In the United States, we live in an “instant gratification” culture.
That package we ordered? We want it tomorrow (today if possible). Web pages loading too slowly? We want better internet service. That work we PayPal’d you for? We want payment now.
This is a gradual but constant process. In other words, you must have patience.
Living in this gotta have it now milieu, it’s perfectly natural that our expectations are pretty high when it comes to CBD providing us with “instant relief” — especially since it’s been hyped by some sources as being everything from a miracle cure to God’s plant. While some people do experience results relatively quickly, if you try it a few times and don’t notice any difference, don’t give up, because you are missing out on all the potential benefits it has in store for you.
So How Long Does It Take?
To answer that question, let’s first look at how CBD works. Inside your body, you have what’s called an endocannabinoid system (which was discovered by scientists in the mid-1990s). The endocannabinoid system acts on multiple systems in our bodies including the cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive and nervous systems. It sends out neurotransmitters to all our body parts to check whether everything is running smoothly. If it finds a problem, it sends out instructions on how to fix it.
Unfortunately, the endocannabinoid system is easy to throw out of whack. Your diet, how much you exercise, your stress level and so on can take a toll on it.
The cannabis plant comprises more than 100 cannabinoids, of which CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are the most prevalent. It’s our good fortune — and perhaps nature’s plan — that the cannabis plant interacts positively with our endocannabinoid system, which controls so many of our vital functions.
THC and CBD, while they both have healing benefits, interact differently with our endocannabinoid system. THC, which is intoxicating (i.e., it will get you high), binds to the endocannabinoid receptors. CBD does not. It works primarily by blocking the enzymes that are inflicting damage on the endocannabinoids naturally produced in your body. This is a gradual but constant process. In other words, you must have patience.
Bonnie Goldstein, author of Cannabis Is Medicine, recommends taking CBD daily for between two and four weeks at minimum to fully access its effectiveness. She adds that "we are different in the way we absorb and metabolize and respond to these compounds."
Which begs the question: What factors will affect the health benefits each of us will experience with CBD?
- Dosage– It’s important to take CBD daily to maximize results received. Plus, you may need to increase your daily dose to experience positive results from CBD. Conversely, if you feel a bit off after taking CBD, you might need to cut back. Dose is also dependent on body weight: the more you have, the more CDB you will need. Initially, you may want to follow the dosage instructions supplied on the product label, and consider journaling about your CBD activity. Over time you should find your “sweet spot.”
- Delivery method – The bioavailability percentage (the proportion of CBD that has an active effect on the body) varies by the form of CBD you take.. If one delivery method isn’t giving you the results you think it should, try a different delivery method to determine what works best for the problem you are trying to manage.
- Quality – Not all CBD is created equal. To ensure you are getting the CBD promised on the label always look for third-party test results on the company’s website. (For Zebra CBD’s third-party Certificates of Analysis, click here.)
- Full-spectrum — This type of CBD provides the full benefits of the “entourage effect,”in which the various phytocannabinoids work together to enhance the overall effect CBD has on your body.
In one of Aesop’s most famous fables, “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs,” a man possesses a goose that each day lays a glittering, golden egg. Soon, not satisfied with one egg per day, he kills the goose so he can have all the eggs at once. With the goose dead, it can lay no more golden eggs. While the moral of the story is “greed often overreaches itself,” another takeaway is..
Patience is a virtue.
While it may not be true in every situation, it is with CBD. If you are willing to stick with it and to experiment with different forms of CBD, your golden moment will come.
