Are you moody, guilty, sad, and hopeless? Do you often have angry outbursts at others? Do you have a loss of interest in co-workers, friends, and family members? If so, then you are probably depressed. Battling such a problem is challenging because different people respond in different ways to the condition and the provided therapies.
I’ve discovered that depression patients often start using pharmacotherapeutic medical treatments. Moreover, other patients find them to be ineffective and opt for alternative therapies. Cannabidiol (CBD) extracts are the most recent alternative treatment option. The CBD oil extracts are safe and effective and do not appear on marijuana tests.
CBD oil extracts’ quick and calming impact on the nervous system presents positive outcomes for patients experiencing depression. Read on to learn more about my research into its medical benefits in treating depression.
Top 5 Depression CBD Oils
Cannabidiol oil is manufactured through extraction, where CBD is removed from marijuana or hemp biomass and diluted in some carrier oil. There are many CBD oil concentrate brands in the market.
1. NuLeaf Naturals
The NuLeaf Naturals brand presents full-spectrum CBD oils with four potency variations. The brand has been in operation for over half a decade. The ProVerde Laboratory controls all brand quality issues.
2. Cheef Botanicals
This brand of cannabidiol oils is manufactured by the Cheef Botanicals firm, which has over two decades of experience. The full-spectrum CBD blend is extracted from Colorado Hemp.
3. Fab CBD
Fab CBD makes cannabidiol oils from Colorado farms hemp. This brand of CBD oils was established in 2017 and presents a wide array of other CBD products.
4. CBDistillery
The CBDistillery partners with Botanocor Services and ProVerde Lab in producing CBD extracts that have melatonin additions that improve sleep.
5. CBD Genesis
CBD Genesis is a sublingual oil concentrate containing CBD, MCT, and coconut oil. The oils are also infused with other non-intoxicating terpenes and cannabinoids.
Although these are just five of the top CBD oils on the market, hundreds, if not thousands are more available today. My best advice is always to ensure that you buy from a trusted company and that their CBD products come lab-tested.
Finding Your Perfect Dosage
The dosage may vary by brand because CBD oil products have varying potencies, and the absorption rate is determined by all the ingredients used. I recommend that you should establish your baseline dosage by taking approximately 2 mg to 5 mg two to three times a day.
If the dose doesn’t provide the desired effect, then increase the dose till you achieve the needed results. You can maintain the baseline dose for one week to analyze the effect of the CBD oil. Thereafter, you can increase the daily dosage from 1 mg to 2 mg every three days till you achieve a working dose that you should maintain.
If there are any adverse experiences, you should reverse your dosing process until you find the amount that works well for you. Note that your body weight, metabolism, CBD dosage, and frequency of use may affect your dosage.
How to Effectively Use CBD Oil for Depression
CBD oils work effectively when used sublingually. Ideally, you should thoroughly shake the CBD oil bottle before applying the recommended oil droplets under the tongue to mix the ingredients. You should then hold the droplets under the tongue for two minutes, gurgle, and swallow the droplets.
You can use it two to three times a day or according to the doctor’s recommendations. If the taste of CBD oil is unsavory, you may opt to take CBD oil capsules.
What Makes CBD Oil Ideal for Depression According to Research
There are plenty of documented advantages of using CBD in managing depression. However, a lot of the available information is speculative. Also, many of the research cases feature animal-based trials, and there are limited human-based trials and research results on the effects on human beings.
Experts believe that CBD oils are beneficial in depression treatment because they positively impact the brain’s serotonin receptors. Depression is likely connected to decreased serotonin levels. Cannabidiol helps to relieve depression by improving the ability of chemical receptors in your brain to respond to low serotonin levels.
A 2018 study concluded that cannabidiol has the potential to relieve stress, and it may also reduce the stress that accompanies depression. Another study showed that cannabidiol may have an advantage over antidepressant medication because of its quick action once it is taken into the body.
Antidepressants, on the other hand, may start working after several weeks, and some have more side effects than cannabidiol. CBD’s quick effect and fewer side effects make it my number one option for treating depression.
How Long Does CBD Oil Take to Work for Depression?
Sublingual application of CBD oils allows quick absorption of CBD extracts through the mucous membrane. And when the CBD oil drops are swallowed after a minute or two, they move into the digestive system and are then absorbed into the bloodstream.
The cannabidiol that is absorbed through the mucous membranes may be felt within a few minutes, and the optimal effect may be felt after 30 minutes. There will also be a second onset of a similar effect after two hours when the cannabidiol that was not absorbed sublingually goes through digestion and ends up in the user’s bloodstream.
Full Spectrum vs. Isolate Which is Better?
Full-spectrum cannabidiol and isolate cannabidiol are the two most common types of CBD extracts. The full spectrum CBD has CBD and other crucial compounds, including essential oils and terpenes:
- The CBD isolate only contains pure cannabidiol. However, the full-spectrum CBD may also have a small percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC -0.3%) in it.
- The THC has a psychoactive effect, but it might be too low to cause any ‘high’ feeling. Pure CBD is often obtained from hemp plants with very low THC. I often use CBD isolates when I need to take high doses of the cannabidiol compound. The isolates are also ideal if you are sensitive to THC or don’t prefer products with THC.
- The full-spectrum CBD oils may show positive results in marijuana tests because these extracts have some THC. Most people prefer CBD isolates if they have an impending drug test. However, the full-spectrum CBD extracts are more potent in effect because they contain other compounds that work together to relieve depression.
The combination of effects from different compounds is known as the “entourage effect.” Full-spectrum CBD is also more effective in pain relief and is more natural than CBD isolate.
Side Effects
A study shows that CBD can be safe and non-toxic under controlled administration. The compound does not induce any changes in dietary intake or physiological body changes in blood pressure, body temperature, or heart rate.
However, the study also reveals a few known minor side effects of using CBD oils after an extended period of time.
These include:
- A dry mouth.
- Drowsy feelings.
- Hepatic drug metabolism inhibition.
- Lightheadedness.
- High body tremor for Parkinson’s patients who take a high dose of CBD.
Now that you know CBD’s potential side effects and benefits, how do you choose the right product? Let’s see what I find out.
What To Look For When You Buy CBD Oil For Depression?
The use of CBD oil has increased since the US Congress enacted the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized industrial hemp growth and CBD use. Currently, many brands of CBD oils and other CBD products are on the market. But how can you pick an ideal product from the several options available?
Here are some of the key considerations to make:
- Know the source of the hemp used to make your CBD. Good CBD should be extracted from organically grown hemp with no harmful pesticides and other agrochemical residues.
- Ascertain the THC content in the CBD oil. I prefer cannabidiol products with a high amount of CBD because of the high potency such products present.
- Check the label for ingredients: Some CBD oil extracts have pure CBD, but some brands add other ingredients, such as MCT oils and melatonin, to help provide additional health benefits. Watch out for extracts containing vegetable glycerin, glycol, and propylene, as they can harm your health.
- Check the pricing and review the laboratory report to ensure the CBD oil has an ideal potency and no contaminants. Ideally, compare prices of similar products and choose a cheaper brand.
While CBD oil comes in many different forms of consumption, CBD oils appear to be the most popular in the US and other countries abroad.
Are There Any Takeaways of CBD Oil for Depression?
CBD may be reliable in reducing depression by relieving depression-related stress and improving brain receptors’ response to low serotonin levels. I recommend buying unadulterated CBD oils with high purity and CBD percentage to achieve the best CBD extract effect.
Moreover, always source your CBD oils from reputable shops that stock known brands to avoid falling victim to counterfeit products. The main danger of consuming counterfeit products is that the dosage amount may not be clear, and the ingredients used may not be correctly indicated on the label.
