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Choosing the Right Cannabis Oil
A guide to choosing the right cannabis oil, including what they are, and how to know what to look for as a patient.
Cannabis oil has been a topic of discussion in medicine for some time now. You’ve probably heard or seen the terms THC oil or CBD oil. Cannabis oils have been gaining popularity in the news and on store shelves partly because of their medicinal benefits. They’re also popular because of how easy it makes consuming cannabis. For those not wanting to smoke, oils are great ways for beginners to try cannabis for the first time, or if you just want to consume without smoking. The bottles are also fairly small, making them easy to fit in your pocket or purse.
Is Cannabis Oil Right For You?
How do you know what cannabis oil is right for you? One place to start is having a conversation with one of our patient care specialists about what you’re looking for in a cannabis oil, and what symptoms you’re wanting to relieve. If you’re not sure what questions to ask, that’s ok too. Below we’ve outlined the need to know information about cannabis oils, so you can make a confident decision in purchasing your first one, or finding your new favorite.
What is Cannabis Oil?
Cannabis oil is a cannabis extract that has been infused into a carrier oil. The oils most commonly used can be olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, and even hemp seed oil. Oils are great carriers for cannabinoids like THC and CBD. This is because these molecules bind themselves to fat cells. These oils can come in a bottle and dropper form. They also come in capsules filled with cannabis oil, and sometimes even in syringes. Cannabis oils can also be found in vape cartridges, and the oils can be used as ingredients to make other cannabis products like edibles and topicals.
Today we’re going to focus on cannabis oils themselves, instead of all the ways they can used to make different cannabis products. Cannabis oils and tinctures often look very similar, but tinctures are alcohol based. Oils are consumed similarly to tinctures, using a small dropper to measure doses from the bottle that are then dropped into the mouth. Instead of holding the drops under th tongue, like with tinctures, the drops are then swallowed and the cannabinoids are processed through the digestion system, just like edibles. Processing through the digestive system means the onset of effects can take anywhere between 45 minutes, to even 3 hours after first consuming.
What To Look For
Choosing between cannabis oils is fairly easy once you know what to look for. First, find out what sort of oil is being used. For example, if you’re allergic to coconut, then you’re going to want to avoid ones that use coconut oils. The next thing to look at is the dosages. How much are you going to need? This a question one of our patient care specialists can help you figure out. Lastly, remember that every cannabis oil can be a little different depending on the initial method of extraction to the ingredients used in the final product. How our bodies interact with cannabinoids can also vary, so try a few kinds until you find the right cannabis oil that meets your specific needs as a patient.