By Evan Senn

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been a trusted source of mental and physical relief for ages, but only recently has been examined through numerous studies proving that CBD can be beneficial in fighting diseases like diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety, chronic inflammation and pain, cancer and heart diseases. Although we are still in need of more research about the positive potentials that CBD can provide, the limited information and proven results we do have are extremely promising.

Thirteen percent of Americans say that they have used CBD to help with symptoms related to a health issue, according to a recent Consumer Reports nationally representative survey of 1,003 American adults. And nearly 90 percent of those who have used CBD say it helped ease symptoms related to their health issue.

Two of the most popular methods of CBD use include inhaling the oil in the form of a vapor and using a tincture to ingest the oil. Inhalation is a common way for people to take medical cannabis, but it can also be used for CBD. Since the CBD market has opened up, there is a great variety of vaporizers specifically designed to boil a concentrated dose of CBD oil, allowing the user to then inhale the CBD in the form of a vapor. When CBD is inhaled, it bypasses the digestive system and is quickly processed into one’s bloodstream through the lungs, allowing for the CBD to travel and bind to the appropriate endocannabinoid receptors throughout your body.

This essentially means that the cannabinoids from the CBD can take effect quicker than if you were to eat or ingest the CBD oil. The effects of inhaled CBD oil can occur within thirty seconds or less.

CBD has an intranasal bioavailability of 34% to 46%, although some studies have reported rates as high as 56%. Inhaling CBD is the most effective method for ensuring a high bioavailability. Because of that great bioavailability, CBD inhalation has proven the fastest and most potent way to ingest this beneficial cannabinoid.

Worried about it hurting your lungs? Turns out, it is even good for asthma. In 2015, a study was published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics showing that if CBD is inhaled, it can actually protect the lungs. CBD is also proven to be an anti-inflammatory and an antispasmodic. A study published in 2014 disclosed that certain cannabinoids such as THC and CBD result in reduced muscular spasms. Additionally, when CBD oil is vaporized it provides the maximum amount of concentration and doesn’t have any negative effects on a person’s throat or lungs, as smoking might.

According to Norbert Kaminski, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology and director of the Institute for Integrative Toxicology said that for mental issues like anxiety, depression and insomnia, “the quickest way to deliver CBD to the brain is by smoking it. The next quickest way is by using a tincture. Eating it, and especially a topical, will take longer before there is an effect.” Because inhaled CBD tends to enter the bloodstream faster than other forms—in as quickly as 30 seconds or less—people seeking relief for physical or mental ailments can rely on a fast-acting and powerful effect when they choose to inhale CBD.