How do you use a CBD tincture? Shake the bottle, fill the dropper to the amount you want, place the oil under your tongue, hold it there for 30 to 60 seconds, then swallow. You can also stir it into food or a drink. Start with a small amount, take it at the same time each day, and talk to your doctor first, especially if you take any medication.
That is the short version. Below we cover each step, how many milligrams are in a dropper of our tinctures, other ways to use CBD oil, what research says about timing, and the safety basics every adult should know before trying it.
What a CBD tincture is
"CBD oil" and "CBD tincture" are used for the same product: hemp extract mixed into a carrier oil, sold in a small bottle with a dropper. Strictly speaking, a tincture is an alcohol-based extract, but in the hemp world almost everyone uses the word for oil drops. Our tinctures use MCT oil (medium-chain triglyceride oil) as the carrier and come in 30 ml bottles.
Do not confuse CBD oil with hemp seed oil, which is pressed from seeds and has little or no CBD. Our guide to hemp oil vs CBD oil explains the difference. If you are new to CBD in general, start with what CBD is.
How to use a CBD tincture under the tongue
Using a CBD tincture under the tongue is the most common method, and it only takes a minute.
- Shake the bottle. Hemp extract can settle, so give it a few good shakes to mix it evenly.
- Fill the dropper. Squeeze the bulb, dip the dropper, and release. For less than a full dropper, use the measurement marks if your dropper has them, or an oral syringe.
- Check the amount. Hold the dropper at eye level to check the fill. Return any extra to the bottle.
- Place it under your tongue. Lift your tongue and release the oil underneath. Try not to touch the dropper to your mouth, which keeps the bottle clean.
- Hold it. Many people hold the oil under the tongue for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing.
- Swallow and recap. Swallow what is left, wipe the dropper if needed, and screw the cap on tight.
Not a fan of the taste? Our tinctures come in Natural, Peppermint and Orange, and a sip of water or juice afterward helps. You can also skip the under-the-tongue step and simply swallow it.
How much CBD is in a dropper
To know how much CBD you are taking, divide the total milligrams on the label by the bottle size. A 1000 mg bottle with 30 ml of oil has about 33 mg of CBD per ml. A full dropper usually holds about 1 ml, but droppers vary, so check yours or ask us.
| Tahoe CBD tincture (30 ml) | Full dropper (about 1 ml) | Half dropper (0.5 ml) | Quarter dropper (0.25 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 1000 mg | about 33 mg CBD | about 17 mg | about 8 mg |
| Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 2000 mg | about 67 mg CBD | about 33 mg | about 17 mg |
| Full Spectrum CBD Oil, 3000 mg | 100 mg CBD | 50 mg | 25 mg |
| CBG Tincture (1500 mg CBG + 500 mg CBD) | 50 mg CBG + about 17 mg CBD | 25 mg CBG + about 8 mg CBD | 12.5 mg CBG + about 4 mg CBD |
Notice how much the strength changes the math. A quarter dropper of the 3000 mg bottle holds about as much CBD as three quarters of a dropper of the 1000 mg bottle. If you switch strengths, adjust the volume, not just the habit.
How much should you take? There is no official serving size for CBD, and the right amount differs from person to person. The common approach is "start low, go slow": begin with a small amount, stay there for several days, and only then consider a small change. Our CBD dosage guide walks through that framework. Your doctor is the right person to set a number with you.
Other ways to use CBD oil
The dropper is flexible. Here is how the common methods compare.
| Method | How to do it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Under the tongue | Hold 30 to 60 seconds, then swallow | Easy to measure and adjust; you taste the oil |
| Swallowed right away | Release on the tongue and swallow | Quick and simple; same measuring as above |
| In food | Stir into yogurt, oatmeal, a smoothie or salad dressing | Oil blends best with foods that have some fat; eat the whole portion |
| In a drink | Add to coffee with milk, a smoothie or juice, and stir | Oil floats on plain water, so a blended or creamy drink works better |
| Capsules or gummies instead | Take a pre-measured piece | No measuring or taste, but less control over small changes |
One firm rule: never put a CBD tincture in a vape or e-cigarette. Tinctures are made to be swallowed, and carrier oils are not meant to be heated and inhaled.
If you would rather not measure at all, browse our CBD capsules and CBD gummies, which come in fixed amounts per piece.
How long does a CBD tincture take to work?
We can't promise how CBD will feel or what it will do for you, and honest sellers won't. What researchers can measure is how quickly CBD shows up in the blood and how long it stays there.
A 2018 review of human studies published in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that CBD reached its highest blood level anywhere from 0 to 4 hours after it was taken, with large differences between studies and between people. The same review noted that taking CBD with food raised peak blood levels. The authors also called the human data sparse and somewhat inconsistent.
How long does it stay in the body? In that review, the measured half-life (the time for blood levels to drop by half) ranged from about 1.4 to 10.9 hours after a mouth spray, and about 2 to 5 days with regular daily oral use. That is a measure of blood levels, not of how long any effect lasts.
The practical takeaways: be patient, be consistent, and take CBD the same way each day, either always with food or always without, so you can compare one day with the next. A short notes log (date, time, amount, with or without food) makes that much easier.
Everyday tips for using CBD oil
- Pick a time and stick to it. Many people tie it to a daily habit, like morning coffee or brushing teeth at night.
- Change one thing at a time. If you change the amount, wait several days before changing anything else.
- Store it well. Keep the bottle capped, upright and out of heat and direct sun. A car dashboard on a July day at the lake is not a good spot.
- Keep it away from kids and pets. Human tinctures are not for animals; pet owners should look at products made for pets and talk to their vet.
- Keep the batch info. Hold on to the box or note the batch number so you can match the bottle to its lab report.
Safety basics before you start
CBD is not risk-free. In its consumer update on CBD products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that CBD can cause liver injury, can affect how other drugs you take work, and can cause side effects such as changes in alertness (drowsiness), stomach upset and mood changes. Combining CBD with alcohol or other sedating drugs raises the risk of drowsiness. The FDA also says the effects of CBD during pregnancy and breastfeeding are not yet known.
- Talk to your doctor before using CBD, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or take any prescription medication.
- All of our products are for adults 21 and over.
- Do not drive or operate machinery if you feel drowsy.
- Full spectrum tinctures contain a trace of THC and can show up on a drug test. Read does CBD show up on a drug test before you start if you are tested at work.
How Tahoe CBD fits in
Tahoe CBD has been a family-run hemp and CBD shop in South Lake Tahoe since 2012. Our Full Spectrum CBD Oil comes in 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg per 30 ml bottle, in MCT oil, with Natural, Peppermint and Orange flavors. We also carry a CBG tincture that pairs CBG with CBD and the Sleep Dreams CBN tincture, which is made for nighttime use. See them all in our CBD oil category.
Third-party lab reports are posted on our Lab Reports page when available. If the report for your bottle is not posted, ask us and we will send the most recent report we have for it, or tell you plainly that it is not available yet. Stop by the shop on Edgewood Circle in South Lake Tahoe (open Tuesday to Sunday; phone (530) 544-6666) and we will show you how to measure a dropper in person.
