CBD gummies are a delicious and more natural alternative to pharmaceutical drugs for treating certain symptoms of select conditions. As much as CBD gummies have taken off in recent years, there is still a great deal of misinformation surrounding them. How much should you take? Do you eat them as often as multivitamins? What health benefits can you expect? If you are curious about trying amazing CBD gummies, here are a few dos and don’ts to keep in mind before you get started:
Do: Use it for the right conditions
CBD is not a miracle drug that you can take for any condition. It won’t fix your broken bones—but it can help ease the pain. CBD (cannabidiol) works with your endocannabinoid system to help your body maintain homeostasis, which means it applies to things like alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, calming anxiety, helping with depression, and possibly lessening the severity of PTSD, and more. The only FDA-approved brand of CBD is for treating pediatric epilepsy. So, if you have chronic pain due to something like arthritis or generalized anxiety disorder, CBD might be for you—but it’s not an elixir.
Don’t: Expect it to cure anything
On a related note, as amazing as CBD can be for reducing pain, inflammation, anxiety, and the like, don’t expect it to cure anything. CBD is for treating symptoms and will not remove the underlying issues. For example, you can eat CBD gummies to alleviate cancer-related pain so that you can get through your day—but CBD will not cure the cancer itself. To repeat, it’s not a miracle medicine.
Do: Talk to your doctor first
Truthfully, very little is known about CBD and the human body. Most studies have been conducted on animals. So, we do not know much about how CBD interacts with other medications. Cannabidiol affects how your liver metabolizes certain drugs and can influence their effects, similar to grapefruit, but more powerfully. Individuals who take blood thinners could be in extreme danger if they take CBD, so if you are on other medications, talk to your doctor before adding CBD gummies to your diet.
Don’t: Shop carelessly or recklessly
The CBD industry is unregulated. You cannot simply go online, search “amazing CBD gummies,” find a flavor you like, and expect a quality product to arrive at your doorstep. In an ideal world, we could trust any company—but this is not the case.
Even though CBD is technically no longer a Schedule 1 substance, the FDA has only approved one brand of CBD medicine. It maintains that all others are illegal, even though the 2018 Farm Bill legalized products derived from industrial hemp as long as they are made within specific regulations and contain .3 percent THC or less. Plus, each state is free to enforce its own laws on the matter, which vary widely.
However, the FDA does not keep a close watch on the CBD landscape. While the organization has sent warning letters to companies making unfounded health claims about CBD (if you find a brand claiming CBD is a cure, take your business elsewhere—that’s a bad sign), it is still in the process of establishing and finding ways to enforce industry standards. As such, some companies will try to take advantage of your ignorance and sell you mislabeled or even unhealthy products. Hemp is a bioaccumulator, meaning it absorbs toxins from its environment (like pesticides and heavy metals). These toxins can end up in resulting CBD products and be extremely dangerous to your health.
While shopping, look for easily accessible Certificates of Analysis, which are lab results that test for purity and potency (and learn how to read them!). Also, look if a brand is transparent about where its hemp grows from and what its extraction methods are. Reputable companies worth your business will be knowledgeable about the science behind CBD and happily go these extra miles.
Do: Pick a delicious flavor
One of the reasons people love CBD gummies is because they taste much better than other hemp products. As effective as oils can be, they might taste earthy, but gummies can taste like sour apple, cherry, blueberry, chocolate, mint, and more. Once you find a trustworthy brand that sells organic, pesticide-free gummies, select a flavor and shape that sounds appealing. Many gummies are also made with additional ingredients, such as turmeric to help reduce inflammation, so you can pick a variety that purports a specific purpose.
Don’t: Start with too high a dose
As for dosages, it’s best to start small and work your way up if you don’t experience the relief you seek. Gummies make it easy to measure doses because the CBD concentrations are labeled on the bottle. Dosage charts are available online that account for your tolerance, body weight, and other factors, so start with something on the lower end and increase the concentration until your symptoms are at a place you and your doctor decide is safest.
CBD gummies can be wonderful for alleviating symptoms, but there are right and wrong things to do. Has anyone told you of other dos and don’ts when it comes to gummies?
