Cannabis Sativa is a dioecious plant whose main components include CBD and THC. CBD or cannabidiol is one of the 100 cannabinoids found in the plant, discovered in the 1940s.
Extensive research has fueled the use of CBD among populations concerned with their health and well-being. Positive associations with CBD led to the Farm bill’s passage in 2018, which allows the sale of CBD products that you can get at Sunday Scaries. They include CBD edibles, oils, tinctures, etc.
People with anxiety, depression, post-exercise muscle pain and soreness and insomnia have found it invaluable. This is due to the anti-inflammatory and calming effects of the compound.
What Causes Muscle Pain
After a strenuous gym workout or a couple of high-intensity sprints at the park, inevitable tears occur on the muscles. The body responds to this by increasing blood flow to the areas affected, delivering immune cells to help with the damage and recovery. This is what is referred to as inflammation.
The body tries to keep these reactions within regulated bounds. But the homeostatic balance may become disrupted. When this happens, unprecedented consequences take place with the system, and it causes collateral damage. Pain ensues and lasts for uncomfortably long periods.
Pain can also come from muscle spasms or cramps, satta whereby muscles contract involuntarily for long, causing a lot of pain. Overexertion, dehydration, or electrolyte imbalance may be the cause of this.
Stretching, applying ice, drinking water, or massaging the muscle are some of the ways to solve this. However, it does not always work, and this is where CBD comes in.
How CBD Works
Unregulated inflammation causes a lot of collateral damage. Luckily, the endocannabinoid system is involved in many of these homeostatic processes. They include pain perception, immune regulation, appetite, blood pressure, etc.
The body naturally produces endocannabinoids which bind to specific receptors in the body to help with this. You might then wonder where CBD comes to play. It helps prevent the breakdown of endocannabinoids by enzymes allowing the muscle anti-inflammatory and recovery effects to last longer.
Factors Affecting the Onset of Action
Your Biological Makeup: For CBD oil to work, it depends on the biological makeup unique to every individual. Bodyweight, gender, genetics (coding for cannabinoid receptors) and age decide how well a person tolerates CBD oils.
Potency of CBD: The concentration of CBD in the product, how you take it (in food or through tinctures), and the administration route are also important. For example, CBD works best for muscle pain when it is the main ingredient of the product you are consuming.
Method of Application: Inhalation through vaping or smoking provide an avenue where CBD makes its way directly into the blood. It also bypasses the 1st pass effect as opposed to when CBD products are ingested. This is where compounds have to be taken to the liver to be metabolized to potent or more potent compounds, which takes hours.
Effects through inhalation occur within 1-2 minutes and last for hours, thus providing fast relief to muscle pain. How fast the effects wear off depends entirely on your metabolism and the mode in which you have taken CBD oils.
Products whose effects take long hours are topicals, capsules then edibles in that order.
Dosage: Dosage is another factor, but there is no standard recommendation. It is entirely subjective. The proper thing to do is experiment with dosages. See what works for you based on how well it provides muscle pain relief without any downside.
Form of Administration
Based on this, CBD oil tinctures provide the quickest way to relief by placing some drops of CBD below the tongue, also known as the sublingual route. Within 20-25 minutes, you will start to feel the effects, and they last for 4-6 hours.
Although they are best used in mental health issues such as the management of insomnia or depression, they can be applied in muscle pain. CBD oil capsules come in second. They carry a fixed dose of CBD appropriate for general pain relief and recovery from exercise. Ingesting them on an empty stomach is the best way to go since you do not have to wait for digestion and metabolism.
Incorporation of CBD in the food is another way since the oils are tasteless. Absorption, however, depends on how quickly the food is digested. This means foods rich in proteins and fats that take long to be digested will slow down the onset of CBD effects. It will take about 45 – 90 minutes for it to work.
CBD ointments are very effective for muscle pain, and provide relief without entry into the bloodstream. This happens through CB 2 receptors on the skin. They start working in 1 hour, and effects last for five-plus hours.
Conclusion
CBD oil has been used in relieving muscle pain, promoting recovery and boost performance. For CBD oil to start working, it depends on many factors; thus, the onset of action is variable. Be consistent and experiment with appropriate doses for faster effects.
Please indulge responsibly.
References
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476