Long Term Persistence of CBD: a Study of its Half Life
How long cannabidiol takes to exhibit effects in the body and how long it stays there solely depend on the half life which is how much time it takes for the concentration per time of another active ingredient to half. Most drugs tend to have a very clear or prescribed half life, but this is not the case with CBD. CBD has a half life that depends on multiple factors and can vary anywhere from a couple of hours to several days. This variation depends on a myriad of factors such as route of administration, amount ingested, frequency, and people’s endogenous capabilities.
Variance of CBD’s Half Life
It is important to note that the CBD half life is a variable and not an absolute figure. The mode in which it is incorporated within the system is the key factor in the duration of the active component within the system.
Inhalation Consumption: When managing analgesia through edibles or capsules, there is first pass metabolism of cannabidiol, which unlike the intravenous route is known as the oral bioavailability which refers to the proportion of the drugs that are available for systemic circulation. The half life of a pointed oral dose is said to be within 1 to 2 days. In the case of repeated oral consumption, the half life of CBD may extend all the way up to 2 to 5 days due to fatty accumulation.
Sublingual Administration: The use of CBD beta sprays and tinctures which go under the tongue leads to less exposure to the digestive system, having a shorter half-life of about 1.4–10.9 hours.
Smoking: This is the usage of CBD that quickly reaches the circulation in the body through inhalation. Such a method of introducing CBD into the body represents a CBD half life of 31 hours.
Infusion: It is the introduction of CBD into the blood directly through the use of an infusion, where the CBD half life is 24 hours.
One should remember that it would typically take about five half-lives for the substance to eliminate significantly from the system. Therefore, according to the above-stated aspects, the clearance time for CBD varies for several hours to even more than a month.
Journey of Metabolism of CBD
The deed of metabolism and excretion of CBD from the system is organized in several stages with the liver being the main organ involved in this activity. Since it functions as a lipophilic or fat soluble compound it also follows that it will be distributed inside the entire body and can be held in fat tissues.
At the center of attention are the respective members of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes a range of enzymes found in large proportions in the liver. Among these enzymes, the breakdown of CBD into different metabolites depends on enzymes such as CYP3A4 and CYP2C19. The main metabolite is 7 hydroxy CBD (7 OH CBD) which is subsequently converted into 7 carboxy CBD (7 COOH CBD).
As digestion continues, and these substances being water soluble, they are easily eliminated from the system. Majority of it is emptied from the body through the stools feces and other traces are removed in the urine.
Important Considerations in the Clearance of CBD
As expected, there is variation in the CBD half life due to the following factors:
| Factor | Half Life Frame |
|---|---|
| Amount of Dose | Higher doses of CBD will naturally take longer to be cleared from the body hence having a longer half life. |
| Usage Pattern | Binge or habitual consumption of CBD causes more of this compound to be stored in fats in the body’s tissues. It’s being forced slowly out of the moist layer diminishes its circulation and lengthens its half life as well. |
| Delivery Route | Orally administered CBD as indicated above, results in a higher therapeutic level in the blood as well as a shorter period of clearance thus, affecting half life differential. |
| Individual Metabolism | Differences exist in metabolic process among individuals. That is quite synonymous with genetic disposition, age as well as the appraisal of the individual’s health status. Higher metabolism usually means cannabidiol will be broken down and cleared from the body more quickly. |
| Body Composition | Since CBD is lipophilic, people with more fat tend to have greater CBD load. This means that the rate of release is lower and the half life is consequently longer. |
| Food Intake | It has been observed that taking CBD after a fatty meal increases its absorption effectiveness with consequent higher peak levels within the body and delayed elimination. |
Cannabidiol (CBD) half life however, remains of utmost importance to be explored mostly by the users and medical practitioners. This further plays a great role in assessing optimal dosing regimens, enabling approximation of effects and also knowing possible detection of the substance(s) on drug assays. With advancements in studies, it is almost definite that there will be a deeper understanding on how this highly used substance is metabolized by the body.
