When consuming jelly beans, capsules, or soft CBD capsules, the dose is usually expressed per unit. For example, there may be 50 milligrams of CBD in each individual gum. These products do not offer much dosing flexibility as you cannot split the capsules easily. For example, if a soft gel capsule does not provide the desired result, you should take another full capsule, doubling the total dose.
CBD oil, on the other hand, makes it easier to start with a small dose. But calculating the dose of CBD oil may be less straightforward. Oils and tinctures usually come in a dropper bottle and usually only the total volume of liquid and CBD content appear on the label. For example, the label might simply indicate that there are 1,500 milligrams of CBD in the 30 milliliter bottle.
But what is 1 milliliter like? Due to the current lack of CBD regulation, this calculation can be complicated. Start by calculating the volume of a single drop from the dropper, which is usually 0.05 milliliters, according to Dr. Bugailiskis. If you are unsure, ask the company.
This is where the math comes in. We continue with the 30 milliliter bottle with 1,500 milligrams of CBD and 0.05 milliliters in a single drop as our example.
1500mg ÷ 30mL = 50 mg / mL
This bottle contains 50 milligrams of CBD per milliliter. Let’s see how many milligrams there are in a drop:
50 mg / ml × 0.05 ml / drop = 2.5 mg / drop
Each drop contains 2.5 milligrams of CBD.
You can then calculate how many drops you need to reach your target dose. Suppose you want to consume 25 milligrams every day.
25mg ÷ 2.5mg / drop = 10 drops
10 drops × 2.5 mg = 0.5 ml
With this CBD oil dose calculator as a guide, you will find that you need to consume 10 drops, or 0.5 milliliters, to reach 25 milligrams. And if you intend to consume 25 milligrams daily, you can expect this particular bottle to serve as a supply for 60 days.
Some CBD products do some of this math for you and illustrate how many milligrams there are in a milliliter, some even mark these dots on the dropper so you know exactly what you’re taking.
CBD dosage for different diseases
Without FDA approval, there is little guidance in the U.S. on how much CBD a person should consume for various conditions.
In many medical studies on CBD, you see that the doses administered reach hundreds of milligrams a day, which seems serious compared to our example of an initial dose of 25 milligrams. However, Steven Phan, founder of Come Back Daily, a CBD dispensary in New York, notes that patients in these studies often suffer from severe outbreaks and pain-inducing conditions compared to the clinic’s daily clients.
Below are the clinically studied doses of CBD based on different diseases and conditions. Note: some of the formulations studied also contained THC; not all available dose investigations adhere strictly to CBD.
* Doses are based solely on results of short-term clinical studies, where CBD was significantly more successful than placebo. Much larger studies are needed to further strengthen the evidence.
Epidiolex, approved by the FDA, administers CBD orally as a liquid to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. The dose of Epidiolex is determined taking into account the patient’s weight in kilograms (kg).
Several countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, have approved the use of Sativex, an oral spray with equal amounts of CBD and THC, to treat pain from multiple sclerosis. Canada has also approved it for the treatment of cancer pain.
The medical and research community still has a long way to go before figuring out which dose works best for each condition. At the individual level, consumers can experiment with caution until they find what works best for them.
