With CBD still being relatively new to the market and health industry, looking at product dosing and label information can be confusing at first. With varied MG’s, ML’s and percentages…figuring it out might feel like heading back to math class. Luckily, once you get the gist of what CBD strengths ratings really mean, it’s simple to find the right product for you, and how to set your dosages. That’s why we’ve put together an in-depth guide to understanding CBD strength ratings, and what the numbers really mean.
CBD Milligrams & Milliliters
The two most common strengths found on any bottle of CBD oil, is MG and ML or milligrams and milliliters. To start off simply, the label’s ML is the total portion of ounces contained in the bottle. Usually, bottles are 30 ML or exactly one ounce.
The number of milligrams listed on the bottle refers to the amount of total cannabinoids included in the bottle. Note, that cannabinoids are not the same as just CBD. For full-spectrum and broad-spectrum products you may see 1000 MG listed, but there’s a separate percentage for the amount of CBD. Full-spectrum oils will typically share the percentage of THC contained in the product, too. Other cannabinoids found in full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils other than CBD and THC (in the case of full-spectrum) include CBDA, CBG, CBN and CBC amongst others.
From this information alone, you can see that 500 MG would be a lesser potent product, while 2500 MG is more concentrated with cannabinoid effects. But you’ll also want to take the ML amount into consideration. A 2500 MG CBD oil bottled in a 10 ML bottle varies in strength from a 2500 MG CBD oil bottled in a 30 ML bottle.
Why? From dose to dose, the concentration levels of cannabinoids is higher in the smaller bottle. Think of it like bubble tea…if you get a small bubble tea with 25 bubbles in it, you’ll suck up more bubbles per each sip. If you get a large bubble tea with 25 bubbles in it, you’ll get less bubbles per each sip. For those more math savvy, it’s all about the percentage of concentration. 1000 MG in a 10 ML bottle is 10% concentrated, while 2500 MG in a 20 ML bottle is 5% concentrated.
Natures Pure offers 300 MG, 900 MG, and 1800 MG options in our 30 ML bottles. This provides a wide-range of strengths for a variety of CBD users.
Measuring CBD oil doses with droppers
Normally, CBD oil droppers fill completely to 1 ML. Knowing how much ML’s per bottle, will allow you to do some simple calculations to figure out how much you’re consuming each time you take a dose. Or, how full to fill your eyedropper when attempting to take a certain amount of milligrams.
So let’s set up another example, with Nature’s Pure 1800 MG oil that comes in a 30 ML bottle. The equation to find out how many 
MG’s per dropper would be –
Total MGs of CBD in bottle ÷ Number of Milliliters in bottle = # of MG’s per full eyedropper.
1800 ÷ 30 = 60 MGs of CBD and cannabinoids per 1 ML dose. If you’re taking less or more than 60 MGs per dose, you can do the math from there.
If the CBD product lists varied percentages for CBD and other cannabinoids, you can take this into consideration when doing the math for doses.
CBD Edible & Capsule Strengths
CBD edibles and capsules are often noted as the easiest methods to accurately dose with CBD. That’s because the CBD brand has essentially done the work for you. The most popular CBD edible are gummies. CBD gummies are normally labeled with the quantity’s total amount of CBD. As in, if a bottle says 2000 MG – that’s how much CBD is included in the entire batch. If the bottle contains 20 gummies, that means each gummy is 10 MG each. The same goes for capsules, or other pre-packaged options like mints, gum, etc.
Finding your ideal strength
Through research and user experience alike, there are a few tips that you can follow to find your ideal strength of CBD oil and products. We’ll touch upon recommended doses for common conditions next, but if you’re self-dosing, the following tricks will help you find your ideal strength or balance –
- Go low and slow – It can take up to 2 weeks for your body to acclimate to the CBD compound, or before effects are felt completely. For the first week, stay consistent with your dose. It’s always best to start out low, and increase from there.
- Track and record – Many people first starting CBD find success from journaling their journey. Outlying factors like what you ate or how much sleep you got, may affect the way your body reacts to CBD. Taking notes of your daily use, and how many MG’s made you feel a certain way will help you find your ideal amount, overtime.
Overall, a recommended low dose to begin, is usually between 20 – 40 mg. To take your weight into account, many say 1-6 MGs per 10 pounds of body weight is a good equation to start with. Most experts advise raising doses by 5 mg at a time, after 1 week.
Research on CBD recommended doses
If you’re still lost, it doesn’t hurt to look at research that has been compiled on CBD doses thus far. Reviewing early studies may point you in the right direction, of where to start or how much CBD you should be taking for the condition you’re trying to treat or soothe.
- In one study on psychosis, 1200 mg daily was recommended for symptom treatment. The same review showed 150 mg ideal for aiding symptoms of Parkinsons.
- When researching CBD’s effect on schizophrenia, benefits were seen after increasing dosages by 40–1,280 mg per day over a span of 4 weeks.
- In a study on public speaking, CBD was shown to lower anxiety levels at 300 – 600 MG.
- Another study showed CBD doses of 160 MG helped lengthen the duration of sleep.
