With the growing popularity of CBD and its innumerable health benefits, the number of CBD products is on the rise. What started as a cannabidiol oil extract, soon found its way into edibles, drops, patches, gummies, and other goods. It was only a matter of time when gets into drinks.
There’s a growing trend to infuse drinks with CBD and add them to your daily healthy lifestyle routine. But is this just a fad or are CBD-infused drinks here to stay?
In this article, we’ll discuss CBD-infused drinks and the benefits or detriments they may pose. But first, a little background.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, is the second most prevalent cannabinoid found in cannabis plants. Unlike THC, the principal cannabinoid, CBD isn’t psychoactive and won’t cause a well sought-after sensation of getting “high” often associated with marijuana.
The way how CBD functions very much resembles the role of endogenous cannabinoids present in our bodies. Thus, when consumed, CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid system (ECS) indirectly to have positive effects on our body. Hence, the main quality that makes CBD so appealing to the masses is its numerous health benefits.
For quite a long time, those looking for natural benefits of CBD were limited only to CBD oils, as they were the only source of ingestible CBD.
Now, with widespread cannabis legalization in the US and around the world, the number of CBD-infused products rises. From CBD vape liquids, oils, drops, and edibles, the newest trend in the CBD industry is CBD-infused drinks.
What exactly are CBD-infused drinks?
Unfiltered CBD oil has a characteristic earthy flavor, which is an acquired taste for many of its users. Edibles and CBD-infused drinks are among the tastiest ways to mask the earthy flavor of CBD oil while delivering all the benefits it has to offer.
So, as their name implies, CBD-infused drinks are a refreshing and tasty way of ingesting cannabinoid extract, in order to reap its numerous health benefits. Thanks to the rising popularity of CBD, even fitness buffs are starting to flock towards CBD-infused drinks.
These trendy drinks now include everything from non-alcoholic wine to sparkling water, cold-brewed coffee, and tea beverages. As they’re incredibly diverse, many health-conscious individuals are now ditching their sodas in favor of healthier, CBD-infused drinks.
The process of making cannabidiol drink depends mostly on the type of the drink itself. Normally, the beverage is made as usual and then infused with CBD. However, this process is somewhat different when it comes to commercial drinks, like sodas.
Commercial beverages are mostly water, which doesn’t mix well with oil-based CBD. To circumvent this issue, manufacturers used liposomes, a special chemical compound that allows oil-soluble substances like CBD to mix with water-based liquids like sodas.
This gave birth to liposomal CBD, an ideal delivery form for edibles and beverages. When ingested, most of the cannabinoids are digested by your stomach and only small quantity gets absorbed. Liposomes protect the CBD from being digested in your stomach and deliver it to your intestine where it gets absorbed into your bloodstream.
This technology gave rise to a multitude of commercial CBD-infused drinks like bottled CBD water, energy drinks, powdered drink mixes, teas, coffee blends, and cocktails.
Pros and Cons of CBD-infused drinks
There are many health benefits associated with CBD. However, the FDA only approved one CBD-infused product for public use since it was backed up by proper research. Other products are either still under study or pending approval.
Still, there are now many CBD beverages available for sale. The most popular is CBD-infused Kombucha tea. The tea itself is well known for its probiotic qualities and when fused with CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, it creates a healthy beverage that boosts your immune system.
CBD-infused cocktails are also on the rise since the extracts can be mixed with various alcoholic beverages. The effects of CBD are different for every beverage, though many will argue that they are minimized due to the presence of alcohol.
All CBD-infused drinks are attributed with the same health benefits as CBD extracts they feature. As such, they’re suitable for treating anxiety and depression, relieving pain, treating insomnia, boosting the immune system, and fighting off inflammations.
In addition to bettering our health, CBD-infused drinks will also have a significant positive impact on the economy. As the trend of CBD foods and beverages continues to grow, the industry has the potential to grow up to $200 billion a year.
On the downside, the cannabis industry is still highly unregulated with many counterfeit or low-quality products flooding the market. We advise you to purchase CBD edibles and beverages only from reputable sellers.
Conclusion
CBD-infused drinks have the potential of overthrowing sodas from the throne of refreshment. They’re delicious, refreshing, and potentially healthy when compared to their sugary and carbonated predecessors.
With overall positive claims, the CBD drinks trend is here to stay. However, since the market seriously lacks regulation, we advise to only purchase CBD products from reputable stores.
Michelle Miller is a Florida-based writer and graduate of UF College of Journalism and Communications, Gainesville, FL. She writes in various niches like sex-relationships, cannabis, health-wellness, etc. When not writing, she enjoys hiking to new places and playing Guitar.
Contact: MichelleMillerOfficial@outlook.com