Discovering CBD Vape Vs Other Methods
Vaping has become increasingly popular over the last few decades. The improvement in vaping devices across the board means a whole new way of taking cannabis has opened up to users and cannabis enthusiasts.
Most people who take cannabis for health reasons, don’t really want to smoke in the traditional way. The CBD vape provides a quick and easy way to get the medicinal benefits without the smoke and its effects.
For those who have never smoked before, vaping is an easier and safer introduction and pretty easy to get the hang of. You also don’t get that cannabis smell which is important if you don’t want people such as work colleagues to know that you take CBD.
How You Take CBD Is Important
There are a plethora of different ways to take cannabidiol or CBD. Some people like to eat it with cannabis edibles, others prefer to smoke. You can even get sublingual sprays nowadays that you pop under your tongue.
Each of these methods have their pros and cons. One thing is certain, however, the method of administration can make a big difference to the amount of CBD you get. Most people who take it for medical reasons will choose between CBD vape and ingestion, the reason being that these are the two ‘healthiest options’. But you also need to consider which is the best method to efficiently get the amount of CBD you need.
What is CBD Vape?
A vape pen or device heats up an oil or material that contains CBD and releases it as a vapor which is then inhaled. The oil can come in pre-made cartridges or bottles which can be used to fill the chamber where the heating takes place.
With a portable CBD vape pen, there is normally a battery attached to this chamber that provides the power for heating. These devices have become quite sophisticated over the last few years. You can control the temperature of the vapor, something which may have an impact on the amount of cannabidiol released.
There are also much larger or desktop vaping devices which are designed for home use. These have been around for quite a few years now and vary from cheap to pretty expensive.
CBD Vape vs Smoking
One of the big issues people have with smoking is that it usually releases a lot of harmful chemicals at the same time. Burning your cannabis is also less accurate temperature wise than something like a vape pen where you are able to control the voltage.
Not everyone who takes CBD for health reasons smokes or has ever smoked. The CBD vape provides a smoother and cleaner way to get the hit without having to worry about any other health issues or the smell.
CBD Vape vs Ingesting
For those regularly taking CBD, one of the most popular methods is ingestion. Cannabis edibles are a fairly safe way to administer CBD and one that appeals to many people. It does, however, have some disadvantages. First of all, it’s difficult to get cook up the right dose. Secondly, making cannabis butter and other edibles such as oils can be time-consuming. Of course, in states where cannabis is legal, you can always buy off-the-shelf products rather than making your own.
With each different way of taking CBD, you have to consider an issue called bioavailability. In short, how you administer the CBD will affect how much you get out of it. For example, if you eat CBD through an edible, you normally only access 15% of it because of various factors. If you vape, however, you can achieve as much as 50 and 60% depending on the temperature.
Why does this happen? Well, first off, anything you eat goes into your stomach and how much gets absorbed into your bloodstream can depend on a wide range of factors not least the health of your gut. CBD vape is inhaled directly into the lungs and then bloodstream so you should expect much greater bioavailability because the drug spends less time getting to the right areas.
CBD is also hydrophobic which means it doesn’t like to mix with water. When CBD gets to the bloodstream, it is likely to be expelled and end up in your fatty tissues. When you eat CBD, it goes through your digestive tract and then works its way through your liver where it is often broken down or absorbed.
You begin to see the benefits of vaping here. You’re basically bypassing the gut and the liver, both of which can reduce levels of CBD in various ways. If you wanted to improve bioavailability in the gut, you would need to improve on the hydrophobic characteristic of CBD first of all and that takes a lot of work.
The long and short of it is that you achieve the same effect with CBD vape in a much smaller quantity than you would expect with ingestion. Eating CBD edibles takes much longer to deliver any effect at all compared to CBD vape where everything goes straight into your bloodstream. In terms of cost and time, there’s a clear difference.
A Guide to Choosing a CBD Vape Pen
Apart from picking the right CBD strain for your health condition, the biggest choice you are going to make is the device for delivering the vape. These vary from vape pens to larger, desktop models. If you want something that is portable, discreet and easy to clean and operate, a vape pen is probably going to be your first tool of choice.
Here are just a few things you should consider:
1. How Much Should You Spend?
Cost is an important aspect as the price of CBD vape pens can vary quite considerably. There are models that cost just a few dollars but these normally have their limitations. Our advice is to invest in a quality product. That extra cost should deliver a vape pen that is sturdy, built to last and does the job that you want it to do.
2. What Does a Vape Pen Look Like?
There are several different components to a vape pen. The first is the battery which is usually rechargeable via a USB attachment. The battery will have a charge button which you press to start the heating. It may also have a digital screen where you can change parameters like the temperature or view your battery life. It’s worth looking for a CBD vape pen that gives you as much control as possible.
Screwing onto the battery is the tank which will hold your CBD vape oil or concentrate. The important part here is the coil which is where the charge from the battery is transferred to provide heat and vaporize your oil. This is removable and has to be replaced every so often.