All About CBD Juices (and Other Beverages)

CBD-infused edibles have been growing in popularity ever since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized cannabidiol and other hemp-based products. However, it wasn’t until the recent development of water-soluble CBD that the possibilities really opened up for CBD-infused beverages. CBD can now be easily mixed into water, tea, coffee, soda, and juice, allowing for more sophisticated options and a wider variety of drinks!

What Are the Benefits of CBD Juices?

There’s a stigma associated with cannabidiol, due to a misunderstanding of what it is and what it does. Folks often associate cannabis with the intoxicating chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. However, the type of CBD that was legalized by the Farm Bill only contains negligible amounts of THC. Proper CBD is a non-intoxicating compound.

So why consume it? Good question. CBD molecules interact with the cannabinoid receptors in your endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex physiological network that stretches all throughout your body. CBD supports your ECS without any of the adverse effects of THC. This, in turn, helps your ECS maintain your body’s health and overall wellness.

The Development of CBD Juices

The first CBD-infused drinks were made by stirring a few drops of CBD oil into a liquid. In fact, there are still quite a few bars and lounges that use this practice. However, the use of oil-based CBD proved impractical when it came to mass-producing CBD beverages on a large scale.

If you’ve ever tried to mix oil and water, you know it’s nigh impossible. The oil simply floats on top. Even if you stir it or shake it, the results are only temporary. The oil will inevitably float back up to the top.

The reason that CBD was made available as an oil in the first place is because cannabinoid in its natural state is a crystal that’s difficult for humans to consume. That crystal is oil-soluble but not water-soluble, so the obvious solution was for manufacturers to infuse it in edible oils.

The evolution of water-soluble CBD may have seen inevitable, but the process for developing it was anything but simple. In order to properly dissolve the cannabinoid crystal in water, it must first be distilled into a colorless, flavorless oil. A high-pressure emulsifier is then used to break this oil up into nanoscopic droplets that can then be mixed with water with virtually no effect on color, taste, or mouthfeel.

The Advantage of Water-Soluble CBD

Aside from its ease of use, water-soluble CBD has the advantage of “bioavailability.” This is a technical term for the percentage of an ingredient that will make it into your bloodstream. Oil-based CBD has a very low bioavailability, as the compounds in the oil have to go through a “first-pass metabolism” to get broken down before your body can use them.

However, water-based CBD doesn’t have to contend with this obstacle. The human body is about 60 percent water, so your system is already primed to extract useful bits from water and water-based solutions. This means your body absorbs the CBD into the bloodstream faster and more efficiently, which means you’ll feel the effects more quickly.