CBD FAQ's
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a non-intoxicating molecule found naturally in cannabis plants. It is a small chain of 21 carbon atoms, with some oxygen and hydrogen attached. It has been declared safe by the World Health Organisation, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) permits its use in all sports competitions.
No. CBD doesn’t interact with the parts of your brain that cause euphoria, or disorientation. The part of the cannabis plant that can have those effects, known as THC, is not present in any OTO product.
In the UK, the Home Office has declared that pure CBD (CBD isolate) is legal. OTO only uses CBD isolate in our products. Other cannabinoids, including THC or CBN, are illegal.
You may come across CBD products that are labelled as ‘Full spectrum’ or ‘Broad spectrum’. Full spectrum means that THC is included in the product, while Broad spectrum means that additional, potentially illegal cannabinoids are included. As a result, any product with those labels is likely to be technically illegal under current UK law.
The best way to be sure that a retail product is legal in the UK is to check that the company selling it provides evidence that they only use CBD isolate.
The perfect amount will be different for everyone. Depending on the how efficiently your body maintains its internal balance, the same amount of CBD might affect you differently compared to the next person.
We do know that CBD is naturally and safely removed from the body, so it will give the best support when taken daily. A daily of intake of at least 10-20 milligrams (mg) of CBD can suffice to keep some in your system, but for those who want the most reliable response, we suggest an optimum daily intake of 40-60mg. Guidance from the UK’s Food Standard Agency recommends a maximum daily intake of 70mg in food or drinks. There is no official guidance level for CBD in skincare, but all OTO products allow you to precisely control the amount of CBD you consume.
CBD is not a sedative. Instead, think of it as clearing away the distractions, so your natural sleep cycle can operate at its best.
If you take CBD during the waking part of your day, it can help maintain alertness and focus. In contrast, taking CBD in the evening supports your body’s normal tendency to fall and stay asleep.
When you inhale or swallow CBD it enters your bloodstream, from which it can pass safely into your brain. There it interacts with our natural transmitter and receptor systems, helping maintain balance and normal functioning. Along with a healthy lifestyle, it can help you prepare for the day or night ahead.
No. Excess CBD is naturally removed from our bodies, so the main effect of taking a huge dose of CBD (i.e., hundreds or thousands of milligrams or mg) would be an increase in liver activity as it naturally breaks down the molecules. All of OTO’s products have been carefully designed to stay within government guidelines for CBD, including our emphasis on 40-60mg per day as a supportive amount.
Everyone responds to CBD differently. If you don’t notice any benefits, it might be that your body’s internal systems are already running at their best. If your endocannabinoid system and other internal regulatory systems are functioning correctly—which means that your body is able to respond quickly and correctly to stresses and other imbalances—then CBD will not change that. Neither will it have any negative effects in those circumstances.
Another reason for limited benefits may be that the amount of CBD you’re using is too low or too infrequent to build up a supportive effect in your body. If you’re only taking 5 or 10mg per day, your body might simply be removing it before it has a chance to help you.
CBD isolate is the end result of purification from the original material extracted from a hemp plant. It is pure CBD, free from any other contaminants.
Full spectrum CBD is much less refined, and contains other cannabinoids including psychotropic or intoxicating ones like THC. Full spectrum CBD is therefore illegal in the UK, and many other regions. Broad spectrum CBD also contains other cannabidinoids, but with the THC removed. Still, some of the remaining molecules—including CBN—may be illegal depending on where you live. OTO only uses pure CBD isolate in our products.
The 'entourage effect' was first suggested in the 1990s to help explain why THC was less effective as a medicine when separated from other parts of the cannabis plant. At that date, the effects of CBD were not taken into account, and consumer products were not considered either. It is not correct to talk about an entourage effect for CBD, therefore, since the phrase was coined for THC-containing products that are illegal in the UK, except as licensed medicines. At this stage, it is fair to consider an entourage effect for CBD products as unfounded marketing hype.
Hemp oil is made made by cold pressing hemp seeds to extract their contents. The seed oil is highly nutritious and can be used for cooking like many other vegetable oils, or used as a base in cosmetics. However, hemp oil contains essentially no CBD. You can check whether a product has CBD by looking on the label for the amount of CBD or cannabidiol in milligrams (mg). If the product only contains cannabis sativa oil, or hemp oil, then it does not contain CBD.