The Biphasic Properties of CBD

Written by Jason Brett — Edited by on July 17, 2021

Defining Biphasic

A biphasic drug is one that has different effects on the body at different blood concentration levels.

Biphasic drugs are to be confused with ‘biphasic drug-release,’ a common method of pharmaceutical drug administration in which a drug is coated with film, creating one layer that absorbs immediately, and one that releases over time.

One of the most well known biphasic drugs is alcohol. It acts as a stimulant until blood alcohol levels reach 0.05 percent. After this point, continued consumption of alcohol causes sedation and depression.

Other popular biphasic drugs include caffeine, the most commonly consumed stimulant in the world, and kratom – an opiate-containing a plant that can be found in southeast Asia.

It is important to understand cannabidiol as a biphasic drug. There is a common mentality that says ‘If one is good, ten must be great!’. But, in the case of CBD, more is not necessarily better.

CBD’s Biphasic Response

When CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system at a low concentration, it has been shown to increase wakefulness, alertness and other elevating responses.

At higher levels of concentration, however, CBD has a sedating effect. For example, people who consume more substantial amounts of CBD may feel sleepy and calm instead of alert and energetic.

Implications in Treatment

Because of CBD’s biphasic properties, people use it in response to a wide variety of conditions from insomnia to depression to chronic pain.

In order to get the desired results from CBD, it is important to follow the suggested serving size and understanding what it could mean to consume beyond that amount.

Research published by cannabisclinicians.org states that individuals who received only 15mg of cannabidiol reported feeling more clear-minded and alert. Further studies have shown that individuals receiving this amount also experience more wakefulness during sleep than those who do not take CBD.

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On the other end of the spectrum, individuals receiving 600mg of cannabidiol reported feeling more sedated. In fact, servings as low as 160mg can increase sleep duration.

It is clear that taking CBD in different amounts can produce dramatically different results.

Advice for Individuals On How to Use CBD Oil

When using CBD, it is imperative to consume the recommended serving size at regular intervals.

While perhaps not as ideal as a traditional dosage chart, we at CBD Oil Review (COR) have created an official COR Serving Standard through our extensive analysis of hundreds of products.

The COR Serving Standard is 25mg of CBD, taken twice daily.

Additionally, if you find yourself needing to take more, our analysis suggests increasing the amount of CBD you take every 3-4 weeks by 25mg until the desired results have been attained. If conditions worsen, consider doing the inverse and decreasing by 25mg until you find the right balance.

CBD Serving Calculator

There are many factors that go into determining the correct CBD serving size. These factors include weight, diet, metabolism, genetics, environment, product consistency, and more. This shifting variables make it nearly impossible to arrive at a universal serving size.

While we wish we could provide the public with a mathematical CBD serving calculator, it isn’t quite that simple and very rough estimates are the best we can do.

We recommend starting with the minimal suggested serving on any CBD product and then increase the amount gradually until you reach the results you want.

It is important to pay attention to any medications you may be taking as they can increase, or decreases, the concentration of CBD in your blood, which, as mentioned above could impact the effects on your body.

Some people have anomalies in the cytochrome P-45O (CYP450) enzyme system which can impact they way the metabolize CBD, necessitating a need to reevaluate the serving size for those individuals.

If you suspect that you are not metabolizing CBD as expected, ask your doctor to test your CYP450 enzyme system before adjusting the amount you are using.

For more information on how to use CBD, you can reference our page on CBD serving sizes.