How many mg of CBD is considered a lot?

Clinical studies of CBD for pain have focused on a wide range of doses, ranging from just 10 mg to 300 mg or more. Studies on CBD for other types of conditions have looked at doses even higher. What is considered to be "a lot" can vary depending on the therapeutic target and the individual. At Healer, we usually recommend sticking to a dose range between 5 mg and 30 mg up to three times per day. If you have to take more, consider switching to CBDA, which may be more effective and economical, or try adding other cannabinoids such as CBG or microdoses of THC.

How much CBD is in CBD oil?

Each CBD oil product you find can have different amounts of CBD, and this is extremely important to pay attention to as you shop for the best product. For example, at Healer, we have different bottle sizes of CBD Oil Drops that contain different amounts of full-spectrum CBD, including: 4 mL with 200 mg of CBD 14 mL with 700 mg of CBD 30 mL with 1500 mg of CBD 60 mL with 3000 mg of CBD All Healer CBD drops are formulated to deliver 1 mg of CBD regardless of which bottle you choose. However, not all products have the same concentration of cannabinoids.

CBD Dosage by Product Type: How much should I take?

How Much CBD Should I Take?

Overview: Finding the right CBD dose for you

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid that may help with a variety of issues, including focus, stress, and physical discomfort. In order to reap the most benefit from CBD, however, determining the proper dose is important.

Because CBD affects everyone differently, it’s important that you find the dose that works best for you. Factors like weight, tolerance, metabolism and even type of product can make a difference. Also, eating foods containing healthy fat before taking CBD products will help increase absorption up to 5 times.

CBD Dosage Chart (by mg)

CBD Dosage Chart

How much CBD does it take to experience relief?

Regardless of the type of CBD product used, most people do well with 5 mg to 30 mg per dose used one and three times daily. While higher CBD doses are fine, once you start taking around 25 mg to 50 mg or more, it may be best to add CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) to your intake or switch to CBDA since research is showing that CBDA has similar activity in the body but is more potent and may be absorbed as much as 11 times better than CBD.

When using CBD, keep these tips in mind:

Using small amounts (1-10 mg) of CBD is often stimulating.
Higher amounts of CBD (25+ mg) may be sedating and may also suppress one’s appetite.
When used in a 1:4 or lower ratio of THC:CBD, CBD can decrease THC’s adverse psychoactive effects. For example 1 mg of THC to 4+ mg of CBD.
At higher doses 25+ mg, CBD can be effective for reducing the effects of THC intoxication.
At lower doses such as 10 mg, CBD works to alleviate THC hangovers such as grogginess, brain fog and laziness.

CBD Oil Dosage Recommendations

CBD oil is by far the easiest product to dose appropriately, especially if you are using a reliable brand like Healer which delivers 1 mg of total cannabinoids per drop of oil. CBD oil drops are also the most cost-effective method for consuming CBD.

Hemp Usage Guide & Response Tracker

How do I use CBD oil products effectively?

CBD oil products should be used consistently for the best outcome. Most people find relief at a dose between 5 mg and 30 mg, and they may take a dose between one and three times per day.

What are the best ways to consume CBD oil?

CBD oil is best used sublingually, allowing some of the cannabinoids to be absorbed through the blood vessels in your mouth. This means you place your dose beneath the tongue, hold the fluid in your mouth for about one or two minutes, and then swallow. Taking CBD oil sublingually yields a faster onset of effects.

How much CBD oil should I take?

How much you should take can depend on your personal needs. If you are just starting out with CBD oil, stick with a dose of around 5 mg to 10 mg two to three times a day. Your dose can be adjusted by 5mg every few days depending on your perceived effects and needs.

Topical CBD Products – Dosage Recommendations

Topical CBD products work a bit differently than other consumed types of CBD. The CBD is absorbed through the skin, which means they’re helpful for alleviating localized symptoms. It’s rare to find a topical with significant amounts of CBDA, the original unheated form of CBD that seems to act more strongly in the body according to a new research. However, Healer’s Topical is a 1:1 CBDA:CBD Hydrogel Cream includes a proprietary blend of menthol and Copaiba oil for better absorption and beneficial properties. It’s also water-based, so it feels less oily and dries more quickly.

How do I use topical CBD products effectively?

CBD topical products are designed to be applied externally to targeted areas of the body to help with aches, soreness or even muscle recovery after exercise. The topical product can be applied as needed to deter symptoms or achieve relief.

How much should I use?

How much topical CBD you need can vary depending on your specific needs and sensitivity, but 20 mg is a good starting point for most people. Always look at how much CBD is in a topical product so you can accurately gauge how much to use. For example, Healer’s topical CBDA and CBD Hydrogel Cream delivers 20 mg of cannabinoids per pump.

How do I apply a topical CBD product?

To use a topical CBD product, simply place the desired amount on your fingertips and massage it into the skin. Be sure to wash your hands after application and avoid getting the product in contact with your eyes or mouth.

CBD Flower – Dosage Recommendations

Smoking CBD flower has grown to be relatively popular, sometimes as an alternative to tobacco or for fast symptom relief. For those with chronic conditions, however, taking CBD orally on a regular basis may provide more consistent and longer-lasting benefits.

You can estimate the amount of CBD in a certain amount of flower, but inhaling that amount is not necessarily going to produce an equivalent effect to taking the same amount by mouth. For example, if you find flower that is 20% CBD and you buy 1 gram, you have 1000 mg of flower. Multiply the 1000 milligrams of flower by the percentage (0.20), and you have 200 mg of CBD in your full gram of flower. Some of that 200 mg will be destroyed by the heat of the flame, and some will be exhaled and lost.

In real life it’s difficult to quantify how much CBD is actually being inhaled in terms of milligrams, and to compare that to a dose taken orally. Therefore, Dr. Sulak recommends this strategy: Take one inhalation, wait five minutes to see how you feel, and proceed accordingly. To learn more about finding your optimal dosage using inhalation try Healer’s free introduction to cannabis for inhalation dosage protocol.

How many grams or mgs of CBD flower should I smoke at once?

Smoking yields a faster onset of effects, usually within a few minutes. Therefore, if you’re new to smoking CBD flower it’s easy to start with a lower dose and smoke more after you determine how it affects you. As a new CBD user, a good guideline would be to simply take one inhalation, wait five minutes to assess your symptoms and continue that pattern until you feel the effects. After that you’ll have a better understanding of the right dose for you, and you can take that number of inhalations without the 5-minute wait between each one.

Should I roll a joint of CBD flower or smoke it in a bowl?

If you do choose to smoke CBD flower, using a pipe instead of a joint can be better for paying attention to and getting the right number of inhalations. Also, when you smoke a joint, you are not just inhaling smoke from the flower itself, but also from the rolling paper. With a pipe, you can easier gauge how much flower you smoke exactly, and there’s less wasted flower. Keep in mind however, that with both forms, you are inhaling combusted products like carbon monoxide, plant matter particulates ,and other toxins that are released when flower is burned. If you’re smoking CBD flower as a substitute for tobacco, however, you may want to use a joint for the familiarity of the experience.

The healthiest and most ideal form of inhalation would be with an herbal vaporizer. This method allows you to inhale the cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds without creating and inhaling products of combustion that can be irritating to the respiratory tract. Therefore, if you do choose to smoke CBD flower regularly, using an herbal vaporizer is the healthiest way to consume it. The ideal temperature to vaporize CBD is above 360 F.

CBD Vapes – Dosage Recommendations

CBD vapes can offer fast relief, usually within just a few minutes due to the way the cannabinoids are processed by the lungs. This fast onset of effects can be valuable for episodic relief. However, vaping can come along with unnecessary risks due to the questionable ingredients used in some CBD vape pens. In general, CBD capsules, drops, and topicals are the better option, and if you prefer inhalation, Dr. Sulak recommends both vaporizing and smoking flower as safer alternatives to vape pens.

How many times should you inhale from the vape pen?

The general beginning dosage to strive for with vape pens should still be around 1 to 5 inhalations for most people. How many times you should inhale from a CBD vape to achieve the right dose can vary depending on the product. The best products state how many milligrams of CBD are in a full vape cartridge, or even better, the potency of CBD (expressed as a percentage). But beware, several investigative reports have found CBD vape products frequently are mislabeled.

CBD Edibles – Dosage Recommendations

CBD edibles such as gummies, beverages, capsules and chocolates take longer to take effect, possibly an hour or two. When consuming CBD edibles, make sure you wait the proper allotted time before deciding that you need more for this reason.

How many mg of CBD should I eat?

A good starting point with CBD edibles is 10 mg to 20 mg. For example, if you opt for Healer CBD capsules with 6:1 CBD:CBDA, each capsule contains 20 mg. Start with one capsule, wait around four or five hours, and then increase the dose by another capsule after two or three days if needed.

CBD gummy dosage recommendations

CBD gummies and capsules are processed by the digestive system and take longer to take effect than drops. The same general guideline applies: strive for a starting dose of around 10 mg to 20 mg. If the gummy is a higher potency, consider cutting it in half if you are a beginner.

CBD-Infused Beverages – Dosage Recommendations

CBD-infused beverages are essentially a unique type of CBD edible. Therefore, you can expect a similar outcome in terms of the onset of effects with a caveat. Due to some of the liquid possibly being absorbed by the blood vessels in the mouth as you drink, you may see some level of effects sooner than with other edibles. Also, CBD-infused beverages may be stronger than the equivalent dose in an edible because special techniques are used to get the fat-soluble cannabinoids to stay dissolved in water, which can also lead to improved absorption in the mouth and gut.

How many mg of infused liquid should you drink?

A good dosage range is between 5 mg and 30 mg with infused beverages. If you are new to CBD products, stay closer to the 5 mg to 10 mg dosage range. Be sure to wait the proper amount of time to allow the beverage to take full effect before choosing to drink more.

Other Variables to Consider When Choosing the Right Dose

The exact dose of CBD an individual needs to feel relief can vary depending on several factors. You may need a different dose of CBD depending on your sensitivity to cannabinoids, your personal metabolism, and even your age.

What kind of ailment you are trying to target can be one of the biggest determining factors when it comes to dosage. For example, people who take CBD for sleeplessness disorders tend to fare best with higher doses of around 25 mg to 75 mg in the evening, but someone taking CBD for mental clarity and focus may prefer lower doses like 10-20 mg.

Dr. Sulak recommends using the ‘inner inventory’ guidelines to decide how well a certain dose works for you and adjusting that dose as needed.

Final Thoughts on CBD Dosage

When you achieve the right dose, CBD can be extremely beneficial for certain issues. Even though it may take a bit of time to find the right dose for you, the outcome can mean a better quality of life from a plant-derived product.

As you get familiar with CBD and how to determine your proper dosage, be sure to read through Healer’s Hemp Usage Guide & Response Tracker for CBD, CBDA & CBG.

Frequently Asked Questions About CBD Dosing

Clinical studies of CBD for aches have focused on a wide range of doses, ranging from just 10 mg to 300 mg or more. Studies on CBD for other types of conditions have looked at doses even higher. What is considered to be “a lot” can vary depending on the target and the individual. At Healer, we usually recommend sticking to a dose range between 5 mg and 30 mg up to three times per day. If you have to take more, consider switching to CBDA, which may be more effective and economical, or try adding other cannabinoids such as CBG or microdoses of THC.

Most people do experience relief at the lower levels of 5 mg to 30 mg of CBD. However, what works for some may not work in every situation. If you are looking for relief from severe aches, occasional sleeplessness, or other more severe concerns, or you have a low sensitivity to cannabinoids, you may need a higher dose to achieve relief. In these cases, it can be beneficial to switch to CBDA because you can typically take less of the product and achieve the same results. For example, an individual who sees relief with 50 mg to 100 mg of CBD may only need 5 mg to 10 mg of CBDA.

Yes, but CBD levels can be tiny in THC-dominant strains, whereas all strains that are dubbed as hemp have high CBD (or in some cases, CBG) and fractional levels (0.3% or less) of THC. Many high-THC cannabis strains have been purposefully bred to contain as little CBD as possible and as high THC as possible. This is because CBD is thought to reduce the euphoric effect of THC when the two cannabinoids are used together. Therefore, you can easily find cannabis strains that have only the tiniest amount of CBD remaining (oftentimes less than 1%).

If you purchase high-THC cannabis, there is a good chance you won’t find much CBD. Oftentimes, common strains offer only 1% or lower CBD concentrations. However, if you go with a higher-CBD strain or hemp strain, you will likely find measurable amounts of CBD.

This formula can be used to determine how much CBD is in a gram of cannabis. Just remember:

1g of cannabis is 1000 mg of cannabis
Multiply the volume (1000 mg) by the CBD potency in percentage
The answer will tell you how many mgs of CBD are in the gram
Ex. 1000 mg x 20% = 200 mg or 1000 mg x 10% = 100 mg

Each CBD oil product you find can have different amounts of CBD, and this is extremely important to pay attention to as you shop for the best product. For example, at Healer, we have different bottle sizes of CBD Oil Drops that contain different amounts of full-spectrum CBD, including:

4 mL with 200 mg of CBD
14 mL with 700 mg of CBD
30 mL with 1500 mg of CBD
60 mL with 3000 mg of CBD

All Healer CBD drops are formulated to deliver 1 mg of CBD regardless of which bottle you choose. However, not all products have the same concentration of cannabinoids.

While research into cannabinoids like CBD is still just getting started, clinical reviews have found humans can tolerate doses of up to 1500+ mg per day. Further, no toxic or lethal dosage amount has been determined with most cannabinoids, including CBD. You can however have undesirable side effects if you take too much, such as nausea, appetite changes, or fatigue.