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What is a CBD Drink?
A CBD drink combines cannabidiol extract with a standard drinks base, most often a sparkling soft drink or an instant hemp tea. The CBD comes from industrial hemp and is added during production rather than brewed from the raw plant, so a CBD drink doesn't taste of hemp unless a brand adds botanical flavouring on purpose. Because it's classed as a food product instead of a supplement pill, any CBD drink UK retailers stock sits under the same shelf rules as other beverages, with cannabidiol as one ingredient among the rest.Â
CBD Drinks vs Other CBD Formats
How much CBD you actually absorb depends on the route it takes into your system. CBD oil held under the tongue reaches the bloodstream partly through the tissue in your mouth, skipping some of the digestive process, while CBD capsules and drinks are both swallowed and broken down through the gut and liver before the CBD becomes active. CBD vape bypasses digestion entirely, absorbing through the lungs, which is usually the fastest route. Format aside, drinks and capsules generally deliver a similar amount of CBD into your system, though both deliver less than sublingual oil at the same milligram dose.Â
Storing and Serving a CBD Drink
Store an unopened CBD drink in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight, like any soft drink or canned tea. Once opened, refrigerate it and finish it within a day or two to preserve both flavour and CBD content. Each can or bottle is designed as a single serving, so there's no need to measure anything out before drinking.Â
FAQ
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A legal CBD drink is non-intoxicating and won't impair coordination in the way alcohol or THC would. That said, everyone responds differently, and if a product makes you feel drowsy, it's sensible to wait before driving.
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There's no evidence putting the two on the same footing. At the low doses found in most commercial drinks, CBD isn't considered hard on the liver, though very high, sustained intake can raise liver enzymes, a sign of added strain. Still, anyone on other medication or with existing liver issues should be more cautious with either.
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Most people describe a calm, settled feeling rather than any noticeable high, since CBD doesn't produce intoxicating effects. Reactions vary by person and by dose, so what one drinker notices within the hour, another might not feel at all.
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CBD drinks are legal when they're linked to a valid novel food application and contain no more than 1mg of THC per container. The FSA keeps a public list of products with an active or pending application, and only those should be on sale. Buying from a retailer that checks this list is the simplest way to stay compliant.
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Most people stick to one CBD drink a day, since that already delivers a full serving of cannabidiol without stacking doses on top of each other. If you're new to CBD, starting with one and seeing how you feel over a few days is more useful than increasing the amount straight away.