CBD Guide
What is CBD? How does CBD work? And how is CBD best absorbed by the body? We answer the most important questions about the miracle plant hemp.
Medicinal plant hemp
Useful plant, medicinal herb, intoxicant - idolised and demonised. The use of the hemp plant is as rich as its handling over the centuries and across cultures is diverse. The oldest traditions on the healing effects of hemp date back to pre-Christian times and come from Egypt, China and India. But it is only modern science that allows us to gradually understand the mode of action of hemp and the cannabinoids it contains.
What is CBD?
Cannabinoids are compounds that occur naturally in the hemp plant. One of these cannabinoids is cannabidiol (CBD). Another compound is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the psychoactive effect of certain hemp varieties. Unlike THC, CBD does not make you "high". Through breeding and crossing, we now have a very wide range of hemp varieties with varying levels of CBD and THC.
How does CBD work?
The human body has an endocannabinoid system with whose receptors cannabinoids - thus also CBD - interact. The endocannabinoid system is part of the nervous system. It plays an important role in maintaining internal balance, influences mood, the immune system, the sleep cycle, metabolism and the cardiovascular system.
Science only discovered the body's own cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s. It is a young field of research, and the concrete effect of CBD in the human body has not yet been sufficiently deciphered. However, various medical and pharmacological studies suggest that CBD supports anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, antianxiety and antipsychotic effects.
A recent study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) also points to the positive effects of CBD. The WHO attests that CBD has no potential for abuse or dependence. In the hemp plant, cannabidiol is predominantly found as an acid (CBDA). In order to convert CBDA into effective CBD, it has to be activated within an optimal temperature range. This can be done beforehand through professional preparation of the hemp or directly during use. For example, by heating the hemp when smoking, the CBD carboxylic acid is converted into CBD and only then usable for the body.
CBD intake
How is CBD best absorbed by the body? CBD products are available in different forms. The following overview explains how the different products are absorbed by the body.
Absorption: stomach (digestion)
CBD products: Drinks, edibles, capsules
Effect: CBD enters the body through the digestive process. The CBD product passes through the relatively slow digestive process, so that the effect only sets in after one to two hours. Due to by-products that are produced during digestion, a reduced effect is also to be expected.
Uptake: mucous membrane (mouth, eyes, nose)
CBD products: Eye drops, nasal spray, extract/oil (sublingual), snus
Effect: CBD enters the blood directly via the mucous membrane. The diversions via the digestive tract is thus avoided. The effect sets in very quickly and the CBD can unfold its effect almost without losses.
Absorption: Lungs
CBD products: Inhaled hemp compounds (smoke or vaporise)
Effect: Inhaling heated hemp or vaporised CBD oil is the quickest way to experience the positive effects of CBD. The compounds are inhaled and transferred directly from the lungs into the bloodstream.
Intake: skin
CBD products: Creams, lotions
Effect: In this method, the CBD product is applied to and absorbed by the skin. CBD-enriched creams and lotions are used for the local treatment of muscle and joint pain as well as for the treatment of skin diseases.
Why Heimat?
The company Koch & Gsell from Eastern Switzerland is a pioneer in the production of CBD products and works tirelessly to make them accessible worldwide. The name "Heimat" stands for uncompromising quality. We grow the hemp plants under optimal conditions and refine the flowers through gentle drying. The further processing into a diverse range of CBD-containing products is carried out with many years of know-how. In this way, consumers benefit from the full healing power of the hemp plant.
