It's all about experimenting, guys.
I Tried This CBD Subscription and I Recommend It to Everyone
Cannabidiol, or the stuff in hemp or weed that helps you feel calm without the munchies or a new affinity for animal documentaries, is basically everywhere now— a pack of CBD gummies at a gas station, bottles of tinctures at a spa, or a CBD seltzer on the menu at a bougie coffee shop aren't out of the ordinary.
And since more and more research suggests CBD has real anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory effects, it's kind of a game-changer (especially amid These Times). Plus, the Food and Drug Administration approved CBD as a treatment for severe epilepsy. So, yeah, there's definitely some science to support all the hype.
But even with loads of companies trying to strike it rich selling CBD ev-er-y-thing, there's still something missing: namely, trustworthy guidelines for how much to take on any given occasion. Since CBD became A Thing, I've tried all of the cannabidiol oil brands I could get my hands on (for research) to aid my stress, sleep, Sunday scaries, and big meetings. But every bottle just left me guessing how much I was taking AND how much I needed to feel the effects without going overboard.
Enter, Feals, a subscription service that launched a few years ago that sells “flights,” or three vials containing 40 mg, 80 mg, and 160 mg of CBD oil. The company recommends feeling out the 40 mg tube before working your way up to 80 mg and beyond.
How it works
When I got my three test vials, I cracked open the lowest dose, which smelled like straight-up weed, dumped it under my tongue, held it there for 30 seconds before swallowing, and then...waited. TBH, I didn’t feel much.
I decided to give my 80 mg tube a shot the next night. And, well, wow. Twenty minutes later, I was hella relaxed. My muscles felt loose, my post-work stress was at an all-time low, and I was ready to go to bed at least an hour earlier than I normally do. It felt reaaaaaaaal nice, but it was definitely too much to take at work or in a situation where I needed to be, um, mobile. This was a little too high for me, unless I wanted to pass TF out immediately.
So based on my experience with the 40 mg vial and the 80 mg vial, I made some predictions: I'd probably only need about 50 to 60 mg for normal sleeping purposes. For situations where I'd need to combat stress but still get stuff done, 30 to 40 mg would probably do it for me.
When my full-size bottle containing 600 mg of CBD (1200 and 2400 mg bottles also exist) arrived, I was pleased to discover that the tincture dropper had markings so you could measure down to the 10 mg. A full dropper was about 40 mg, half was 20, and a fourth was 10.
Is it effective?
I mean, yeah. Now, when sleep seems impossible, 60 mg (about 1.5 droppers) helps me drift off until my alarm goes off. Sweet, sweet success.
For day-to-day anxiety, I stick to about 40 mg worth of drops. I feel like myself—just less frazzled.
On the days when I need some extra inflammation- and anxiety-fighting power (read: epic hangovers), I down 40 mg, wait an hour for it to pass, and if it doesn't—which TBH, happenss—I take another full dropper.
Is it worth it?
Although this stuff definitely works, it’s not cheap. One 600 mg bottle will set you back about $75. However, with a monthly subscription (which you can pause or cancel whenever), you’ll save about $22, or 30 percent. But the coolest part of Feals, the flights will only set you back $20. To me, that isn’t bad considering it could save you $75 if you decide it’s not for you. And hey, no one says you can't take what you learn about dosage from the Feals flight and apply it to other CBD products. Just sayin'.
Oh, one other thing—remember how it smells like weed? Yeah, it tastes like it too. It’s kinda gross (sorry, Feals), but since it’s only in your mouth for like 30 seconds, it wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
The verdict
There are a lot of rando CBD brands out there, and trying to find out how many mgs you need to get your money's worth feels like a very unofficial science experiment. And until there's a better way to calculate your ideal intake, this is probably your best DIY option.
This story originally appeared on: Cosmopolitan - Author:Ashley Oerman
