About CBD
What is CBD?
Think of CBD as a food supplement derived from a pure plant extract. Like many other plant-based remedies, it is incredibly effective. But unlike many, CBD can help regulate a vast array of physical and mental functions.
Even though it seems like CBD is something new, it has been used by humans since the dawn of civilisation. Cannabinoids are natural compounds found in hemp, aka Cannabis Sativa L, a plant that has been utilised for centuries for its health benefits.
The Tonic’s CBD is perfectly safe and legal. Ours is triple tested, grown organically and is only ever extracted using the most effective and safe method, using high pressure and low temperatures.
All our products, apart from the CBD Patches, are made from full spectrum CBD Oil.
There are three types of CBD on the market. Full spectrum is the highest quality and most effective. It’s made from the entire plant, tip to root, ensuring it contains as many beneficial compounds as the plant can provide. Not just the full array of cannabinoids*, but flavinoids and terpenes too – terpenes, like curcumin, which is also found in tumeric. All these cannabinoids, terpenes and flavinoids work together to provide a synergistic effect. Broad spectrum is the next next level down, made from parts of the plant and has certain cannabinoids like THC extracted. Then there is CBD isolate, also referred to as ‘pure’ CBD. The most prevalent cannabinoid, Cannabidiol, has been extracted from the CBD Oil, and is presented as a white powder. This is used in our CBD Patches and most CBD drinks available to buy today.
*the most common being CBD cannabidiol, CBG cannabigerol, CBN cannabinol and trace amounts of THC Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
Cannabis is predominantly associated with the cannabinoid THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) – it’s the one that gets you high. And it’s the one which is only seen in ‘trace’ amounts of hemp, unlike other cannabis strains. Because of its psychoactive properties, THC is a controlled substance and illegal in the UK. Full Spectrum CBD products in the UK must contain no more than 2mg of THC per container, no matter the size of the container. Non-Full Spectrum CBD products must contain no more than 1mg THC per container.
How does CBD work?
All mammals have what’s called an Endocannabinoid System (ECS).
The ECS regulates and controls many of our most critical bodily functions such as sleep, pain perception, memory, emotional processing, temperature, inflammation, immune responses and appetite.
When we take CBD, the Phytocannabinoids (plant-based cannabinoids) respond to our Endocannabinoid receptors that reside throughout our brain and body. CB1 receptors reside in our brain and control neurotransmitters which regulate many of our functions listed above. CB2 receptors run through our immune tissues and help control our immune function, regulating intestinal activity, inflammation and pain.
As well as the CB1 and CB2 receptors, the ECS also produces its own endocannabinoids. These are the human’s own version of phytocannabinoids (CBD). So there is a belief that we are deficient in CBD. It’s a condition called clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD).
To put a complex system simply, they mediate communication between cells, and when there is a deficiency or problem with our endocannabinoid system, that’s when we notice something in ourselves is not quite right – that’s when we can turn to plant-based cannabinoids for assistance.
CBD dosage guide
We’re all unique and just like diluting cordial, what’s too weak for you might be too strong for someone else. We suggest that you start low and see how you go, a single drop, pump or spray, one or two times a day is enough for most people. But if you feel you need to, you can build up to where you feel comfortable by increasing your daily dose gradually and in small increments.
The Food Standards Agency (October 2023) advise 10mg of CBD per day for a healthy adult.A low daily dose would be around 8mg to 12mg of CBD (for example, 1 spray of the 8% Classic oil is 12mg). Most people, for general well-being, average at 12mg to 36mg a day. It does depend how susceptible you are to CBD and what you are taking it for, as to how much you need.
How to understand the bottle labels and concentration:
All of our oral products come in 10ml or 20ml bottles and the CBD content within is measured in mg. A low strength might be 200mg and a high concentration could be as high as 2500mg. In order to keep it simple, The Tonic labels CBD strength as a percentage. Essentially, the higher the percentage, the higher the concentration of cannabinoids. Rule of thumb – the amount of mg of CBD in every 10ml sized bottle = the % of concentration. For example, 4% is the equivalent of 400mg of CBD in a 10ml bottle, 8% is the equivalent of 800mg of CBD in a 10ml bottle and so on.
Our 20ml bottles contain double the mg of CBD than the 10ml, so the percentage remains the same. Look out for this with other brands – some just display the mg and not the %, which makes it easier for them to trick you into thinking you’re getting a higher concentration than you are.
