If you’re shopping for CBD for its many health benefits, you will likely come across two different types of products that look the same: CBD oil and CBD tincture. Both will come in similar looking dropper bottles, and there isn’t a lot of information on the packaging to explain what the differences are.
Truthfully, there isn’t a huge difference between the two. They both serve the same purposes, and both will have the same effects, generally speaking. However, there are distinct differences between them that might make you want to choose one over the other for your own preferences. Here’s a quick breakdown of the important ways that CBD oil is different from CBD tincture.
Different Base Ingredient
As name indicates, CBD oil uses oil as its base. The oil is specifically the form that comes from the process of extracting and refining CBD from hemp plants. You can also get CBD oil with what is called ‘carrier oils’, which serve the same purpose, but can be made up in a blend of coconut oil, hemp seed oil, MCT oil, and more. This oil just acts as carrier for the CBD content within the product. For more information, you can check out BrownsCBD.co.uk.
It is also one of the most pure and potent forms of CBD you can get. First, because it makes it easier for the body to absorb the CBD into your system. Second, because it often uses oil extracted from the cannabis plant itself. So if you want something purely for the effect that CBD has — such as relieving pain or stress — you may prefer taking CBD in oil-form so you get more benefit from it.
CBD tincture, on the other hand, uses alcohol as its base. This is usually distilled alcohol, which is around 60% to 70% of the tincture. While you may think that this means that tincture is not as effective, that is not strictly true. The use of alcohol gives tincture a higher bioavailability, which makes it more efficient for your body to absorb. There is still a lot of variation in the concentration or dose of CBD within oil and tincture, so it really depends on which specific product you get. You can very easily find tincture that has a higher CBD content than CBD oil.
Different Ingredients
Aside from the base used in CBD oil vs tincture products, you will also find different secondary ingredients. These are meant to enhance the the effectiveness of the CBD, to add secondary benefits, or just add to the experience of consuming it. CBD oil will usually use base oils that are easier for the body to absorb, such as coconut oil, MCT oil, hemp seed oil, and more. CBD oil products are usually made to be no-nonsense. It is a more pure form of CBD, and it is made to be consumed by people who want it because of what CBD has to offer for health or medical benefits.
You may sometimes find CBD oil that adds ingredients to help enhance the same general purpose of CBD, however. For example, CBD can help people with insomnia to fall asleep and improve their sleep quality. You can find CBD that contains other natural supplements to help with sleep, such as melatonin or ylang ylang.
CBD tincture will have a lower CBD ratio due to having other ingredients that do things like enhance the flavour or add other benefits. For example, it is common to add things like vitamins, herbs, essential oils like mint CBD oil tincture from NewLeaf Botanics, or flavour enhancers to make it taste better. You will also find that tinctures are more likely to add other ingredients to supplement the effect of CBD, like essential oils. While both oil and tincture will give the same overall benefits, the different ingredients may be better for you depending on if you want it to improve your health, immune system, sleep quality, and more.
Different Forms of Ingestion
Aside from how CBD oil is made compared to CBD tincture, you will also find some differences in how you ingest them. In this case, you will find more variety with CBD oil. Aside from just taking the oil directly via a dropper, you can also get them in capsule form so you take a consistent dose every time. There is also the ability to vape CBD oil, which is one of the more potent and quick ways of taking CBD to feel its effects.
CBD tincture, on the other hand, you will not find in capsules or vape oils. The alcohol base makes those options non-viable. However, because of the alcohol base and its higher bioavailability, you can use CBD tincture mixed in food. You can cook with CBD oil as well, but it is less effective and does not work with the same range of food or drink that tincture can. Generally speaking, with CBD oil it needs to be mixed with some kind of fat in the food, such as oil or butter. With tinctures, you can use it more directly and with foods or drinks that don’t rely on fat as much.
Different Prices
The other important difference comes down to price. Since CBD oil usually has more potency due to having more CBD itself, you will find that oil gets more expensive than tincture. This is especially true as you start looking at higher quality or more potent CBD oil products.
Tincture generally uses more alcohol and other secondary ingredients that are less expensive. As a result, you will find that getting the same sized bottle and concentration of CBD dosage will usually be a little cheaper.
These are the main differences between CBD oil and CBD tincture. While they generally look, act, and cost the same, there are some important differences. If you want CBD for its own health benefits, you would likely want to take CBD oil since it tends to be more potent. However, if you want it for secondary reasons as well, and don’t want it to cost as much, CBD tincture may be better for you.
