CBD Gummies vs. CBD Oil: Which Is Better?

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Saira Zulfiqar, PharmD

CBD oil has been one of the most popular, yet conventional, ways of consuming CBD. CBD gummies, on the other hand, have made a powerful entry on the CBD landscape and have risen tremendously in popularity. 

With more versions of CBD edibles available in the market now than ever, you can easily find CBD gummies for anxiety, CBD oil, and even CBD topicals. However, these new products have been raising questions about CBD oil vs. gummies. 

Which one is better and how to choose either for stress, anxiety, sleep and pain?

This article is for you. Keep reading.

In summary, both cbd gummies and oils have their pros and cons. Oils act faster, while gummies are easier to dose and more subtle to take. Consider your needs and preferences when choosing between these two popular cbd products.

There are a lot of questions around CBD gummies and CBD oil. Let’s get right to the heart of the issue. 

What is CBD?

Before we can talk about using CBD oil vs. CBD gummies for anxiety, we first need to know what CBD is. 

CBD, known as cannabidiol, was first discovered way back in 1940. This compound is one of the many compounds found in cannabis and hemp plants. CBD is non-intoxicating and can offer people help withfrom anxiety, pain, and sleeplessness. 

CBD is extracted from the leaves, stem and flowers of hemp plants. This extract is used in gummies, vaporizers, and countless other products. CBD extract is popular across the globe and is only getting more popular.

Is CBD Legal?

CBD edibles got popular after the 2018 Farm Bill in the United States. This legislation fundamentally changed how the hemp and cannabis industries worked in the USA. 

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp products and hemp derivatives. This means that for the first time, manufacturers could extract compounds from hemp products and sell them commercially without risk of prosecution. One of the first products to hit the market with CBD, which is now regulated and sold throughout the country.

CBD is legal federally in the United States. However, this can get tricky because the wording in the 2018 Farm Bill isn’t exactly precise. The legality of CBD is mainly going to depend on the state and city that you live in. 

While the 2018 Farm Bill removed CBD from the list of controlled substances, FDA regulations still need to be made clear about CBD. This puts CBD in a general gray area. 

But to cut the long story short, the quick answer is that CBD is legal, but it might depend on your state and local laws. CBD is common throughout the country and is, in practice, treated as being legal.

How Does CBD Work? 

CBD has an interesting way of working in the body. Research into how CBD works is still ongoing, but we can make some concrete statements about the basics of how CBD has an effect on the mind as well as the body.

Our bodies have a system known as the endocannabinoid system. These are a set of receptors that naturally pick up on cannabinoid compounds. CBD is thought to interact with these receptors to have a positive effect on a variety of other factors.

CBD is thought to help with pain, inflammation and stress and anxiety It is not psychoactive and cannot get you high.

Different Types of CBD

There are three main types of CBD. 

• There is pure CBD extract, known as CBD isolate, that is 100% CBD with no other compounds. 
• Broad-spectrum CBD contains other cannabinoids and terpenes but no THC. THC is an intoxicating cannabinoid. 
• Full-spectrum CBD contains cannabinoids, terpenes, and up to the legal limit of 0.3% THC. 

CBD extraction methods also matter. CBD is typically extracted using a solvent or the CO2 method. While you can get high-quality CBD extracts using most methods, the CO2 method tends to yield the most pure CBD isolates. 

If you’re looking to purchase CBD gummies, you want to make sure that you’re getting a high-quality product. Most brands of CBD gummies and CBD oil get their products independently tested to ensure the purity of the CBD isolate. These tests are also crucial for ensuring that THC levels stay within the legal limits.

CBD Gummies vs CBD Oil

The difference between CBD gummies and CBD oil can get very subtle, but it’s essential to know which product is right for you. We will go over the most significant differences between these two ways of enjoying CBD.

One of them will likely be better for helping you with pain, sleeplessness, and other conditions.

CBD Gummies

These CBD edibles are fruit-flavored candies that contain CBD, sugar, flavors and a binding agent such as pectin. There are some unique advantages and disadvantages that come with using CBD gummies over CBD oil. It all comes down to the fact that CBD gummies are very easy to manage. 

The most significant advantage of CBD gummies is that you don’t have to worry about any particular dosing or sublingual absorption. Your CBD gummies will have an individual dose automatically inside each gummy, usually 25mg, and all you need to do is enjoy one like any other piece of candy.

This can be an excellent option for people who are new to CBD and want to take some of the pressure off when figuring out the correct dose. Then again, this doesn’t make it harder to lower the dosage because cutting a CBD gummy and half doesn’t necessarily change the dose as reliably as you can with CBD oil.

CBD gummies are also very discreet. Many people who use CBD for health benefits and personal enjoyment still want to keep a level of discretion. CBD gummies look like any other fruit-flavored candy gummy.

This means that you can enjoy CBD products with a level of privacy that’s hard to do with CBD oil. Putting a few drops of oil underneath your tongue might not be as convenient as munching on a candy. Moreover, some CBD users may not want to draw attention. Therefore, enjoying a gummy candy is relatively common and will likely not draw any attention to your use of CBD products.

Nonetheless, there are a few drawbacks to CBD companies that we should highlight. The biggest of these comes from CBD gummies being often much more expensive than CBD oil.

The cost of CBD gummies is usually a lot higher than CBD oil. The exact equivalent mg of CBD isolate costs more in gummy form than it does in oil. This is because of the extra labor that transforms  CBD extract into a candy.

This means you might spend much more money to get the correct CBD-infused gummies than oil. This might not be a big issue for people who are first starting and use in smaller doses; if you’re using larger doses of CBD, oil might be the way to go.

We also need to consider that CBD gummies are essentially a type of candy. This might only fit with some diets as well as some health conditions. These gummies tend to contain a lot of sugar and artificial colors and flavorings, which can complicate the health benefits CBD brings.

CBD Oil 

CBD oil has many advantages over other CBD products. CBD oil produces effects in the body much quicker than CBD gummies. CBD oil can also be mixed with food products, used topically on the skin, and made at home. 

CBD oil affects the body much more quickly than CBD gummies. This is because CBD oil is typically absorbed sublingually. This is done by dropping a few CBD oil drops beneath the tongue and then holding for 30 to 60 seconds.

This allows the CBD oil to pass directly into the bloodstream through the tiny capillaries present at the bottom of the tongue. This is much faster than ingesting a CBD edible, the latter of which first goes through digestion before reaching the bloodstream.

One of the most significant advantages of CBD oil is that you can ingest it if you’re looking for a slower release. You can mix a few drops of CBD oil with a smoothie or something as simple as a glass of water to slow the release of this beneficial cannabinoid.

However, one thing to consider with CBD oil is that you need to be careful about which oil you pick as a carrier for the CBD. Some people can be allergic to particular types of oil, which means it is important to know the specific type of oil your brand of CBD uses as a career.

The Health Benefits of CBD

Some people use CBD for a variety of health benefits. You can find CBD gummies for pain and CBD gummies for sleep in addition to other health benefits. CBD has become a popular option for taking the edge off of medical conditions, but does it work? 

Before we look at CBD oil’s specific health benefits, we should look at the overall benefits of CBD from a scientific perspective. Research into the benefits of CBD is still ongoing, but there is promising evidence that suggests that CBD helps reduce pain, anxiety, and inflammation.

This means that a growing basis of research shows us how CBD can help relieve health problems. How CBD fits into treatment plans and how much CBD you need to treat a specific condition is still being researched, but plenty of people are finding relief using this cannabinoid.

One of the best-established features of CBD is its anti-inflammatory qualities. CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation in patients recovering from surgeries and other causes of inflammation. This means that CBD can become a viable option for people looking to lower their inflammation, which can have many health benefits.

There’s also research that suggests that CBD can be used for epilepsy. In fact, the FDA has approved Epidiolex, a CBD drug, for epilepsy. This is one of the more exploring areas, and the research seems very promising.

One of the most highly advertised areas of CBD’s benefits is how it can help reduce anxiety. CBD interacts with the same neurological system that THC does. This is one potential explanation for why CBD is so helpful for relieving general anxiety.

CBD has also been used to help individuals manage withdrawal symptoms. There has been research that suggests that CBD can be used to help make withdrawal safer and more successful. CBD is non-habit forming and non-intoxicating, making it an ideal treatment for individuals recovering from substance use disorder.

The last area of CBD benefits we should touch is the potential help with pain. It’s well-documented that THC has a substantial benefit as a pain relief treatment. CBD likely shares some of this benefit even though its impact might be less dramatic than THC has.

CBD gummies and CBD oil can offer you the same health benefits. It’s still CBD that you’re getting into your system, and it’s going to have the same health benefits whether you use CBD oil sublingually or CBD gummies orally.

CBD Gummies vs. CBD Oil: Which is Better?

CBD edibles and CBD oil have different uses. They might both be CBD products, but they will have different uses. The most significant factors determining which is better are how long it takes for the CBD effect to startis which one is more discrete, and how beginner-friendly it is. 

CBD oil wins this first category, hands down. CBD oil can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, which affects the body much more quickly than CBD edibles. CBD edibles have to be digested,, which can take between 30 minutes to up to a few hours, depending on various factors.

On the other hand, CBD gummies are much more discrete. You could easily enjoy CBD gummies without worrying about people asking questions or being suspicious about your activities. This has plenty of advantages for people looking to use CBD gummies to relieve anxiety or pain, but they don’t want people prying into their personal medical business.

CBD gummies are also more beginner-friendly. They’re straightforward to use, and they’re also straightforward to do. While the doses might be smaller than some people need, they are a great first stop for people looking to see if CBD is right for them.

So, are CBD gummies better than CBD oil? It all depends on your personal needs.

If you’re looking for something that’s fast-acting and allows you to have a higher CBD dose, CBD oil is the right pick for you. CBD oil will also be more affordable in the long run, which is another thing to consider.

If you’re looking for something beginner-friendly and discreet, CBD gummies are the way to go. These might be more expensive in the long run, but they are simpler for people new to CBD.

Wrapping Up CBD Oil VS CBD Gummies

The most significant difference between CBD gummies and pure CBD oil is how they are consumed. CBD gummies for sleep and other needs tend to take longer to kick in, as they have to work through the digestive system. 

CBD oil is trickier to use but can be used both topically and in higher doses. It will also deliver the effects faster.Ultimately, whether you are purchasing CBD oil or gummies it comes down to your preferred CBD delivery method.

There is no better CBD product than the two. CBD oil affects the body more quickly, but CBD gummies are more discreet and easier to use.