CBD Coffee – Future or Fad?
The CBD market is a rapidly growing industry, and it seems that CBD is being added to everything from toothpaste to toilet paper. But what about CBD coffee?
Let’s face it we all love a good cup of coffee – but is this just another gimmick or can we expect to find a CBD blend in Starbucks anytime soon?
What is CBD Coffee?
CBD coffee can mean one of two things: roasted coffee beans that have subsequently been infused with CBD, or literally adding a few drops of CBD oil to your favourite brew. (CBD is also sometimes added to tea.)
While many people depend on that caffeine hit to get them going in the morning, too much coffee can sometimes lead to palpitations and leave you feeling jittery. We’ve all been there. Perhaps then it makes sense to add CBD to balance these unwanted effects?
In some ways there is some logic to this thought - CBD does tend to reduce stress making you feel more relaxed, which many people find helps improve focus, concentration, and productivity.
However too much CBD may also leave you feeling a bit sleepy and in high doses could cause headaches. (Although CBD generally tends to be well tolerated by most people with very few if any side effects.)
Furthermore, whilst adding a few drops of CBD to your skinny flat white may be a discreet and convenient way to take your daily dose, the high temperature of the drink could in fact reduce the CBD content. This makes it difficult (impossible) to know how much CBD you are actually getting.
Add to this that the oral bioavailability of CBD (ie. how much is absorbed into the body when you swallow it) is not particularly high – somewhere around 6%1 depending on various factors.
In other words, you’re wasting over 90% of your CBD. Add to this that it may even be absorbed into the walls of your cardboard cup, and you really have no idea how much you’re getting.
Maximising absorption
In contrast, holding CBD drops under the tongue is a much more efficient and reliable way of maximising the absorption of your CBD.
Firstly, assuming you buy your CBD supplements from a reputable retailer you should know much is in each dose.
Secondly, holding CBD oil under the tongue bypasses first pass metabolism which allows CBD to be directly absorbed into the body. This is known as the sub-lingual or oro-mucosal route and generally leads to a higher bioavailability than ingestion, as well as a faster onset of action.
Looking to the future CBD coffee is more than likely here to stay, but it is probably not the most reliable way of ensuring you’re getting the full benefit of your CBD supplement.
I’d recommend keeping your CBD sub-lingual, and your coffee separate.
Written by Lee Allen, Founder of Phyte Club CBD, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, and lover of coffee.
- A Systematic Review on the Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol in Humans.
Phyte Club Ltd does not produce medicines, and none of our products are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Phyte Club Ltd makes no official medical claims relating to CBD, and encourages anyone considering using CBD in any form to carry out their own research first. If in doubt always consult your own medical practitioner.