5 things you didn’t know about CBD, straight from industry experts

There’s no doubt about it: CBD has *officially* earned its spot as the cool kid of the modern day wellness scene (not to brag, but we totally called it).

As Well+Good’s co-founder, Melisse Gelula, phrased it at last night’s Well+Good TALKS event at The Assemblage in New York City—which covered the nation’s, *ahem,* budding love affair with this the high-vibe ingredient—CBD no longer has to hide under the high school bleachers. Instead, it’s finding its way into your beauty arsenal, your fridge, your supplement lineup, and even onto your menu.

Even though you, healthy living fanatic that you are, might think you know everything there is to know about this stand-out ingredient, these five nuggets of intel—which had the editors’ present frantically scribbling in their notebooks—are sure to catch you by surprise.

Keep reading to see what panelists Chris Sayegh, owner and head chef of The Herbal Chef; Cindy DiPrima Morisse, co-founder of CAP Beauty and The Daily Hit; and Michael Bumgarner, founder and CEO of Cannuka, had to say on this lit topic.

Here are the 5 dopest things you never knew about CBD.

1. You can use CBD to reduce under-eye puffiness and help soothe your sunburn

As DiPrima Morisse points out, inflammation is to blame for the vast majority of skin issues, including rashes, psoriasis, and yep, puffy eyes. So given that CBD boasts anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically, it only makes since that all three panelists rave about the major difference it can make in your complexion. “If you get a sunburn, apply some CBD on it. It’s a total game-changer,” says Bumgarner, adding that a topical application can also aid common conditions like eczema and rosacea.

2. There’s no physical reaction to ingesting too much CBD

If you accidentally indulge in a few too many spoonfuls of CBD oil, Sayegh says not to sweat it. “There’s no physical reaction to it,” he explains—as long as whatever product you’re ingesting doesn’t contain THC. (In fact, clinical trials have shown you’d need to ingest a dose equivalent to 20 mg per each kilogram of your body weight—AKA a ton—to experience negative physical side effects.)

3. Your body takes in more nutrients when you ingest cannabis than when you inhale it

Thanks to cannabis’ high bioavailability (meaning, its ability to effectively enter your bloodstream), Sayegh says that eating your milligrams—rather than smoking them—allows your body to absorb 70 to 90 percent of the plant’s powerful nutrients, including CBD. (Smoking, which can cause lung damage, is widely considered the least healthy way to reap the plant’s benefits.)

4. CBD can make you sleepy *and* amp you up

Although CBD is known for its zzz’s-inducing powers, DiPrima Morisse points out that it could also have the opposite effect on you. “It’s almost like an adaptogen—a dual-direction sort of product—because people also use it in the morning to energize,” she says. According to early research on the topic (a lot more needs to be done before any definitive conclusions can be drawn) this contradiction may be due to varying doses, with higher servings tending to lead to sleepier subjects, and lower doses to more stimulated ones.

5. You can think of your daily dose of CBD like a vitamin

Since CBD packs all these aforementioned benefits, Sayegh says you can take your daily dose in tandem with the rest of your supplemental routine of vitamin D, omegas, and probiotics (or whatever your healthy cocktail of choice). He recommends taking 5 mg of CBD to kickstart your morning (which, non-coincidentally, is exactly the recommended dose of DiPrima Morisse’s Daily Hit). If you want to use CBD as a sleep aid, however, Sayegh says 15 mg should do the trick, and when using the ingredient to help soothe muscle aches and pains, he recommends 15-35 mg.

Special thanks to our partners Cannuka, LEEF Organics, Sunday Scaries, The H. Hemp Company, CAP Beauty, Beekeeper’s Naturals, Empower, Ambika Herbals, and Dirty Lemon, who provided the amazing treats for the goody bags our guests took home.  

If you’re brand-new to the CBD space, here’s how to find your perfect dose and how to keep an eye out for fake CBD oil.