CBD patches vs CBD Oil and alternative methods
A patch might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of CBD products but CBD patches have exploded on the market during 2022 and are expected to outsell all other CBD products such as oils and tinctures over the next couple of years! People around the world have become aware of the unique benefits of CBD patches vs CBD oils.
Instead of taking a lot of CBD into your endocannabinoid system all at once, patches provide a consistent maintenance dose throughout the day that gets your body used to a balanced approach to CBD. For example most patches provide a slow release of CBD over a 24 hour period. CBD patches also work while your sleeping!
So what’s the main difference?
The main difference with patches and oils is that a a CBD Patch has HIGH bioavailability up to 40 to 45% compared to CBD oil which tends to be around 10-20%. Meaning with a patch approximately 30% more CBD will make it into the bloodstream where oils are swallowed and bypass through the liver and then in to the bloodstream where you can actually loose around 40% of the CBD as it is broken down.
CBD oils drops or tinctures are sublingual and droplets of CBD squirted under your tongue and absorbed by your saliva or they can simply be swallowed but they can cause a bit of a mess too. Since you can hold CBD tinctures under your tongue before swallowing its always been the most popular way to take CBD. At the same time, there is only so much CBD the thin membrane under your tongue can absorb at any given time, and all the remaining CBD in your tincture will need to pass through your liver before it reaches your bloodstream.
CBD Oils Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sublingual (under the tongue) administration provides better bioavailability than oral ingestion
- Customisable dosing
- Has variety such as flavours
Cons
- When you consume CBD oil such as a capsule, dosage is typically expressed per unit. For example, there may be 50 milligrams of CBD in each capsule. These products don’t offer much dosage flexibility since you can’t split up capsules easily. For instance, if one softgel capsule didn’t provide your desired result, you would have to take another full capsule, doubling the total dose.
- Can cause a mess in your pocket or bag
- Low bioavailability even with sublingual administration
- Easy to waste by accident as the cbd oil can be squirted on your hand or spilled.
CBD Patches Pros and Cons
Pros
- The main advantage of patches are their HIGH BIOAVAILABILITY. Patches are placed on the skin and absorb directly in to the blood stream and have bioavailability up to 100%. When taking CBD Oil sublingually it has to bypass through the liver and the body only absorbs around 40% of the CBD.
- CBD patches are particularly useful when people want to treat a specific area. For instance someone who has an issue with their knee can apply it directly to that area or you may even want to apply it to your back if you have back related issues. Although you can apply a patch anywhere on your body ( it doesn’t have to be a specific area ) such as your arm the CBD still goes in to your blood stream and works the same way but it is thought that putting it on a specific area such as your knee may help specifically target that area more so.
- Your not getting a big hit of CBD at one time as patches release CBD slowly and consistently throughout the day.
- Patches are a discreet way of taking CBD.
- Saves money as your getting high bioavailability where CBD Oils have less bioavailability and you need to take more.
- No spillages and mess.
- You wont forget to take your CBD as you only use the patch once so don’t have to take CBD throughout the day.
- Easy and convenient at work, travelling or going to the gym.
Cons
- Not edible that’s if you like flavoured CBD oils.
- Can be uncomfortable if you have sensitive skin problems and have issues wearing similar things like plasters.
Disclaimer: This article may contain references of CBD “for” a specific subject, for example, “CBD patches for pain and arthritis”. It is important for us to be clear and confirm that CBD is an actual food supplement that, while it may be useful for many people, is not sold “for” any specific purpose other than general health and wellbeing. Any references of CBD for a specific subject are simply so to clarify this to anyone searching for these terms out of interest.