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CBD capsules/softgels/pills: What’s the difference?

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CBD capsules are an excellent way to get some CBD in your system, offering both a comfortable and conspicuous manner to imbibe during the day.

However, if you have never tried CBD capsules or CBD pills and want to start using them, you first need to overcome the inherent confusion regarding the different types.

There are CBD capsules, CBD softgels, and CBD pills, and even more – what do all of these terms mean? What is the difference between all of them?

What is a CBD capsule?

A CBD capsule is perhaps the most simple and familiar out of all of CBD’s swallowable forms. A CBD capsule is any CBD product that comes in the form of a small capsule, usually cylindrical or round in shape.

The capsule is a container that holds the CBD you are taking inside it, either in the form of a powder or a liquid. The capsule itself is typically made from either sugar, propylene glycol, or other substances to create a hard, brittle shell. You can typically break open the container to access the CBD inside.

However, capsules are designed to be swallowed whole and digested as one, usually for particular purposes. By allowing the CBD capsules to break down in your stomach, you get a controlled release of the CBD inside the capsule, which is usually carefully designed by the manufacturer.

What about CBD pills? What makes them different from CBD capsules?

What is a CBD pill?

A CBD pill is quite like a CBD capsule; only instead of it being made from a brittle shell that contains the CBD inside of it, the CBD pill is the CBD.

It is usually in the form of a compacted and concentrated powder, all packed down into a solid pill. The pill itself dissolves and breaks apart in the stomach, releasing the CBD that is held in concentrated form as part of the pill’s structure.

This is perhaps the form of CBD that is closest to most commercial pills like over the counter painkillers and the like. This is an easy, nondescript way to take CBD, and is a commonly sold form.

However, it does carry a few problems with both taste and texture, as the powdery substance that makes up the pill breaks down in the presence of saliva. This means that you taste your CBD as you try to swallow it, which is not very enjoyable for those who struggle with swallowing pills.

For those who have trouble swallowing pills, there are other types, such as CBD softgels.

What is a CBD softgel?

CBD softgels are perhaps the most exciting form of taking CBD orally because they almost resemble a gummy.

CBD softgels are another form of capsule, but the outer layer is replaced with a soft and malleable structure. This layer is typically made of animal gelatin, though vegan-friendly versions made from vegetable glycerin exist as well.

Within the softgel is the CBD, meaning that, just like with CBD capsules, you swallow and digest slowly to release the CBD. Make sure you aren’t chewing your CBD softgels, otherwise you risk turning your CBD softgel into a chewable form of CBD oil – something that no one wants.

Final thoughts on capsules, pills, and softgels

CBD capsules and their various permutations and variations, are incredibly popular alternatives to regular CBD oil.

In fact, various studies, such as this one by Christian Larsen and Jorida Shahinas for the Journal of Clinical Medicine, found that taking CBD orally in the form of pills was incredibly popular and identified in other studies as being an effective way to encourage increased efficacy.

Since there are undoubtedly many types of CBD capsules to choose from, it can feel pretty daunting when asked to choose between them. If you head to your favorite CBD retailer like Provacan, you will probably find untold numbers of variations.

The best way to get used to all the different types is to try them. While they are all pretty similar – each of them containing CBD in some way – they are all different in taste, texture, and feel.

Give them all a try and pick a favorite, as the only way to find out for sure is to try them yourself.

Story by Max Jordan

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