Research has shown that cannabis has a number of therapeutic benefits. These medicinal advantages of cannabis could aid in the treatment of various crippling illnesses. You should always first speak with a medical marijuana doctor if you have any debilitating health conditions that can be treated with marijuana. They will determine whether marijuana is appropriate for you and will also teach you how to use it safely and effectively while also ensuring that you have legal access to it in your state.
Over time, cannabidiol (CBD) may become less effective. This could be the result of a CBD tolerance you’ve developed or the product having expired. Continue reading to learn how to overcome CBD tolerance and delay its expiration.
Why CBD Loses Effectiveness
CBD oil does indeed expire. The amount of time that CBD oil is usable depends on several factors.
Factors Affecting the Shelf Life of CBD
- Extraction process: The cannabis plant can have its CBD extracted in a number of ways. Some approaches are superior to others. Since it optimizes the amount of CBD in the finished product, the carbon dioxide extraction method is thought to be the best. While making a full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD product, this technique aids in maintaining other cannabinoids. Look for CBD products made this way for ones that last longer.
- Ingredients: The shelf life of CBD products can be impacted by their ingredients. Higher-quality ingredients will be used to make a higher-quality CBD oil, which will last longer. Sometimes flavors break down more quickly than CBD, which shortens the product’s shelf life.
- Packaging: The shelf life of CBD products will be shortened by exposure to heat, light, and air. Your CBD products should be purchased in dark (amber) glass bottles to extend their shelf life. Before buying, make sure the bottle is airtight and kept out of direct sunlight.
- Quality: The product’s longevity is positively correlated with its quality. The quality of the plant, its condition, and additional ingredients all have an impact on the quality of CBD products. Using a product that has a certificate of analysis (CoA) from an independent laboratory is always preferable.
- Storage: For your CBD oil to last as long as possible, proper storage is essential. Your CBD products must be kept in an airtight container and in a cool, dark location away from direct sunlight. If you don’t, the air, light, and heat could accelerate the CBD’s deterioration.
How to Determine If Your CBD Has Gone Bad
- Smell: Your CBD product has most likely deteriorated and passed its expiration date if it smells bad. CBD products usually have an earthy scent, so they shouldn’t smell bad.
- Taste: The CBD product has deteriorated if it tastes rancid. Your CBD product should be edible or drinkable even if you’re not a huge fan of the way it tastes. It’s time to buy a new product if it’s not.
- Thickness: The CBD oil has probably gone bad if it has thickened or darkened in color. Your CBD oil may have somewhat thickened and become hazy if you kept it in the refrigerator. The oil should regain its original color and thickness after a few minutes at room temperature; if not, the CBD oil has deteriorated.
Can Using Expired CBD Make You Sick?
Unless the product contains mold or mildew, it is unlikely that expired CBD oil will cause you to become ill. However, since it has lost its full potency and you won’t be able to reap the full therapeutic benefits, it probably won’t be worth ingesting. This is because the central business district would have begun to deteriorate. Additionally, the product will start to taste and smell bad, making it unpleasant to consume.
Why CBD Loses Effectiveness: Understanding Tolerance Buildup
If CBD has become less effective for you, it could be because you have become tolerant to it. When you have tolerance, you need to take progressively larger dosages of a drug to experience the same effects. This happens as a result of the body’s efforts to preserve homeostasis, or cellular balance. It’s important to distinguish tolerance from addiction or dependence.
Because THC binds to the brain’s CB1 receptors, tolerance to CBD is different from tolerance to THC. These receptors may grow increasingly insensitive to THC over time, requiring higher dosages to produce the same effects.
Although it is unlikely, developing a tolerance to CBD is still possible because it does not bind to the CB1 receptors as THC does.
Signs That You’ve Built a CBD Tolerance
If you find that you need to increase your CBD dosage on a regular basis to achieve the same effects, you have most likely developed a tolerance.
How to Reduce Your CBD Tolerance Levels
To reduce your CBD tolerance, you could try not using CBD for 48 hours. Your tolerance levels would decrease as a result of your body having an opportunity to “reset.”
If you take CBD on a daily basis for medical purposes or if this seems excessive to you, you might want to consider taking it less frequently. Try reducing the number of times you use CBD each day to just one or two. This may cause your tolerance to decrease.
Using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may also help you use less CBD because THC and CBD work together to enhance each other’s anti-inflammatory effects through the entourage effect.
You could also try a different strain or product to reduce your tolerance if you frequently use the same strain (cultivar). If you use one strain regularly, the chemical composition of a new strain will change the balance your body has developed, so this might work for you.
Wrapping Up
There are two possible reasons why your CBD product may not be as effective as it once was: either the product has deteriorated or you have grown tolerant to it. To make sure you get the most out of your CBD products, it’s critical to watch for the symptoms of both causes.