What does CBD strength really mean?
It’s rare that CBD is found in its raw form. Normally, it’s found combined with other things, including drinks, oils, gummies, and balms. Different products have different amounts of CBD, which means that strength refers to the amount of CBD, or the concentration, within the carrier product.
For example, CBD oil is made from infusing a carrier oil with cannabinoids - typically MCT oil - so in this case the strength refers to the concentration of CBD within the other oil.
The strength of a CBD drink refers to the proportion of CBD compared with the other ingredients, such as fruit juice, water, and other flavourings.
Percentage vs Milligrams
There are two main ways to discuss CBD strength: as a percentage of the total volume of the product or in milligrams, which are each a thousandth of a gram.
Both describe the concentration of CBD in the bottle.
If a CBD oil is marked as 5%, this means that 5% of the contents are CBD, and the remaining 95% is made up of the carrier oil. In a bottle of 15ml, that would mean that it contains 0.75 ml of CBD. This is the equivalent of 750mg of CBD.
A stronger oil would have a higher percentage, either because it’s the same amount of CBD in a smaller bottle, or because it has a higher volume of CBD.
On the other hand, if a CBD oil is marked as having 500mg of CBD, this means that, whatever the size of the bottle it contains that amount of cannabinoids. In a bottle of 15ml, for example, this would mean that the percentage of CBD is approximately 3.5%.
At TRIP, oil strength is measured in milligrams: all our bottles are the same size (15ml) but our original oil contains 300mg and our strong oil contains 1000mg.
How to choose the right strength
We know what you’re thinking: why is all this CBD maths important?
Knowing exactly how much CBD is in your oil, or your drink, is key to working out how much you should be taking.
Provided that the bottle size is the same, a 1000mg CBD is twice as strong as a 500mg CBD oil.
Therefore, if you’re aiming for a dose of about 15MG, our recommended starter serving, you would need twice as many drops from a 500mg oil as from a 100mg oil. Similarly, you’d need twice as much from a 2.5% bottle as a 5% bottle.
Once you’ve worked out the optimum dose to help you find calm, it’s easier to buy the bottle that’s most suited to your needs.
If you need a higher dose to feel the effects of CBD, it’s worth buying a bottle with more milligrams or a higher percentage.
300MG Oil
At TRIP, our original oil has a CBD content of 300mg. The bottle contains 15ml of oil, meaning that the percentage of CBD is 2%. This is the perfect strength for beginners, and those who might not have tried CBD before. It comes in two delicious flavours: Wild Mint and Orange Blossom.
1000MG Oil
For those more used to taking CBD, or those who are taller and heavier (see below), TRIP’s strong oil might be more suitable. This oil has 1000mg of CBD, which works out as a percentage of just under 7%.
Working out the right CBD dosage
Dosing is really personal - similar to how caffeine or alcohol can affect everyone differently. This means that when working out which strength CBD oil you should pick, it’s crucial that you consider how it will affect you as an individual.
This is most obviously time of day - higher doses are popular before bed, for example - but can also include factors such as your height and your weight, how old you are, and what your previous experience is with CBD.
Weight
The taller and heavier you are, the more CBD you will need to take to experience its effects: the two should be in proportion.
This is because CBD oil gets to work by entering into the bloodstream, and if you are a bigger person you’ll have more blood volume, so the CBD will be more diluted throughout your body.
Age
Just as with food and drink, your metabolic rate has an important role to play in how the body responds to CBD.
Older people have slower metabolisms, which means CBD will remain in their systems for longer, and the effects will last longer. A smaller dosage may therefore be needed.
Experience
If you are new to CBD, it’s best to start with a slightly lower dose to see how you feel. This can always be adjusted afterwards, with drinks or further oil drops.
We’d recommend trying our CBD Starter Set.
Conclusion
Equipped with an understanding of the difference between milligrams and percentages, it should become easy to interpret CBD oil labels and to find the right CBD oil for you.
Trustworthy CBD brands will always have the strength of their products clearly displayed, to prove that they have had their purity and quality tested.
