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Water-soluble “nano” CBD

Water-soluble, technically water-compatible, CBD and other minor cannabinoids have been getting a bit of hype recently, so let’s dive into what it is exactly.

The basics

CBD oil in it’s natural form is an agglomerate (a big oil droplet). In order to make it water-compatible you need to introduce an emulsifier that has both a water-loving and oil-attracting component. That way the oil-attracting end of the emulsifier will bond with the CBD oil, and the water-loving end will bond with the water molecules. Once an emulsifier has been mixed properly with the CBD oil it can then be mixed into water and no big oil droplets should form.

Think of making salad dressing with oil and vinegar. If you shake it up, the water based vinegar will separate from the oil over time. If you introduce an emulsifier, such as lecithin, and shake it up, it will become a creamy looking mixture that won’t separate.

This is a simplified summary, the science is much more advanced than taking Sunflower Lecithin, a well known-emulsifier, and mixing it up with your favorite CBD oil brand.

Advantages

  • Beyond just being water-compatible, you can process CBD oil in a way to make it “nano” and theoretically boost the bioavailability to over 80%.

  • In addition, if processed correctly the benefit of nano-particles is that there is a faster onset time, which means you no longer have to wait an hour for an edible to kick in.

  • Once you have a nano CBD particle that is infused into water, you are also able to more consistently measure your cannabis.

Bioavailability boost

A common rule of thumb for a traditional edible would be about 20% bioavailability, which basically means that if you ingest orally 100mg of CBD oil, only about 20mg will actually be benefited to you, with the rest of it being captured by your liver and output as waste, aka peeing it out.

When you make CBD oil “nano” we’re decimating the agglomerate (the big oil droplet) into nano-sized droplets, meaning sub-micron-sized. If the nano-sized particles are processed correctly it will boost the bioavailability close to 80%, meaning a 4x increase over traditional edibles.

Fast-acting

The goal of any nano-product is to make the effects of cannabis have a faster onset. The nanoencapsulation of cannabis oil allows it to enter the bloodstream faster, nearly as fast as smoking or vaping it.

Consistent dosing

Since nano-sized CBD oil is fast-acting and has higher bioavailability, you’re able to dose it more consistently.

Have you ever taken an edible with friends and had to “excuse” yourself because you couldn’t handle it? If not, it’s not a pleasant place to be. With a faster onset time and higher bioavailability, you’re much better able to gauge your dosage and you can take 1/4 less of the product to feel the same effect.