PART 2
In this last post of my short series on the recent experience I had with hemp oil and what I learned, I am sharing how I determined what dosage to take and a few tips when starting. While there is a large amount of data and reports showing excellent safety results and a wide tolerance of doses in adults, if you have any concern, you should always discuss it with your doctor or a professional who is experienced in treating clients with hemp oil. That said, here are some interesting data on safety and dosing I came across in my research in choosing to take hemp oil.
How much hemp/CBD oil to take?
In my first post about using CBD for my Crohn’s, I described the trial-and-error period I had when trying to determine how much to take. I started with a pretty low dose compared to what I am taking now. In the beginning, I started with the Endoca hemp oil at a dose that provide about 10mg of CBD+CBDA. While that was beneficial for my skin issues, it didn’t affect my Crohn’s symptoms. Eventually, I worked my way up to 100mg per day of CBD+CBDA and have finally noticed relief of my Crohn’s symptoms (remember, I wasn’t in a complete flare up, just experiencing some minor bloating, cramping, and both blood and mucus in my stool…so I’d be interested to hear in the comments if anyone has tried hemp oil while in a moderate or severe flare and found that it helped you get back to remission).
One of the key things I discovered in reading through the vast amounts of information available on hemp oil is that there is a distinct bell-shaped curve of effectiveness for isolated CBD. Too little won’t be effective, but too much will also not be effective. However, when using a full-spectrum hemp oil (an oil that contains a wide variety of cannabinoids, such as CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBDV, etc.), the effectiveness does not taper off when the dose is higher; it simply levels off. More will not provide more benefits, but it also won’t diminish in effectiveness. This is the main reason why I chose–and will stick with using–a full spectrum hemp oil.
As I worked my way up to the 100mg dose that I currently take, I found two easy-to-read articles that helped me determine what my daily dose should be. The first was an article written in September 2018 by Dr. Shunney titled, “How Does CBD Help Those With Gut Inflammation And Other GI Conditions?” Near the end of her article, she states that some people, “may need 50mg 1-2x/day, especially with severe illness. Safety data is excellent with CBD, so there’s lots of room to find the ‘magic dose’. You can’t go wrong if you start low and go slow.”
In the second article by Fawaz Abomaray, “CBD Crohn’s Disease Treatment,” Fawaz recommends that for people with “severe colitis or Crohn’s disease, you will need at least 90 to 100 mg full spectrum CBD oil per day for three weeks. After this period, if the strongest symptoms have mostly dissipated, the dosage can be reduced to 60 mg per day for another three weeks.” He then goes on to recommend that once you reach a state of remission, you can taper down to “a small maintenance dosage of 20 to 25 mg per day, maybe even less.”
For me, I settled in right at 50mg 2x per day and noticed my mild Crohn’s symptoms disappeared. I find it easier to measure and take in the capsule form, so I switched from the dropper to the raw hemp oil capsules; one in the morning and one at night.
Bell-shaped dose response to isolated CBD:
https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cannabis-pharmacology/single-compound-vs-whole-plant-cbd
Dosing tips:
https://idweeds.com/cbd-crohns-disease/ dosing
https://www.drshunney.com/blog/cbdfordigestion dosing
Sleep & Final Observations:
Another interesting result I’ve noticed since taking raw hemp oil is that I’ve started enjoying better sleep. I’ve found that I have more occurrences of sleeping through the night and I wake up more refreshed since starting the higher dose of the raw hemp oil. I’ve also noticed that between the raw hemp oil and staying in a state of nutritional ketosis, I am calmer throughout the day, less stressed, and in a better mood with consistent energy levels. The diet and oil seem to be a synergistic combination for me.
The last thing I’ll mention is taste. If you take an oil like the Endoca Raw Hemp Oil that is not full of chemicals or flavorings, just prepare yourself for the strong, almost-sappy flavor of the drops (obviously you won’t notice the taste with the capsules). It’s not terrible or unbearable, just strong if you’re not expecting it 🙂 In the picture at the top of this post, I also show the salve and lip balm by Endoca. My knuckles usually bleed in the dry, cold winter months, but this salve has been amazing and made my hands soft without feeling like they’re greasy. A little goes a long way. Also, the lip balm is great, too, but it does feel a little stiffer than a regular lip balm…it doesn’t melt and glide on, but stays firm; I do like it though.
I hope you’ve found my experience helpful and perhaps given you some ideas on whether you might want to give hemp oil a try. If you’re already using CBD/hemp oil to help improve your health, share in the comments below, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you!