How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

When you’re considering using CBD to treat physical and mental health problems, it’s important to do as much research on the subject as you can.

11:21 22 January 2020

You want to be fully informed on the type of CBD you should use, how much you should take, how often you should take it, and more.

A big question that helps you determine the answers to the other questions is how long it stays in your system. It would be nice if you could buy CBD oil and take it maybe once a week to gain all the benefits without spending a ton of money. But will it last that long?

If you’re looking for a quick answer, we can tell you that CBD stays in your system anywhere from 36 hours to 5 days. But there are a dozen or more factors that influence this number, and it’s important to look at all of them to understand how often you should be taking CBD to get the full potency.

CBD’s Interaction in Your System

It’s important to understand how CBD works to understand how long it stays in your body. CBD is made up of cannabinoids that interact with the existing cannabinoids in your body. They’re part of the endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for sending and receiving signals regarding hormonal regulation and immune responses. When you increase the number of cannabinoids occurring in your body, they bind to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, influencing the hormonal responses in your body.

With a single dose, you’ll feel a surge of difference in your body, but it will disappear in three days or less without repeat dosages. To promote a healthy endocannabinoid system, it’s important to continue taking CBD for best results. After that, it’s a matter of understanding how much and how often to take it.

Factors That Affect CBD’s Lifespan in Your Body

The length of time that CBD stays in your system depends on a variety of factors, from your personal chemical makeup to what you ate that day. Here are a few key factors that influence the lifespan of CBD in your body.

What Type of CBD You Take

There are three primary types of CBD: CBD isolate (pure CBD with nothing else), broad-spectrum CBD (CBD containing cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, amino acids, etc). and full-spectrum CBD (CBD containing all that of broad-spectrum CBD plus up to 0.3 percent THC).

It’s believed that full-spectrum CBD has the longest effect in the body given the slight THC content. Broad-spectrum is next in effectiveness because of all the extra components and CBD isolate seems to run through your body the fastest.

How You Take It

You can take CBD sublingually, orally, topically, or through inhalation. It’s difficult to tell how long each one lasts in the body exactly, given the minimal research, but it’s believed that sublingual CBD is the fastest-acting and longest lasting because it enters into the mucous membranes of your mouth and enters the blood stream without getting lost in your stomach acid.

Inhalation seems to be the fastest release from your body. It acts quickly, but it also leaves the body quickly because it doesn’t enter the blood stream. It’s also considered the riskiest option.

Capsules and edibles are somewhere in the middle because it takes longer for them to work and they lose up to 80 percent of their potency when going through the digestive system. However, they have a slower release, so although the effects take longer to kick in, they could last for quite a while.

Topicals are also considered slow to take effect and slow to leave the body. The dosage of CBD in topical creams and ointments must also be very high for you to notice the difference.

Your Body

Everybody’s body will process CBD differently based on their genetic makeup. To begin with, your metabolism will influence the length of time that CBD stays in your body. A person with a fast metabolism will process CBD more quickly than a slower metabolism.

Your weight and body mass index (BMI) also influence the speed at which CBD courses through your body. If you’re more active and building lots of muscles, you’re more likely to burn fat content and burn through the CBD in your system. Your body’s water content can also influence the length of time CBD lingers.

What You Eat

If you’re ingesting CBD, what you eat could also play a role in the time CBD stays in your body. A fiber-rich diet will likely speed up the digestion of CBD while a low-fiber diet will cause a slower release.

It’s also important to note that CBD eliminates from your system faster when you take it on an empty stomach. Focus on eating a healthy diet of foods that digest slowly. This includes whole foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and beans. Because they digest slower, taking CBD with these foods will slow the elimination.

How Often You Use It

According to Penguin CBD, the frequency in which you consume CBD plays a huge role in determining how long CBD stays in your system. The more often you take CBD, the more cannabinoids build up in your body as part of the endocannabinoid system. As a result, it will take much longer for it to clear your system.

Additionally, if you take CBD in a heavier dose, it will naturally take longer for it to leave your system.

Will It Show Up on a Drug Test?

You might be wondering how long CBD lasts because you have a drug test coming up, and you don’t want it to show up. Rest assured that if you’re taking CBD isolate or broad-spectrum CBD, it will not show up on a drug test.

However, some full-spectrum CBD strains might show up on a drug test because they contain trace amounts of THC. It depends on the dosage you take and how long it’s been since you ingested the CBD.

Additionally, if you purchased CBD that contains a higher THC content than the packaging states, you’re at risk for failing a drug test. It’s important to always do your research and read third-party lab tests to verify the content of your products.

If you want to be safe, you can always avoid taking CBD for at least five days before taking a drug test, and in most cases, it will have left your system.