro-dosing experiments, then head over to our shop and fill up!
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