Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the United States, with more than 64% of the population drinking at least one cup every day. We don’t understand how it is possible to limit yourself to just one cup a day but to each their own. Usually, that cup of joe is consumed in the morning, as millions of people use caffeine to kickstart their day. Recently, however, there are more and more people who add CBD to their morning coffee, claiming that the two are perfectly compatible with each other and combined, they offer a lot of benefits. At first glance, this doesn’t make much sense, since caffeine and CBD are usually considered opposites. Intrigued by this, we decided to investigate, and here is what we found.
Caffeine
One of the most consumed stimulants in the world, caffeine, has been around for centuries and was the main reason people started drinking coffee and tea. In moderate doses, it can increase your alertness, making you ready to face the chaos that rules our modern lives. As with most things, too much caffeine can have some serious adverse effects. Indigestion, tremors, and even insomnia are constant companions of people who drink one cup of coffee too many or consume too much caffeine from other sources. More severe side effects can include heart palpitation, headaches, and muscle spasm, not to mention anxiety and nervousness. In short, too much caffeine can cause much more severe problems that a sudden visit to the bathroom.
CBD
For a long time, hemp was lumped together with its notorious cousin marijuana. Even though people have been using it for thousands of years to make cloths and paper. Only recently, as the wave of marijuana legalization started in earnest, was hemp removed from the list of banned substances. As a result, CBD became legal, and its production and consumption skyrocketed in the last decade. CBD is the abbreviation for Cannabidiol, which is just one of more than 100 active substances found in hemp.
Leaves, flowers, and stems are harvested and used in the production of oils, pastes, lotions, capsules, or other products. Hemp has less than 0.3% of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the psychoactive component of cannabis and the part that makes you high. Such low THC content makes it impossible to have a similar effect from CBD. The benefits of using CBD include reduced anxiety, relaxation, relieving pain, and many others, including helping and regulating our digestive system. It also helps with the sleep cycle and is often used as a treatment for insomnia. In short, CBD should be a perfect antidote to caffeine overdose, which is probably why some people think the two should be combined.
Make sure you also go check out our piece “Mixing CBD and Caffeine (Benefits and Risks)” to see more info on the risks and benefits of mixing these two.
Using CBD and Caffeine
There are several ways you can combine caffeine and CBD. The easiest way is to add a few drops of CBD to your coffee, but there are other ways as well. Keurig coffee pods infused with CBD are all the rage these days. Many coffee shops around the country have started offering their version of brew, coffee, and tea both, fortified with CBD.
Not Everyone Is For the Idea
The High Times magazine has an opposite stand. They claim that the idea of combining CBD and caffeine is entirely ridiculous. If CBD makes you sleepy, and caffeine wakes you up, the combination of the two will only make you groggy and dazed. Logically, this makes perfect sense. Others share this opinion. Bonni Goldstein, MD, a cannabinoid therapy physician from California, also feels that mixing CBD in your coffee or tea won’t yield the desired results. She points out that high temperatures can have undesired effects on CBD, affecting its stability.
A recent study dealing with cannabis tea and CBD confirmed her opinion. While it may not be an issue for healthy people, patients looking to benefit from CBD therapy should avoid taking their dose of CBD in hot beverages. This dosage inconsistency may also prove problematic for people with low CBD tolerance, causing them to be overstimulated and only compounding the effects of caffeine. This can lead to symptoms similar to the caffeine overdose, which are, as we saw above, far from pleasant.
On the other hand, not everyone reacts to CBD in the same way, and you may enjoy it in combination with coffee or tea.
Interested in more benefits from CBD? Check out “Did You Know That CBD Can Act as a Hangover Cure?” for a guide to see if CBD can benefit you after your fun nights out.
Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to find a definitive answer to this question. More scientific studies will be needed before we know for a fact how CBD and Caffeine work together. So far, all we have is anecdotal evidence, which can be biased at best. In the meantime, the trend continues, and many coffee shops that have this combo on their menu are reporting booming sales. Whether the effects are real or just a placebo, it is still hard to say, but trying out for yourself should clear any dilemmas you may have. After all, different people may be affected differently, and you won’t know for sure until you have a taste.
Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out similar articles to keep you informed about the world of medical cannabis like “(NEWS) What Does Impeachment Mean For The CBD Industry?” or even “CBD Dosage for Beginners (Science-Backed Facts)“.
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