CBD products have become incredibly popular in Britain, the US, and elsewhere over the last few years. These products have only been legal for sale and use since the late 2010s, but you can now purchase CBD oil, CBD capsules, CBD gummies and other edibles, CBD vape juice, and CBD topicals like creams and ointments.
One alternative you may not have seen at a local shop or online is CBD oil spray, but it’s a newer option that’s gaining both popularity and distribution. The product is essentially CBD oil that’s been put into a spray bottle for administration as a fine mist. It can be sprayed, as desired, into the mouth or nose or onto the skin.
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There can be several benefits to using CBD as a spray instead of an oil.
- The spray generally isn’t as messy or sticky as oil that’s dispensed with a dropper.
- If manufactured properly, the spray pump dispenses a precise amount of CBD oil so it’s simpler to dose.
- The grassy, earthy flavor of CBD oil isn’t as objectionable to some users when it’s in spray form.
- Administration of a spray is more discreet than the use of CBD oil.
Dropping CBD oil under the tongue is considered a preferred administration method because the substance is absorbed quickly and is more effective than capsules or edibles. But CBD oil spray can be sprayed under the tongue, on the inside of the cheek, or into the nose for fast absorption. Topical sprays can contain added pain relief or health and wellness ingredients.
CBD’s popularity is due to its many apparent medical benefits. Research hasn’t yet established whether CBD oil spray provides the same effects as CBD dropped under the tongue, but it’s believed that it should at least come close.
Just like the other products we’ve mentioned, CBD spray oil is completely legal in the UK, the US, and other nations that have approved the sale and use of CBD products. The spray oil can be hard to find, though, since manufacturers are still ramping up large-scale production and existing supplies sell out quickly.
Interested in more details? Read on, and we’ll start at the beginning.
What is CBD?
CBD (full name: cannabidiol) is a plant compound found in hemp and cannabis. It’s one of more than 100 similar compounds called cannabinoids; the best-known is psychoactive THC.
There’s one key difference between hemp and cannabis plants: hemp contains high levels of CBD and very little THC, while cannabis contains very little CBD and lots of THC. That’s why you can smoke marijuana harvested from cannabis (or use other cannabis byproducts) to get high, but hemp and its byproducts are non-intoxicating.
It’s also why the CBD used to make oil, oil spray, and other products is extracted from hemp plants. They’re rich in cannabidiol, and the small amount of THC that’s extracted along with CBD isn’t enough to impair users in any way.
Once in the body, cannabinoids deliver their effects by interacting with a full-body network called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Many of the body’s most important functions, ranging from thinking and memory to pain, inflammation, and immunity are regulated by the ECS — which is how CBD and other cannabinoids can deliver their apparent benefits.
CBD, Health, and Wellness
Cannabidiol has only been approved as a prescription medical treatment (via the drug Epidiolex, available in Britain through the NHS) for a few rare types of childhood epilepsy. Regulatory authorities in all nations where CBD has been legalised say there’s not yet enough proof of cannabidiol’s effectiveness for other diseases, disorders, or conditions.
Preliminary research, however, has shown great promise for the use of CBD to help those suffering from a wide range of medical issues. Cannabidiol may ease:
- Stress, anxiety, and depression
- Serious mental health disorders
- Chronic pain from inflammatory and anti-immune conditions like arthritis and diabetes
- Insomnia and other sleep issues
- Epilepsy
- Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Acne and other skin conditions
- Some forms of cancer
There’s also evidence that CBD may provide health and wellness benefits like boosting immunity and fighting inflammation, lowering heart health risks like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and promoting neurological health.
And since cannabidiol is well-tolerated by almost all users and causes no serious side effects (mild ones like tiredness or stomach discomfort may affect new users or those taking extremely high doses), CBD may eventually become a preferred treatment for many conditions currently treated with drugs that carry risks of significant side effects.
As mentioned earlier, consumers have a choice of several CBD administration methods. CBD oil or products containing CBD oil are far and away the most popular, so let’s discuss CBD oil next.
What’s In CBD Oil?
As you’d expect, cannabidiol sourced from hemp plants is the active ingredient in CBD oil. The other main ingredient is a so-called “carrier oil.”
The carrier oil is important because pure CBD isn’t absorbed well by the body. It’s fat-soluble, though, so it combines well with oil — and the carrier oils commonly used, like MCT oil, coconut oil, and hempseed oil, are chosen because they can quickly bypass the digestive system and they’re easily absorbed by the body’s tissues.
To put it another way, the proper choice of a carrier oil dramatically increases the “bioavailability” of cannabidiol, meaning how much of it can be absorbed by and used by the body.
CBD oil has an earthy and grassy taste that many users find unpleasant, so producers may add flavorings to a relatively small number of their products. Others may add other health and wellness ingredients. Most, however, simply blend cannabidiol and a carrier oil to create the CBD oil they manufacture and sell.
Types of CBD Oil
You’ll find three versions of CBD oil (and CBD oil spray) available in shops and online.
- Full-spectrum CBD Oil: This oil contains the cannabidiol extracted directly from hemp, so it still includes small amounts of other plant compounds, including a minimal amount of THC that isn’t enough to cause intoxication.
- Broad-spectrum CBD Oil: This is full-spectrum oil with the THC removed, although slight traces of that cannabinoid may still remain.
- CBD Isolate: This oil contains pure CBD, with all other plant compounds completely removed.
Why are there three types of CBD available? In a nutshell, different users have different needs.
All of the plant compounds in full-spectrum CBD work together in what’s called an “entourage effect” to boost the effectiveness of the cannabidiol. That makes full-spectrum CBD oil the smartest choice for most people.
Some users, though, may either be allergic to THC or afraid of having to take a cannabis drug test; the small amount of THC in CBD products usually doesn’t trigger a positive test, but it’s possible.
Those folks can choose between broad-spectrum CBD oil, which has less of an entourage effect and contains very little THC, or CBD isolate which has 0% THC but no entourage effect at all. These two options are somewhat less effective than their full-spectrum counterpart but can be the right choices for some people.
Administering CBD Oil
The best way to use CBD oil is by dropping it under the tongue. It can also be added to foods or beverages, but it’s less effective and takes longer to act that way. That’s because cannabidiol takes two different paths through the body depending on the method of administration.
When CBD oil is dropped under the tongue, it’s quickly absorbed by the sublingual tissues located there (the reason why this method is called sublingual administration). From there, it’s moved right into the bloodstream for use in the rest of the body.
Foods or drinks containing CBD oil, instead, must first move through the gastrointestinal system to be digested in the stomach, and the digestion process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
Once the cannabidiol is freed, it’s absorbed by tissues in the small intestine and reaches the bloodstream. There’s a price to be paid for the delay, too. Digestion destroys a large amount of the CBD that is in the food or beverage, making CBD oil significantly less effective when it’s swallowed.
What does that have to do with the CBD oil spray we mentioned at the start of this article? A lot. We’ll get to that shortly, after a quick detour.
How Is CBD Oil Turned into Spray?
CBD oil has a familiar texture; it’s thick and sometimes viscous, like most other types of oil. CBD oil spray, though, has the form and texture of breath sprays or antiseptic sprays. Many people find the spray oil easier to transport, administer, and use, and it often doesn’t have the powerfully-grassy taste of the oil because the droplets are dispersed, not concentrated.
So how is the spray created?
It’s quite simple, actually. CBD oil is put into a bottle with a pump and spray top. When you push the “trigger,” the pump takes in some of the oil; when you release the trigger, a piston pushes oil out of the pump through the spray nozzle in a fine mist.
Bottom line: CBD oil spray is nothing more than CBD oil administered differently. It may be easier to use or more convenient for some people, but it’s important to understand the mechanics of using CBD oil spray.
How To Use CBD Oil Spray
There are four different parts of the body where CBD oil spray can be administered. One is an “outliner” in this discussion, so we’ll get it out of the way first.
Topical CBD oil spray is designed to be applied directly to the skin for its apparent ability to provide relief for skin conditions and external pain issues. It often contains additional ingredients, like menthol, aloe vera, and essential oils, to help ease those conditions and calm the skin, making it unsuitable for use elsewhere.
Users who want to enjoy the full range of CBD’s apparent benefits internally can administer the spray to three other parts of the body.
- Sublingual: The product is sprayed under the tongue, so it can be absorbed by the sublingual tissues in the same way that drops of CBD oil are absorbed.
- Transmucosal: The product is sprayed on the inside of the cheek, where similar tissues are located, and can absorb the CBD oil quickly without the need for digestion.
- Intranasal: The product is sprayed into the nasal passages for absorption by membranes located close to blood vessels for quick absorption. Intranasal sprays may also contain polymers making it easier for the CBD oil to penetrate the tissues.
All of these administration methods bypass digestion, allowing them to take action more quickly without the loss of cannabidiol in the gastrointestinal tract.
However, it’s not yet clear which is most effective. Very little research has been done on the subject. Some experts theorize that intranasal administration might be a slightly better choice because of the number of blood vessels located there, and because of the polymers that may be added to the spray.
Many users who’ve tried CBD oil spray, though, say they appreciate its convenience and flavor, and those who have difficulty precisely administering drops of CBD oil under their tongue say that using the spray makes dosing much easier as well.
