There are all sorts of retail CBD products out there. Most users are familiar with CBD oils and gummies. You can also buy topical products, CBD drops, and broad-spectrum oils. This post will concentrate on CBD tinctures and the proper way to use them.

The key thing to remember is that delivery methods achieve different results. Many of the differences between the delivery methods are rooted in what is known as bioavailability. When you choose a tincture, the goal is to maximize bioavailability as compared to edibles and topicals.

More on Bioavailability

This post will not spend a lot of time discussing bioavailability. That is a topic we can explore in a future post. But let us at least look at the definition. The Science Direct website offers one of the more detailed definitions we have seen:

"Bioavailability (F) is defined as the rate and extent to which the active constituent or active moiety of a drug is absorbed from a drug product and reaches the circulation."

In simple English, bioavailability is measured as the volume of active ingredients that make it into circulation and the rate at which that happens. Maximum bioavailability gets the most CBD into your system at the fastest possible rate. That is the advantage of using tincture.

A Liquid CBD Solution

A CBD tincture is, for all intents and purposes, a liquid CBD solution. The CBD is extracted from plant material using either a chemical solvent, natural solvent, or heat and pressure. Once extracted, it can be separated from the other constituents then added to a liquid suspension to create a tincture.

Note the tinctures tend to be less concentrated than extracts. Still, a tincture offers fantastic bioavailability if you use it properly – which leads us to the next section.

How to Use a Tincture

Tinctures are designed to be administered by placing a drop or two under the tongue. The underside of the tongue wasn't chosen by accident. It is actually best place to put a few drops of tincture.

The human mouth has a ton of blood vessels running through it. Even better, the skin inside the mouth is relatively thin. The result of this is that gum tissue absorbs chemical compounds very readily. So much so that using a tincture under the tongue can have you feeling the effects within 15 to 20 minutes. When you use a CBD edible, it could take an hour or two. That's because the CBD has to go through your digestive system.

To use a tincture, you place a drop or two under the tongue and then hold it there for about 90 seconds. The point is to maximize bioavailability. The active compound, CBD, gets absorbed through the gums and blood vessels. It's put directly into circulation within just a few minutes.

Swallowing the Tincture

If you were to swallow the tincture without holding in under your tongue, you would decrease its bioavailability. It wouldn't be effective any more quickly than a normal edible. Nonetheless, you are still going to swallow the liquid after holding it under your tongue for 90 seconds.

Any CBD remaining in the liquid goes in your stomach and then through your digestive system. It will eventually be put into circulation.

If you have never tried a CBD tincture before, now is the time to change that. Armed with the knowledge of how to properly use one, you may discover that it is your best delivery option. If you try a tincture and it doesn't work for you, you can always go back to gummies, topicals, extracts, or whatever else you were using before.