CBD Capsules vs. CBD Oil: Which Is The Better Choice?

So many forms of CBD products have hit the market in the last few years, it can be difficult for those trying CBD for the first time to choose between them. And since CBD oil can be tricky to use and dose, many who’ve started with the oil often look for an easier way to consume cannabinoid.

Here’s a secret that many newer users don’t know: CBD capsules are really just another way to consume CBD oil. A few companies put extra ingredients into their capsules, but most simply fill gelcaps with CBD oil and sell them as CBD capsules.

But here’s a secret that even experienced users may not know. When it’s dropped under the tongue (in what’s known as sublingual administration), CBD oil takes effect much more quickly than capsules, and it provides more of the cannabinoid’s apparent benefits. (The oil can also be added to foods or beverages but with most of the drawbacks associated with capsules.)

That doesn’t make CBD oil the preferred choice for all users, though. Capsules can be taken quickly, easily, and discreetly, they are produced in specific dosages, and they don’t have the same somewhat unpleasant flavor (at least in many peoples’ opinions).

The “better” choice depends on users’ needs and preferences. If they want maximum effectiveness and the ability to measure and tweak their doses, CBD oil makes the most sense. If convenience, privacy, and user experience are more important, capsules could be a smarter option.

Why are there such major differences if CBD capsules contain CBD oil? Let’s find out.

What Is CBD Oil?

It won’t surprise most readers to learn that there are two primary ingredients in CBD oil: CBD and oil. Here’s a deeper dive into each one.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (usually referred to simply as CBD), is one of the plant compounds known as cannabinoids that are found in both hemp and cannabis. There are more than 100 cannabinoids in each plant; CBD is one of the two most important. Psychoactive THC is the other.

Both cannabinoids appear to provide health and wellness benefits, but unlike THC, cannabidiol delivers its reported medical benefits without making users intoxicated. It’s sourced from hemp because the plant contains very little THC and bountiful amounts of CBD. It’s the opposite story for cannabis, which contains high THC levels and very little cannabidiol.

CBD’s Use

CBD has been approved for sale and use in Britain and most developed nations, but it’s not regulated or prescribed as a medication (except for the treatment of a few types of childhood epilepsy). That’s largely because the apparent benefits of cannabidiol haven’t yet been proven to the satisfaction of government authorities or the medical establishment.

Preliminary research, however, has shown that CBD may effectively ease a wide range of medical conditions including stress, anxiety, and depression, chronic pain caused by inflammatory and anti-immune conditions like arthritis and diabetes, sleep problems, heart health risks, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, acne, and possibly cancer.

How CBD Works

CBD, like other cannabinoids, delivers its effects by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS regulates most key human functions. And as you might guess from their names, cannabinoids and endocannabinoids (neurotransmitters produced inside the body that serve as ECS messengers) have very similar chemical structures.

That similarity allows cannabinoids to send their own messages and instructions by interacting with ECS receptors throughout the body. In that way, CBD is able to provide its apparent benefits.

The CBD In CBD Oil

The cannabidiol in CBD oil is extracted from hemp plants. If it doesn’t undergo further processing, it’s called “full-spectrum CBD.” If hemp’s small amount of THC is removed, it’s known as “broad-spectrum CBD.” If all other cannabinoids and terpenes contained in the cannabidiol are removed, it’s pure CBD called “CBD isolate.”

You can buy CBD oil containing any one of the three types of cannabidiol. Full-spectrum CBD is most effective, because its other plant compounds work in an “entourage effect” to boost CBD’s performance. Broad-spectrum has a lesser entourage effect and isolate has none; that makes them less effective but better choices for those who need to avoid consuming THC.

What’s the Oil in CBD Oil?

CBD oil contains what’s called a “carrier oil,” because it carries cannabidiol into the body.

That’s an important function, for two reasons. First, raw CBD is difficult for users to administer and it tastes bad. Second, cannabidiol by itself isn’t absorbed well by the body. Since CBD is fat-soluble, it combines well with a carrier oil that provides much greater bio-availability for the cannabidiol.

Several types of oil are ideally suited to the role. The most common carrier oil is so-called MCT oil, produced from either coconut or palm kernel oil. MCT oil is composed of medium-chain triglycerides, which are fat molecules smaller than those found in most other types of oil.MCTs allow the oil to easily pass through the digestive system and to be absorbed quickly by the body.

Coconut oil and hempseed oil are sometimes used as carrier oils as well; they contain a mix of MCTs and LCTs (long-chain triglycerides) that are better alternatives than other common oils composed primarily of larger LCTs.

What Else Is in CBD Oil?

Most often, nothing. Some producers add flavourings, though, since CBD oil tastes somewhat raw and unappealing to many users. Less often, companies will add additional health and wellness supplements or vitamins to theoretically provide additional benefits for users.

How Do You Use CBD Oil?

You can use CBD oil in several ways.

The most common administration method is using a medicine dropper (most bottles of oils come with a dropper) to place the desired number of drops under the tongue. The oil can also be mixed into food, mixed with salad dressings or sauces, or added to beverages like fruit juices and smoothies.

If you’re trying to decide between CBD oil and capsules, the way you plan to use the oil makes a huge difference. Most of the advantages of CBD oil are only realized with sublingual administration, the more formal way of describing dropping oil under the tongue. Shortly, we’ll explain why.

What Are CBD Capsules?

The CBD discussion was admittedly a long one. This one will be brief.

CBD capsules are nothing more than consumable capsules, usually gelcaps, containing CBD oil. You may occasionally see these products sold with added supplements, but the vast majority contain only CBD oil. Administration is easy; they’re simply swallowed just like any other medication or over-the-counter capsules.

Other than dosages, which we’ll discuss shortly, the only major difference between the many CBD capsules you can purchase is the material used to make the capsules. Most are made from gelatin, which is an animal product and not vegetarian- or vegan-friendly. Most vendors, though, sell CBD capsules suitable for those who don’t consume products derived from animals.

CBD’s Path Through the Body

We’ve explained that CBD delivers its apparent benefits by interacting with ECS receptors in the body. The cannabidiol takes very different paths, however, depending on whether you drop CBD oil under your tongue or consume CBD capsules. (If you choose to add CBD oil to food or drinks, it takes the same path that capsules do.)

Sublingual Use of CBD Oil

The sublingual glands are located under the tongue, so the term “sublingual use” is used medically to describe the administration of medication or other substances in that location.

CBD oil used sublingually is quickly absorbed by the tissues under the tongue and moved into the bloodstream. The oil travels to the liver where the cannabidiol is rapidly metabolised and then made available for use throughout the body.

CBD oil used in this way generally takes effect within minutes, and very little of the cannabidiol is lost during its journey.

Taking CBD Capsules

When you swallow CBD oil contained in a capsule, food, or drink, it travels down the throat and enters the gastrointestinal tract, where it’s digested by the stomach. Once that process is complete, the cannabidiol is “freed” so it can be absorbed by the tissues in the small intestine and then sent to the liver for metabolisation.

Digestion is a lengthy process, so those who consume capsules or CBD edibles can expect a long delay before the cannabidiol takes effect. Many factors, including the user’s weight and the speed of their body’s metabolism, play roles in how long it takes to digest a CBD capsule or edible — but it can be between 30 minutes to two hours. It’s about an hour for most capsules.

That means CBD capsules will take effect much more slowly than CBD oil dropped under the tongue. And there’s another issue to consider as well. Much of a capsule’s cannabidiol is lost in the digestive process, so for example, a 10mg dose of the cannabinoid will be less potent and effective when contained in a capsule than it is when consumed sublingually as CBD oil.

Other Pros and Cons to Consider

The time it takes for the cannabidiol to take effect, and how effective it will be, are two key considerations users should be aware of when deciding between CBD capsules and CBD oil dropped under the tongue. They’re not the only factors that should play into the decision, though.

Ease of Administration

Capsules are the clear winner here. They’re easy to swallow, no liquid will be spilled or wasted, and they’re sold in a large assortment of defined dosages. They’re also an excellent choice for those who want a CBD product they can use quickly and discreetly.

CBD oil doesn’t have any of those advantages. Dropping oil under the tongue is anything but discreet, administration can be messy, and it can be hard to administer the proper number of drops, at least unless you get the hang of it. There’s an even bigger related issue, too.

Dosing

Neither option is perfect.

Many appreciate the convenience of CBD capsules, most of which come in bottles or packages marked with the amount of cannabidiol in each standardized dose. (A few containers are simply marked with the total amount of CBD in the bottle, requiring some simple math to figure out how much cannabidiol is in each capsule.)

However, there’s no way to tinker with or change doses when you are using CBD capsules. If you’re taking 10mg capsules and want to see if boosting it to 12 or 13mg could make a difference, you’re out of luck.

CBD oil dosing is much more flexible since you can simply take an extra drop to slightly increase your dose. That’s the good news.

Here’s the bad news: it can be extremely difficult to master CBD oil dosing. Most bottles don’t tell you how much cannabidiol is in each drop; most commonly, the label just lists the total amount of CBD in the bottle in milligrams and the container’s total volume in milliliters. The majority of users have to do the sometimes difficult calculations on their own.

Even when they do that, they’ll know the milligrams of CBD per milliliter of oil — but many droppers aren’t marked in milliliters. The bottle may come with a suggested dose measured in drops, but CBD dosing is difficult enough; the amount that appears to be effective varies widely for different conditions, so a producer’s “suggested dose” may not mean much.

In short, it can require some trial and error before deciding whether the standardized doses in CBD capsules, or CBD oil’s flexible dosing which can be confusing to figure out, is best for you.

More Pros and Cons

Here are a few more facts to consider before choosing between CBD oil and capsules.

• You’ll pay more for convenience. Capsules are usually more expensive than CBD oil.
• You’re more likely to find a large selection of CBD oil options than capsule options.
• CBD oil has an earthy taste that many users find difficult to take. CBD capsules are flavorless.
• CBD oil can also be used topically. Capsules, of course, cannot.
• It’s easy to add CBD capsules to a daily supplement, vitamin, or medication regime. That’s not the case for CBD oil.

Those issues will be secondary for most people, though. The major differences between CBD oil and CBD capsules — the greater and faster effectiveness of oil, the greater convenience of capsules — will drive a decision between the two administration methods for most users.

Shop our CBD products:

• CBD oils
• CBD gummies
• CBD capsules
• CBD creams
• CBD patches
• CBD vape pens
• CBD vape juice