While there’s great enthusiasm to make claims around the beneficial effects of CBD, supporting scientific evidence is slim, particularly in humans, and often inconsistent. Discrepancies may be due to differences in CBD bioavailability—CBD is an oil-soluble molecule, difficult for the body to absorb—as well as other factors such as a lack of standardization in CBD formulations, and differences in individual body size and composition.

A recent study conducted by Colorado State University (CSU) compared the absorption rate and bioavailability of three Caliper CBD formulations with two controls that represent the most common ways consumers take CBD today: oil-based CBD tincture and unemulsified CBD isolate.

Methods
Following a double-blind, crossover study design, 15 healthy men and women, ages 21-62, reported to the laboratory on 5 separate days—each time receiving one of the five CBD preparations. All abstained from CBD products for at least 3 days prior to the study day and had fasted for 6 hours.

On each testing day, subjects were randomized to receive a 30 mg dose of CBD in one of the following formats, all administered in 8 ounces of water: Caliper CBD powder, Caliper 20% CBD liquid concentrate, Caliper 5% CBD liquid concentrate, and two controls—oil-based CBD tincture, and unemulsified CBD isolate. Blood samples were taken at 0, 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180, and 240 minutes following ingestion.

CBD levels were determined using UHPLC mass spectrometry, and pharmacokinetic measurements included maximum concentration (Cmax) and Area under the Concentration Curve (AUC).

Findings
Analysis of circulating blood levels of CBD determined that all of Caliper’s product formats were absorbed significantly and markedly faster than either control. Absorption of Caliper CBD began within 10 minutes of administration, while neither of the controls—tincture nor isolate—delivered appreciable CBD content into the bloodstream in the first 60 minutes. At 30 minutes, the relative bioavailability of Caliper CBD powder was calculated to be 30 times that of the tincture control, and 59 times than that of the isolate control.

Conclusions
This human clinical study concluded that water-soluble Caliper CBD, in all its commercially available formulations, was absorbed significantly faster than either oil-based CBD tincture or CBD isolate. Caliper CBD began absorbing within 10 minutes of consumption and, at 30 minutes, delivered 30 times more CBD than tincture, and 59 times more CBD than isolate. Neither tincture nor isolate delivered meaningful CBD content into the bloodstream in the first 60 minutes after ingestion.

Why did Caliper support this independent research?
“Caliper’s mission is to create CBD products that work when people want them to, and our latest study validates that mission,” noted Caliper General Manager Nicole Maione. “The CBD industry has unfortunately invested far more effort into promoting unsubstantiated marketing claims than into the research needed to back those claims up. We want to move this industry forward by creating clinically-substantiated CBD-infused products that are proven to meet their label claims.”

Why measure CBD pharmacokinetics?
Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the science of tracing the path bioactive substances (like CBD) take in the body. It reveals the differences between what we consume, what we absorb, and what we excrete, as well as the rate and efficiency of absorption.

Why is this important to consumers and retailers?
Consumers want high-quality products that deliver what they promise. In a recent survey, Caliper asked 1,000 CBD users what was most important to them when purchasing CBD. “Fast acting” was the top product attribute, chosen over price, value, and convenience.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. People want their functional ingredients to work when needed. After all, nobody drinks coffee in the morning to feel the effects in the afternoon. The slow rate of absorption of current CBD products is one of the reasons many consumers are left unsatisfied with their CBD purchases and retailers are left holding underperforming inventory.

Why should you care about this study?
Nobody wins when CBD products survive on false promises—not consumers, not retailers and not the industry as a whole. What’s claimed on a label should be delivered in the package, and the only way to validate pharmacokinetic claims is through clinical research.

What sets Caliper CBD apart from other CBD products on the market?
Quite simply, science and effectiveness. Caliper CBD has been clinically proven to absorb faster than CBD oils and CBD isolate. No other CBD company has conducted the research necessary to make that claim—so if they say something similar, look deeper. They’re using data from animal studies, or extrapolating from research with non-cannabinoid products (like curcumin). Ask them to share their research.