CBD has grown in popularity recently, with people adding it to their health and wellbeing routines for many reasons.
One of the best qualities of CBD is being able to take it in several different ways: whether it's via oil drops, capsules (which we don't recommend), or even as a CBD face cream. However, this variety also means people want to know how long CBD will stay in their system.
So, how long does CBD stay in your system?
How long CBD stays in your system depends on a couple of factors, but, generally speaking, CBD tends to stay in most people's systems for two to five days.
While most people's systems keep CBD around for an average of two to five days, that's not the case for everyone. Everyone's body is different, and just because CBD stays in your system for two days doesn't mean your best friend's body will flush it out quickly.
Let's look at some of the factors that cause this supplement's length of time in your system.
The main factors that dictate how long CBD stays in your system are:
Like many other supplements, how often you use CBD will affect how long it stays in your system.
If you've used CBD for one day and then stopped for a week, it'd likely be out of your system in a matter of days. This estimation does not consider other factors such as height, weight, or why you're taking CBD.
In contrast, if you're using CBD every day, it will stay in your system for much longer than someone who only takes it every so often.
This factor is similar to how often you use CBD. Using higher doses of CBD will likely stay in your system longer than a smaller quantity.
This applies to both the strength and volume of the CBD you're taking, so it's essential to know the strength and dose size of your CBD.
Did you know that how you take CBD determines how long it stays in your system?
If you prefer to vape your CBD, that product enters your body quickly and leaves your body quicker than taking it another way.
When you use a CBD oil drop underneath your tongue, your body absorbs it quickly, but they stay in your bloodstream for longer. CBD oils taken this way can remain in your system for up to eight hours.
When you eat food (CBD edibles or CBD gummies) or drink water-soluble CBD, your body takes longer to process the substance, which means it can take longer to work but will also stay in your system longer.
Another major factor determining how long CBD stays in your system is how fast or slow your metabolism is.
If your metabolism is fast, it will process the substance faster than someone with a slower metabolism. A fast-working metabolism means CBD won't stay in your system for very long.
What and when you eat goes hand-in-hand with your metabolism.
When you take CBD with food or have food in your stomach, your body will take longer to flush it from your system.
If you take CBD on an empty or nearly empty stomach, your body will digest it faster, leaving your system relatively quickly.
When you take CBD orally, it goes into your digestive system and then to the stomach. From there, it goes to your liver, which metabolises before entering your bloodstream.
Taking CBD oil sublingually, on the other hand, means the CBD is diffused into the bloodstream through the tissue and blood vessels underneath the tongue.
If you prefer to smoke or vape CBD (which, being a health and wellbeing brand, we don't recommend), it enters the body and goes to the lungs first. From there, the substance will enter the bloodstream.
Topical CBD is used to target a specific area of the body. When you apply CBD to your skin, it's absorbed through the skin and takes longer to reach the bloodstream.
The same factors determining how long CBD stays in your system determine how quickly you'll feel the effects.
When smoking or vaping CBD, you should generally feel the effects within 15 minutes, whereas ingesting CBD may take an hour or two before it has made its way into your bloodstream.
Remember that this will vary from person to person based on several factors.
For example, if you haven't eaten breakfast yet but take CBD orally, you may feel the effect quicker than you would if you'd eaten breakfast before taking it.
Your body weight and composition can also affect your experience while using CBD.
It's worth noting at this point that CBD does not have any singular use or benefit.
Furthermore, some people may notice it very easily when using CBD; for others, it can be much more subtle. Being a natural (and very safe) supplement, it's essential to be patient when using CBD.
Ensure you give it time to build up in your system, as well as take the time to find the dose that suits you best, which may involve some playing around with the dose.
We have seen a number of occasions where someone has stopped using CBD because they do not feel it offered any benefit, only to realise it had actually started to take effect when they stopped taking it.
How long you'll feel the effects of CBD depends on the same factors that determine how long it stays in your system.
One of the reasons we recommend dosing our oral drops up to three times a day is many people feel a two to six-hour gap helps keep their levels stable - though this is by no means a hard and fast rule.
If you take CBD every day, you will likely begin to feel the effects for less time as your body gets accustomed to the product, so you may need to take a higher dose of CBD or take it more often to have the effects last as long as you'd like them to.
CBD itself will not show up on any drug test you take as this is not usually a substance that is tested for. Most drug tests screen for THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and its metabolites, not CBD.
THC is the component in cannabis that makes you feel high and that is typically included in a drug test, so the presence of THC could show up on a drug test.
If you're using a full-spectrum CBD product that contains trace amounts of THC, then there is a theoretical chance that this could result in a positive test result. However, it's worth noting that you would need to use exceptionally high amounts for this to be possible in most cases - even if drinking a whole bottle of CBD a day, the actual amounts of THC in a reputable product are minute.
The type of drug test will also play a role.
For example, a standard work-related drug test is very unlikely to pick up trace levels of THC from using a legal full-spectrum CBD oil in the amounts taken for a standard daily dose.
However, tests that professional athletes take are much more sensitive to banned substances. If you need to ensure it doesn't contain any THC, choosing a product made from broad-spectrum CBD or CBD isolate is an option. CBD isolate is an entirely THC-free product and will not appear on any drug test.
If you're concerned about drug testing while using CBD, it may also be worth speaking to your employer or other relevant party involved in the testing. With the growing popularity of CBD, plus the fact it is legal, they can confirm their position and may even be perfectly fine with it being used.
N/B: Urine tests are less likely to show detect THC. Drug tests that are more likely to show THC are hair follicle tests, blood tests and saliva tests.
While several factors contribute to how long CBD will stay in your system, it's impossible to know the amount of time it will take.
Generally, it will stay in your system for two to five days, but factors like how much you take, how often, and whether you take it with food will determine how long it will last.
CBD is generally well tolerated by most people and is perfectly safe and legal, so it's worth trying it as part of your health and wellbeing regime to see if you find it beneficial.
Bioavailability:?Bioavailability | 99% |
CBD content:?CBD content | 800mg | 1600mg | 4000mg |
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Daily use: | Once daily |
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