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Cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure affect millions of Americans every year. A mix of medication and daily lifestyle changes is an effective way to lower blood pressure. But as CBD research barrels ahead, we’ve discovered some exciting potential in CBD oil for blood pressure.
But does CBD oil lower blood pressure? If so, how certain are we that this will help supplement our daily heart health? What are the risks (if any) of using cannabis plant extracts like CBD, and how do they compare to conventional high blood pressure medications? Let’s see what we know so far.
How CBD Oil May Lower Blood Pressure
CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid naturally found in the cannabis Sativa L. plant. Unlike THC, which produces an intoxicating high by stimulating your brain’s CB1 receptors, CBD does not stimulate the traditional cannabinoid receptors. Instead, cannabidiol primarily acts on your serotonergic (5-HT) and vanilloid (TRP) receptors. These are non-intoxicating neuroreceptor sites that regulate bodily processes like inflammation, pain, and mood.
We don’t know enough about CBD yet to determine precisely how this cannabinoid might reduce blood pressure. A few studies have looked into the potential of CBD to lower blood pressure, and initial results are promising.
We’ll discuss the research shortly, but it’s possible CBD’s observed activity might improve mood to reduce hypertension. Future research may reveal more about CBD specifically and its relation to blood pressure.
Does CBD Oil Lower Blood Pressure?
To be clear, the science is inconclusive regarding how CBD affects your blood pressure. If this cannabinoid really does affect blood flow, it probably won’t raise blood pressure.
Thousands of people with hypertension have shared stories online regarding how CBD helped them get their high blood pressure in check. CBD generally provides a body-wide relaxing feeling, and anyone who has experienced this cannabinoid can immediately understand why people would say CBD lowers your blood pressure.
Is CBD Safe to Use for High Blood Pressure?
Combined with prescription hypertension medications, CBD could make your blood pressure dangerously low. CBD can also interact negatively with any drugs that come with a “grapefruit warning,” which means they compete for access to the P450 category of liver enzymes CBD needs to metabolize.
Other than that, CBD is widely regarded to have mild side effects. The most commonly reported side issues with CBD include sleepiness, nausea, and dry mouth. However, many users do not experience any side effects.
Since CBD seems so well-tolerated, researchers want to closely look at the potential benefits of this non-intoxicating hemp cannabinoid for a variety of different conditions: hypertension included.
What Research Says About CBD and Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is gaining popularity as a target of CBD research. Scientists have suspected that CBD might be useful for hypertension for years, but recent studies show just how far inquiries into the subject have recently advanced.
One of the first examinations into the potential usefulness of CBD for blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions came in 2012. A review of the available evidence took a look at CBD’s potential as an overall treatment for heart health. This study didn’t involve acquiring any actual evidence, but it started the conversation on CBD and heart health within the arena of medical science.
In 2017, the world received its first hard evidence that CBD may lower blood pressure. A small, placebo-controlled study found this cannabinoid reduces and prevents high blood pressure, even when participants were exposed to stressful stimuli.
However, the study only involved nine participants, so the sample size is too small for anything remotely conclusive.
Researchers haven’t given up on learning the secrets of CBD for blood pressure, though. In 2020, experts performed exhaustive experiments on animal and human tissues to further determine the vasodilatory properties of CBD. Research into CBD and blood pressure may remain in its infancy, but naturally, helping people reduce their blood pressure remains a significant target of CBD research.
What Type of CBD Is Best for Blood Pressure?
If you’re trying to use CBD to manage high blood pressure, the product you choose makes a huge difference? Finding the right option with so many different CBD formulations can be challenging. Understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each consumption method is critical if you plan to use CBD oil for high blood pressure.
CBD Oil
CBD oils, also referred to as CBD tinctures, are among the most popular types of CBD products offered online. Tinctures have been a favorite since the beginning of the CBD movement. Their enduring popularity is a testament to oral CBD’s unique usefulness and convenience.
However, there are benefits and drawbacks. Oral CBD’s biggest advantage is that the effects last up to eight hours – the longest of all options. Unfortunately, it also takes a long time to feel any effects. Still, the tincture’s sublingual application allows some CBD to be absorbed quickly, reducing the delay.
Aside from offering increased potency and absorption time, nothing indicates CBD tinctures are better for blood pressure than any other type of orally ingested CBD product.
CBD Gummies
While they don’t offer the enhanced effects and improved activation times of tinctures, CBD gummies are more convenient and taste considerably better. Gummies don’t provide the benefits of sublingual administration like tinctures, but they’re often easier to take on the go.
If you’re using CBD to manage blood pressure, remember that eating excessive sweets could worsen your condition. That’s why it’s important only to choose gummies that contain natural ingredients and minimal sweeteners.
CBD Softgels
Even more convenient than gummies, CBD softgels are just as easy to take orally as any other pill.
While capsules are the height of simplicity, they’re like gummies in that they are somewhat less potent than CBD oil tinctures. Unlike CBD gummies, though, capsules don’t contain any sweeteners or added ingredients, potentially making them more desirable for blood pressure patients.
CBD Topicals and Creams
Topically applied CBD creams, lotions, and balms won’t reduce high blood pressure. Hypertension is a cardiovascular condition with a central origin. Treating the peripheral areas of your body won’t reduce hypertension symptoms.
To adequately unlock the potential usefulness of CBD for hypertension, you’ll need to use this cannabinoid in a way that affects your entire body at once.
Best CBD Oil for Blood Pressure
If you’ve decided to use CBD to reduce your blood pressure, it’s time to choose the best CBD oil product for your needs. We searched through product descriptions, lab tests, and customer reviews to find out which hemp brands offer the best tinctures when you want to use CBD to lower your blood pressure. Below, we’ll compare and contrast the companies we examined:
#1. Colorado Botanicals – Best CBD Oil for Blood Pressure
Considering Colorado’s status as a cannabis pioneer, it’s no surprise that the state produced a brand as quality-focused as Colorado Botanicals. The company prides itself in its offerings of clean, potent, and affordable, broad-spectrum CBD oil extracts.
But with so many brands claiming to offer the same top-tier CBD oil, Colorado Botanicals has an ace up its sleeve. Specifically, the vendor’s proprietary, pharmaceutical-grade CO2 extraction process retains natural terpenes and cannabinoids usually destroyed during a conventional CO2 process.
Ultimately, what you get is a well-rounded CBD tincture containing a variety of natural compounds working synergistically for a full range of potential health benefits.
Of course, don’t take their word for it. Colorado Botanicals provides batch-specific third-party lab reports that are easy to find and even easier to read. One glance shows that their organic, non-GMO CBD oil contains a robust array of therapeutic compounds with no microbes, heavy metals, fungi, or chemical fertilizers.
Combined with a 60-day money-back guarantee on opened and unopened products, you have absolutely nothing to lose – but a lot to gain – from trying Colorado Botanicals CBD oil.
Brand Highlights
● Proprietary CO2 extraction process maximizes natural terpene and cannabinoid retention.
● Discounts for veterans and first-responders
● Third-party tested with results easily visible online
● 60-day money-back guarantee on all products
● CBD oil potency up to 100mg/ml
● 15% discount for subscribers
#2. Penguin CBD – Runner Up
Based in Oregon, there are plenty of reasons Penguin CBD comes in a very close second to Colorado Botanicals. Like our #1 choice above, Penguin CBD offers clean, potent, broad-spectrum CBD oils. At 8.3 to 83.3 mg/ml, the vendor definitely tops most of its competitors (Colorado Botanicals being the exception, at 100 mg/ml) for maximum CBD concentration.
Penguin CBD also gets points for using CO2 in its safe, solventless extraction in its broad-spectrum extracts. Like Colorado Botanicals, Penguin is able to provide a THC-free oil containing a decent variety of terpenes and cannabinoids. They also try to sweeten things (literally and figuratively) by offering their oil in natural, mint, citrus, strawberry, and cookies & cream. However, Penguin uses conventional CO2 extraction, requiring them to add naturally-sourced terpenes to their oils after production.
To their credit, Penguin CBD is meticulous for transparency, offering third-party lab reports that we should expect from premium vendors like them. You can use their CBD oil and other products knowing they’re free of chemical pesticides, heavy metals, fungi, or other contaminants.
Brand Highlights
● Sourced from organic, non-GMO, Oregon hemp
● Vegan-friendly
● Broad-spectrum
● Zero THC
● 30-day returns on unopened products
● 20% discount for subscribers
#3. R+R Medicinals
If R&R Medicinals CBD oils stand out for their fantastic quality, then their unique aesthetic only serves to set them further apart. Their labels are designed to mimic 19th to early 20th century apothecaries, which offered remedies containing – you guessed it – cannabis extract. But while some might argue that fancy images distract from mediocre products, R&R is proof that sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.
The company stays true to its unique image, offering full-spectrum CBD oils to maintain a diverse terpene and cannabinoid profile. Unlike the apothecary days, however, R&R Medicinals has access to supercritical CO2 extraction for the cleanest, purest final product.
One thing we need to address is that full-spectrum products will contain up to 0.3% THC. Fortunately, R&R Medicinals offers easily accessible, batch-specific third-party tests to prove THC levels are under the legal limit and verify content like terpenes, cannabinoids, and potential contaminants.
Brand Highlights
● Full-spectrum
● USDA Organic Certified hemp
● 15% subscriber discount
● Veterans discount
● 30-day money-back guarantee on opened and unopened products
#4. CBDfx
If you’ve been shopping around for CBD oil, odds are you’ve run into (or purchased from) CBDfx. The San Bernadino Valley-based vendor has been part of the supplement scene since 2014, packing a lot more experience than many leading brands. They have a solid line of broad and full-spectrum CBD tinctures but supply for other niches, such as vape cartridges.
CBDfx products have a lot of flair compared to other premium CBD retailers. The company focuses heavily on flavors and flavored products. But despite the added bells and whistles, CBDfx follows the same quality CBD oil formula at their core. Extracted from organic hemp using clean supercritical CO2, CBDfx CBD oils are as robust as they are flavorful. The only difference between CBDfx and Colorado Botanicals is, again, terpene and cannabinoid retention. Consequently, CBDfx has to artificially add naturally-sourced terpenes or other flavors. This is a natural consequence of trying to balance purity and flavor. But to be fair, CBDfx pulls it off well.
Brand Highlights
● Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum
● Organic, non-GMO
● Third-party tests available
● 60-day guarantee on unopened products
● No subscription discounts, but coupon codes are available.
#5. Royal CBD
With a slogan like “no room for mediocrity,” it’s clear Royal CBD means business. Offering full and broad-spectrum CBD oils sourced from organic, non-GMO industrial hemp, Royal certainly stands by its statement on quality.
Maxing out at 83 mg/ml, Royal CBD offers a range of potencies for consumers of all therapeutic needs and experience levels. CO2 extraction and third-party testing mean you can also enjoy the same quality assurance as other premium brands.
While there’s no doubt in our minds that Royal CBD puts a lot of effort into their products, the price tag is much higher compared to our other choices. But if you’re willing to invest, you can save 15% for recurring purchases and are protected by a 30-day guarantee for opened and unopened products.
Brand Highlights
● CO2 extracted
● Sourced from organic, non-GMO Colorado hemp
● Third-party tested
● 15% subscription discount
What to Look for When Buying CBD Oil
We’ve done some of the research for you, but in the end, it will be up to you to decide which CBD product you want to take home from among the multitude vying for your attention. Somewhere out there, you’ll find a CBD tincture that’s a perfect match for your blood pressure needs, and considering the following criteria might provide a helping hand along the way:
Full Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum CBD Oil
Some of the brands we chose use broad-spectrum CBD, but others use full-spectrum CBD. What’s the difference? Full-spectrum CBD contains up to 0.3% THC, while the trace amounts of THC in broad-spectrum CBD are so small they’re undetectable.
The only issue with broad-spectrum CBD is that delicate hemp compounds like terpenes are usually damaged during the extraction process. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we chose Colorado Botanicals for our number-one spot: Their extraction process manages to include terpenes along with cannabinoids without any significant breakdown.
Third-Party Lab-Verified
Testing isn’t yet mandated in the CBD industry, but brands that have taken the extra step of getting their products tested by an independent lab are easier to trust. In the absence of any meaningful regulatory oversight, CBD brands are on their own to prove the quality and authenticity of their products. As a CBD manufacturer, having your products tested by an independent lab is one of the best ways to project a trustworthy aura of reliability to customers.
FDA Warning Letters and Lawsuits
It’s advisable to steer clear of any CBD hemp manufacturers that the FDA has specifically singled out for wrongdoing. FDA warning letters addressed to CBD manufacturers are rare, but they are certainly issued from time to time. An up-to-date database of all the letters this federal agency has issued to CBD manufacturers can be found on the FDA website.
Transparency
For a CBD manufacturer, transparency isn’t just something a government agency tells you to do. It’s an overall attitude of putting it all on the table for your potential customers and genuinely arguing the benefits of your products. The cannabis plant has nothing to hide—the only reason you’d shy away from transparency is if you’ve produced your CBD products improperly.
Customer Reviews
At this point, CBD is no longer a new thing. While more and more CBD brands are founded all the time, most of the reliable players have had plenty of time to accumulate customer reviews.
It’s not a problem if a CBD oil manufacturer doesn’t have the most reviews of any brand on the internet. If a brand only has a few dozen overall reviews or less, though, you might want to try another option.
Is CBD Oil Safe to Use with Blood Pressure Medications?
Some people are so impressed with the results of CBD oil that they ditch their conventional blood pressure medication altogether. However, if you’re not ready to take the plunge, CBD and blood pressure medication will have to coexist side by side inside your body—if safely possible.
CBD is already known to interact with certain common prescription drugs that utilize some members of the P450 metabolic enzyme family. A 2017 review of the available evidence concluded that ingesting CBD alters concentrations of blood pressure medication in your blood, potentially revealing a contraindication.
Proceed with extreme caution if you plan to use CBD oil in conjunction with prescription blood pressure medication.
When to Contact a Doctor
Keep your doctor up-to-date on your decision to manage your blood pressure through alternate means. Ask a health provider before you try CBD. Many doctors are starting to become curious about cannabinoid medicine, lacking the training to provide medical guidance. In this case, patients are the most valuable teachers.
For some individuals, CBD’s apparent ability to reduce blood pressure can become more of a side effect than a desired effect. The cardiovascular system is remarkably delicate, and you’ll need to know how to do more than just take a blood pressure reading if you want to make sure reducing blood pressure using CBD is the right approach.
Just like you wouldn’t wait for severe hypertension symptoms to manifest before you called your doctor, don’t wait to reach out for help if you’re concerned CBD has made your blood pressure too low. As you treat high blood pressure with CBD, safety is the top priority, and staying in touch with your doctor is the best way to proceed safely.
Final Thoughts: CBD for Blood Pressure
Even if we can’t prove that cannabidiol reduces blood pressure, CBD treatment is not known to cause any serious side effects. In light of this, the potential health benefits of CBD are clearly worthy of further study.
Hemp-derived CBD products do not contain enough THC to get you high, and it’s possible to use CBD without ingesting any artificial ingredients that might negatively impact your blood pressure. The body’s endocannabinoid system is designed to keep your system delicately balanced, and high-quality CBD oil acts as a natural balancer of this delicate regulatory network.
Does CBD lower blood pressure? We’ll leave that to the scientists. CBD is a major therapeutic target when it comes to international blood pressure research, and there are also many other ways this non-intoxicating cannabinoid could prove promising for cardiovascular disease in general.
For now, feel free to experiment with CBD as an alternative approach to lowering blood pressure—as long as you observe the guidance of a trained medical professional. There’s so much CBD might be able to offer people with cardiovascular conditions, and we’re convinced the five brands we reviewed above offer the best CBD products to try if you’re on the hunt for something new to help maintain lower blood pressure.
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