If any trend is going to rule the CBD industry in 2020, that trend will probably be novelty. Frequent CBD users are always on the lookout for what’s new and different, and CBD users will be looking for different ways of using CBD, new strains of hemp – anything that could potentially pack an even greater wellness punch. As much as the CBD industry may change in 2020, though, one thing is likely to stay the same: The basic bottle of CBD oil tongue drops is likely to remain the most popular type of CBD product. You can bet that top CBD brands like OK CBD will introduce a variety of new products in the next year in their attempts to discover the next big thing, but the CBD product with real staying power will be the one that’s always been there: CBD tongue drops.
So, why are CBD tongue drops so popular, and why is CBD oil likely to remain the best-selling form of CBD even as new types of CBD products continue to come out? To help you understand the answers to those questions, let’s take a closer look at what makes CBD tongue drops so special.
CBD Oil Is the Least Expensive and Least Processed Form of CBD
CBD oil is typically the least expensive form of CBD that you can buy because it undergoes the least processing from the plant to the finished product. When hemp goes through a carbon dioxide extraction machine, the product that comes out the other end is a thick, dark distillate that’s soluble in oil. It’s possible to mix hemp distillate with a liquid oil such as MCT oil and get a product that’s ready to use.
Some CBD oil producers put hemp distillate through winterization and filtering to remove undesirable compounds such as chlorophyll and plant waxes, improving the flavour of the final product. Others use fractional distillation and other refinement methods to reduce raw hemp extract to pure CBD isolate. CBD isolate is a key component of many different types of CBD products, though, so if a brand uses CBD isolate to make its tongue drops, that shouldn’t make the product more expensive. CBD brands need plenty of CBD isolate for their products either way.
In terms of the quantity of CBD that you receive for the price, there is still no better value than CBD tongue drops.
CBD Tongue Drops Facilitate Quick Sublingual Absorption
The way to take CBD tongue drops is by holding the liquid under your tongue and waiting for several seconds before swallowing it. The sublingual administration is done for a specific reason; it’s because CBD and other cannabinoids can pass through the skin and mucus membranes. Holding CBD oil under your tongue allows the CBD to penetrate into the circulatory system through the sublingual artery. If you swallow a CBD product, it may take an hour or more before the CBD enters your bloodstream through your digestive system. Taken sublingually, on the other hand, CBD can enter your bloodstream in seconds.
Sublingual administration of CBD oil is also convenient because the sublingual artery is close to the carotid arteries, which deliver blood to the brain. Depending on your reason for using CBD, you may find that CBD tongue drops work better for you than other forms of CBD.
CBD Tongue Drops Are More Bioavailable Than Most Other CBD Products
In medicines and supplements, the term “bioavailability” refers to the amount of an active ingredient that actually enters your bloodstream after you consume it. When you consume an active ingredient orally, your liver processes a portion of it before the rest proceeds to the digestive system. Enzymes in the liver break down some types of medications and supplements, rendering a portion of the active ingredients inert. That’s why the dosages of some prescription medications are higher in pill form than they would be in other forms; the higher dosages compensate for the first-pass metabolism of the liver.
First-pass metabolism also applies to CBD. If you consume an oral CBD product such as a CBD gummy, a significant portion of the CBD will be broken down by your liver before it reaches your bloodstream. The bioavailability of CBD is actually rather poor when it’s taken orally. The bioavailability of sublingual CBD, on the other hand, is significantly better. That’s because the first-pass metabolism of the liver doesn’t take place when the active ingredient is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
Since the body uses sublingual CBD tongue drops more efficiently than other types of CBD products, you can use less CBD oil to get the same effect that you would get with a larger quantity of another type of CBD product. In that sense, CBD tongue drops are even more affordable than they already appear based on direct price comparisons.
CBD Tongue Drops Are Easy to Enhance With Flavours and Terpenes
Although we’ve just told you that the high bioavailability of sublingual administration is one of the primary reasons why you should buy CBD tongue drops, the fact is that some people don’t bother holding CBD oil under their tongues at all because that isn’t the reason why they buy it. People who buy CBD oil but don’t use it sublingually are either buying it simply because it’s inexpensive or because it’s an easy form of CBD to add to foods. Some people like adding a bit of CBD oil to their salad dressings, smoothies or coffee, to name just a few examples.
One of the fun aspects of adding CBD oil to food is the fact that many makers of CBD products actually use flavours to enhance their CBD tongue drops. With flavours like mint, citrus and berry, a dropper of CBD oil can add a great deal of interest to a food or beverage.
Many companies also enhance their CBD tongue drops with natural plant-based terpenes. Terpenes like limonene and linalool are plentiful in hemp. Adding additional terpenes to CBD oil can really bring out those notes and give the oil a pleasing botanical flavour.