When taking a product for your health, especially something surrounded by misconceptions such as CBD or CBG, it’s natural for questions to arise. We’ve put together this article to address some of the most common questions we’re asked at FlowerChild. If you have any additional questions, you can always feel free to contact us!
Do I need to shake the CBD or CBG tincture?
Separation in the oil is natural and happens more often with our higher potency tinctures. This is because there is more extract condensed into the oil, therefore more chlorophyll and cannabinoids. We recommend lightly shaking your CBD or CBG tincture before use to ensure your dosage remains consistent. If you notice a black layer on the bottom of the bottle, that’s just the extract settling. Tapping the bottom of the bottle against your palm will allow the extract to re-disperse evenly into the carrier oil.
Do I need to refrigerate my CBD and CBG products?
Refrigeration is not necessary for the tinctures, but we recommend doing so after the bottle has been opened. By storing your CBD or CBG tincture in the fridge, you can keep it fresher for longer and preserve the taste. This will especially help preserve the potency of the chlorophyll, flavonoids, and other plant compounds.
The CBD and CBG salves don’t need to be refrigerated unless you live somewhere where it’s really hot and you want to prevent them from turning to liquid. At temperatures over 90ºF, the salves might melt. This doesn’t effect their potency, but it changes the consistency. By placing them in the fridge for 15-30 minutes, they’ll harden up again.
How long do the CBD and CBG tinctures and salves last / what is their shelf life?
The CBD and CBG tinctures and salves have a shelf life of around 1 year. While we suggest using all products within 6 months – 1 year of purchase, we have experimented with shelf life and found that even after 3 years, unopened tinctures and salves showed no signs of going bad. The average shelf life for grape seed oil, which is the base in all our CBD and CBG products, is about a year after being opened—when refrigerated—and 6 months without refrigeration, and the CBD and CBG extract lasts even longer.
Opened tinctures should be used within a shorter time span if the dropper is coming into direct contact with the mouth. This is because the mouth might introduce bacteria into the bottle. We suggest not allowing the dropper to directly contact the mouth in order to keep the CBD and CBG tincture cleaner and allow it to last longer. Salves should be applied with clean hands for the same reasons.
Can I give CBG (cannabigerol) to my pets?
Yes! CBG is just as safe for pets as CBD is and offers just as many health benefits. Please be sure to order the natural option, not the peppermint, when ordering CBG tincture for your pets. We do not have an official CBG pet product, but the human tinctures are completely safe for them. CBG can help pets feel more relaxed, happy, and focused, as well as helping relieve pain and inflammation. Since CBG is a powerful neuroprotectant, it is also beneficial for aging pets to help keep their mind sharp.
To learn more about giving your pet CBG (or CBD), please check out this article: How to Give Your Pet CBD Oil and Find the Right Dose
What if there are black flecks in the CBD or CBG oil?
Sometimes black flecks appear in the tinctures. This is totally safe and normal. These flecks appear when the tincture is subject to extreme temperature changes or some other shock, or simply from sitting in one place for a long time. Chlorophyll is a nutrient present in plants and vegetables that is responsible for their green color. When we filter our extract, we filter it to such a small micron that the chlorophyll molecules are extremely tiny. Chlorophyll likes to bond with itself, so when the tiny molecules get shocked in some way or another, or just sit still for a long time, they naturally clump together. The black flecks that might appear in your CBD or CBG tincture are simply clumps of chlorophyll.
Some studies suggest that chlorophyll provides an array of health benefits, such as healing the skin, improving the quality of red blood cells, detoxification, anti-cancer properties, relieving constipation and gas, weight loss, controlling body odor, and increasing energy. It is for these benefits that we do not remove the chlorophyll from our products like many companies do. Companies that use CO2 extraction, distillates, and isolates have almost always removed the chlorophyll from their products. At FlowerChild, we pride ourselves in offering whole-plant CBD and CBG tinctures and topicals that afford you as many healing compounds as possible.
Can I take CBD or CBG along with other medications?
We are not medical professionals and therefore cannot offer medical advice, so we suggest you contact your doctor if you have concerns about taking medication and CBD or CBG at the same time.
What’s the right dose of CBD or CBG for me?
Dosage depends entirely on the individual. Again, since we are not medical professionals, we cannot offer medical advice. We recommend that our customers start with a small dose (a few single drops) and work up from there over the course of a couple weeks. Some people will experience more benefits from lower dosages, and others will prefer a higher dosage. There is no harm in experimenting to find what works best for you.
Average doses for the CBD and CBG tinctures are about 1/4 dropperful (about 5 single drops) or 1/2 dropperful (about 10 single drops) of whichever tincture strength you prefer, 1-3x a day.
When it comes to the salves, just apply as much as it takes to cover the area in need of relief. You can apply the CBD or CBG salve as many times as you desire throughout the day.
Which strength should I get?
All of our tinctures and topicals follow the same basic recipe but with varying amounts of CBD or CBG extract. You can achieve the same dose of CBD/CBG with different tincture potencies by adjusting the amount you take. For example, 1/2 dropperful of CBD 1400 will be the exact same dose as 1 full dropper of CBD 700, since the CBD 1400 is twice as strong as the CBD 700 (the 1400 has twice as much extract in it). We suggest people buy the 1400 tinctures because they are slightly more cost effective for you and will last longer, but the 700mg tinctures are also popular.
When it comes to the CBD and CBG salves, we suggest buying the 350mg salve option if you experience only moderate pain/inflammation, and the 1000mg salve option if you want more relief.
Will CBD or CBG make me feel high?
Unless you take too much of the tincture too fast, you shouldn’t feel any high at all. FlowerChild’s products are all full-spectrum, which means they contain their natural trace amounts of THC, but it’s all under o.3% (which is the legal limit). This small percentage helps make the CBD more effective by virtue of the entourage effect. THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the high feeling associated with marijuana, but since there’s such a small amount of it in our products, you will only feel a bit high if you take more than you need. At normal doses, the CBD or CBG tincture will only help you feel relaxed and calm.
In order to avoid the chance of feeling any high whatsoever, we recommend that people start with a small amount of tincture and work up from there. This gives your body the chance to get used to the CBD or CBG oil and build a bit of a tolerance. If you take a full dropper of 1400mg tincture without working your way up, there’s a chance you might feel a little sleepy and spacey. If you lather your entire body in CBD 1000 salve, same thing. Start with smaller amounts and don’t overdo it.
Will I fail a drug test if I take CBD or CBG?
We cannot guarantee that our products will not show up on a drug test, since our products are full-spectrum and therefore contain a trace amount of THC. However, we have had several customers report that they have passed drug tests even after taking our 1400mg CBD and CBG tinctures and using our 1000mg salves. So the general answer is: it’s unlikely that our products will show up on a drug test, but it’s possible. We recommend talking to your employer about this if it’s a concern.
What’s the difference between CBD and CBG?
In general, CBG is more stimulating, whereas CBD is more sedating. This is especially noticeable in the tinctures — when it comes to the salves, the differences are less pronounced.
CBG tincture is more popular as a daytime tincture. It can help with feelings of sadness, mental overwhelm, and even contribute to focus. It can also help relieve pain and inflammation more effectively than CBD. The CBG salve is considered to be better for relieving pain and inflammation as well, and more useful for skin problems such as rashes and fungal issues.
CBD tincture is popular as a nighttime tincture, since it can help you fall asleep and stay asleep. It is deeply relaxing, and some people prefer it for anxiety and restlessness when compared to CBG. Many people take a combination of CBD and CBG during the day in order to get that deep relaxation without the sleepiness that CBD can sometimes cause.
For more information on which products are most effective for different issues, see this post: Should I take CBD or CBG? Should I use a tincture or a salve?
Are there any side effects from CBD and CBG?
The potential side effects from CBD and CBG come from their natural, intended effects, namely CBD being relaxing/sedating and CBG being uplifting/stimulating. Depending on your biology, CBD might be a bit too sedating, or CBG might be a bit too stimulating. This can translate to CBD causing drowsiness or CBG causing restlessness.
CBG has been known to give people vivid dreams when they take it before bed, as a result of its stimulating effect. If you’re someone who enjoys vivid dreams, this is a benefit, but if you dislike vivid dreams it can be unwanted. CBG can also cause more hyperactivity during the waking hours. CBD, on the other hand, can make you really want to take a nap when taken during the day.
If you combine CBG with CBD, they will balance each other out. This is why our Blend Tinctures are so popular. Rather than experiencing sleepiness or overstimulation, you’ll experience a mellow wakefulness. Plenty of people even take the blend tinctures before sleep and find that it helps them achieve a good night’s sleep with no grogginess the next day. Another way to reduce the risk of unwanted effects is to lower your dose.
Can I use the products every day?
Yes! You can use both the tinctures and the salves daily, though in order to get the best results, we recommend taking one day off every week or two to give your body a tolerance break. This will ensure that the CBD or CBG tincture/salve keeps working at the highest level.
Your body naturally builds a tolerance to any substance that you consume on a regular basis. This tolerance causes the substance to seem to have less and less of an effect. One full dropper might make you extremely relaxed for the first few days, but weaken as time goes on. If you take a short break, the effects will return to their full capacity.
Does it take time for the tincture to start working?
Although most people experience relief within an hour of taking the tincture, others find that it can take a week or two before they really start noticing a difference. This depends largely on your reasons for taking CBD / CBG and the results you’re looking to achieve. It also depends on the state of your endocannabinoid system (ECS), which you can learn more about here: Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System.
If your endocannabinoid system has been depleted for a long time, it can take a week or two for you to get it back in shape. Your ECS is responsible for maintaining homeostasis in your body, which is the scientific way of saying balance between all your physiological processes. The ECS plays a part in the functioning of your immune system, sleep cycle, pain management, inflammation, brain health, and more. When it’s running smoothly, it creates its own cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) in plentitude, but when it’s depleted, it doesn’t create enough. Plant-derived cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids), such as CBD and CBG, can supplement this. Think of cannabinoids as fuel for your ECS. If your ECS has been starving for a long time, you’ll need to feed it regularly until it’s healthy again. If your ECS is just a little depleted, you don’t need to feed it as much.
