8 Expert Tips About Starting A Hemp Supplement Routine

Hemp devotees use the plant to find calm amid the chaos of daily life.* Hemp has a unique ability to promote relaxation and emotional well-being, but like anything else, it needs to be properly consumed to be effective.* After years of reporting on this special plant, here are the best tips mbg has ever heard about starting a hemp routine that delivers on calm:*

If you see "full-spectrum" on a hemp label, it signifies that you're getting a full array the plant's active ingredients—not just a few of its isolated compounds.

Looking for a hemp supplement to get started with? mindbodygreen formulated our calm+ formula with certified organic, full-spectrum hemp oil with these criteria top of mind.*

Side effects of hemp tend to be relatively mild (the most common one is fatigue, which some people view as a benefit, i.e., sleep support*), and people don't seem to build a tolerance to the plant over time, meaning that it's safe to experiment with dose until you find one that works for you.*

"Taking one dose and ruling it out at that point is not scientifically valid," explains Bonni Goldstein, M.D., a California-based physician and author of Cannabis is Medicine. For this reason, she says that when taking a new product or dose, you should consume it daily for at least a week before deciding whether or not it's working for you.

Along those lines, hemp oil doesn't kick in right away. It typically takes one to three hours to really get to work in the body, with effects lasting for eight to 12 hours. You'll want to factor in this buffer time when deciding on the best time of day to take the plant extract. This leads us to our next point...

Since hemp is nonpsychoactive and nonsedating at low-to-moderate doses, it shouldn't get in the way of your work. You can also change around the time that you take it based on what you need that day and even take it more than once—though you might want to wait until that 12-hour potency window is up.*

Hemp extract comes in many delivery forms these days, and they all have pros, while some have cons. However, if you're looking for a product that provides the benefits of hemp without any fillers, sugars, or funky additives, capsules (i.e., gelcaps/softgels) and oils (i.e., tinctures) tend to be the purest forms.*

Once you get the hang of hemp, Dani Gordon, M.D., a U.K.-based doctor and the author of The CBD Bible says you can play around with "stacking" it with other functional plant ingredients. For example, to elevate the stress-relieving properties of hemp, she suggests pairing it with ashwagandha extract, an adaptogen that has similarly calming effects on the body and mind.*

June Chin, D.O., an integrative doctor based in New York and an early adopter of hemp, has found that many patients approach cannabinoid medicine as if it's a panacea for stress. She says that while hemp can be incredibly effective, it works best when paired with other healthy stress management practices. Think of it as another (fantastically functional) tool in your relaxing repertoire;* not the whole toolbox.