What does “CBD half-life” mean?

The consumption method

Types of Lab Tests for CBD

Other individual factors

How to Avoid THC in CBD Products

To finish

The question of how long CBD stays in a person's body is one of the most common questions from people planning to take CBD. Knowing how long CBD stays in your body can be important for many professionals and parents who need to undergo drug testing. Although the CBD component is not considered to be psychoactive and is not generally tested for in drug testing, some CBD products may contain small amounts or traces of THC which cause the feeling of being "high" and could be detected during testing. Also, using CBD during pregnancy is not recommended according to the few studies that have been done. In this article, we'll talk about how long CBD stays in your body and the various factors related to its stay in your body, which should help you make your own guesses and learn more about the consumption process. of CBD.

What does “CBD half-life” mean?

If you've researched how long CBD stays in the body, you may have come across the term "CBD half-life" often. In this section, we will help you understand what it is. Generally speaking, the half-life is the length of time it takes for your body to reduce the levels of CBD in your body to half of its original potential strength or effectiveness.

According to this study, the half-life of cannabidiol is 1.4 to 10.9 hours after oral spraying, 2 to 5 days after chronic oral intake, 24 hours after intravenous administration and 31 hours after smoking.

In fact, the half-life of CBD varies from person to person. Several factors that we will discuss in this article can play an important role.

The consumption method

One of the main reasons why our bodies process CBD differently is the method of intake chosen. Let's see some of them below.

Oral consumption.

Oral consumption is usually the most common way to take CBD. Using this method, CBD enters the bloodstream only after passing through the digestive system and liver. It is important to understand that when CBD is taken orally, the effects may not be immediate. It can take up to an hour for them to be felt. Also, CBD edibles or oils that are eaten on an empty stomach can be metabolized and excreted from the body faster. Combining CBD with meals can extend its circulation time in the body.

Sublingual intake

The sublingual consumption method is commonly used by those who want to get the most out of their CBD drops. When taken under the tongue, CBD can bypass the stomach and enter the bloodstream directly. Therefore, this potentially avoids reducing the concentration of the product since it does not pass through the digestive system. It can act faster and the components are potentially able to produce more effects. After CBD reaches the bloodstream, it can pass through the liver where CBD molecules can be extracted as a foreign body. Finally, the filtered molecules can be completely eliminated from the body through feces and urine.

Taken by inhalation

Another method of taking CBD is by inhaling a product that contains it. Since it is absorbed directly through the lungs, CBD can quickly pass into the bloodstream and begin circulating through the body. The effects can potentially last forty minutes to two hours. CBD can eventually be extracted from the body through the same process as in the two previous methods, via feces and urine.

Topical use

Topical CBD products like creams, masks or serums cannot reach the bloodstream. Instead, the compounds interact with the receptors of the cannabinoid system located on the surface of the skin. This means that drug tests via blood, saliva or urine will not detect if you have used CBD cosmetics. In addition, CBD has been added to the list of ingredients legally authorized in cosmetics by the European Union.

For more interesting information about the different methods of consuming CBD, check out some of our blog posts.

Types of Lab Tests for CBD

How can you determine how long CBD has been present in your body? There are a number of lab tests that can be done to find out as well as to detect whether or not THC is present in different parts of the body. In this section, we have summarized our analysis of the main types of tests.

Urine test.

This is the most popular and widely used method for detection. However, it is important to keep in mind that the detection windows for THC and CBD by urine test can be very different. To sum up, it may depend on the dose you take and the frequency in which you make use of this component. Generally, these metabolites can be detected in urine three days to two weeks after your last dose. According to this source, THC metabolites can be detected up to fifteen days after ingestion in daily and occasional users. On the other hand, studies also show that these numbers can vary depending on the dosage.

Hair test

First, hair tests for THC and CBD are very rare and known for their ability to detect substances over a long period of time. Hair tests can detect THC metabolites in CBD for up to three months after consumption.

Blood test

For the purpose of detecting CBD and other cannabinoids, blood tests are not used as much as urine tests. The reason for this is how quickly THC disappears from the bloodstream. Usually, THC can be found in plasma for only about five hours after ingestion. However, THC metabolites, and therefore CBD, can remain present for up to a week.

Saliva test

As with hair, saliva testing for CBD or THC is incredibly rare for legal or employment reasons. Nevertheless, the components can be detected a few minutes after ingestion and up to 36 hours later, depending on the dosage and frequency of use.

There is a wide range of different tests to detect cannabinoids (especially THC) in the body. The main reason they are not all used equally is the variation in how long cannabinoids are present in parts and substances of the human body.

Other individual factors

This study indicates that CBD generally stays in our body for 1-3 days, but let's not forget that various individual factors can significantly reduce or prolong this period. Let's consider some of the most important factors that can determine how long CBD stays in the body.

Metabolism

Metabolism is one of the major factors that determines how quickly CBD can be excreted from the body. Health professionals believe that tall people have a higher metabolism. Also, an active lifestyle can improve metabolic processes.

Age

Although CBD is not recommended for children, adults and the elderly benefit from it in many ways. Some are enhancing their diets with CBD oils to possibly balance their nutrition, be less stressed, and sleep better, while others are using CBD to potentially alleviate inflammation and chronic pain. Whatever these many reasons, we must remember that as we age our bodies may function and react differently. For example, some cells may lose their ability to function properly or begin to function differently. Metabolic processes can also change unexpectedly and affect how long CBD stays in the body.

Dosage

It is not only the level of CBD ingested but also its concentration that will affect how long the CBD will remain in the body.

Frequency of CBD use

Unfortunately, the effects of long-term use of CBD are still not understood to this day. What we do know, however, is that the frequency of CBD consumption could lead to a cumulative effect and therefore a prolonged presence of CBD in bodily systems.

Diet

It is not an individual factor, but it should be considered important. Like most things we consume, the rate at which our bodies can process CBD depends on whether it is busy processing other things. When CBD is taken on an empty stomach, it can be metabolized faster than when on a full stomach, and is therefore eliminated faster.

How to Avoid THC in CBD Products

As you may know, various CBD products may contain different amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. If you are concerned about the presence of THC in the CBD products you take, you may find some that do not contain any THC. Thanks to complex and diverse extraction methods, a range of products with varying levels of CBD and THC can be produced. There are two types of CBD that contain no THC: Broad Spectrum CBD Oil and CBD Isolate.

CBD isolate is pure CBD from which all other cannabinoids have been removed. In fact, it's the purest form of CBD you'll find on the market.

Broad-spectrum CBD products contain all of the naturally occurring cannabinoids except THC, which is extracted during the manufacturing process, so the product can be taken without worrying about THC levels.

To finish

There is no definite answer to the question of how long CBD stays in body systems. This is because we all have different body characteristics and how to consume CBD can vary from person to person. According to existing studies, CBD can stay in your system from 24 hours up to several weeks. However, you shouldn't be afraid of failing a drug test if you're taking pure CBD products. Also, in most cases, the permitted level of THC in CBD products in Europe is too low to be considered illegal. At the same time, it is suggested that some specific technologies for drug testing in the United States could possibly confuse CBD with THC. Minimizing the risk of your product containing traces of THC will help you put the odds in your favor. Also, remember that more studies on the interaction between CBD and the human body are still needed.