Now that our new Daily Gummies have arrived, Equilibria has officially broken into the CBD edibles market! As our line of best-in-market CBD products continues to expand, our members are eager to understand the similarities and differences between the various modalities we offer, and how each can be integrated into their personal wellness routine. Below, we present an in-depth breakdown of CBD gummies vs capsules, how they compare, and which one might be the best fit for you. 

 

CBD Gummies vs Capsules

 

What are CBD Gummies?

CBD gummies must be chewed and swallowed, like you would any other food, which means they start absorbing, and therefore acting, faster than a capsule. As you chew a gummy, some of the CBD will begin to absorb through the mucosal membranes in your mouth and directly enter the bloodstream, which means it becomes readily available for your body to use quickly. The longer you chew, the faster they tend to kick in! The CBD gummy that remains is swallowed and continues to break down and be processed through the digestive system. Once the gummy makes it to your stomach, the CBD is absorbed on the slower side, providing steady, extended support. Members typically report an onset of 30 minutes to 1 hour, and effects lasting an average of 4-8 hours. 

 

You’ll notice that the onset time and duration of effects with the Daily Gummies is a bit shorter than that of the Daily Softgels. This all comes back to how your body is absorbing the CBD. Since our CBD capsules must make it to your stomach before the CBD can start to absorb, the onset time will be longer than the Daily Gummies, which start to absorb as soon as you take the first bite. However, without a protective casing, the gummy tend to be digested faster, which decreases the duration of effects compared to the capsules. 

 

What are CBD capsules?

In the world of modality, CBD capsules refer to a gel-like capsule formulation filled with an oil. Here at Equilibria, we offer Daily Softgels, which fall under the umbrella of CBD capsules, as they have a flexible, protective gel coating instead of a hard coating like other capsules (which makes them easier to swallow!). These soft gel capsules are filled with a blend of our premium, organic full-spectrum hemp flower extract and MCT oil.

 

CBD capsules in general are a wonderful modality option, as the protective coating prevents the capsule material from breaking down in the mouth and instead, are swallowed whole and processed entirely in the digestive system. Once the capsule makes it to your stomach, digestive enzymes will start to break it down. Then, after the protective coating is dissolved, the CBD oil is released and will slowly absorb through your stomach into the bloodstream. In the case of our Daily Softgels, the protective layer is made with beef gelatin so it effectively encapsulates the oil for slower release, but the gelatin is still permeable enough that it is able to swiftly dissolve in the stomach so the CBD can go to work! 

 

One of the main draws for choosing CBD capsules is that they are designed to kick in a bit slower and offer longer-lasting effects compared to other modalities on the market. This is because rather than starting to dissolve in the mouth, the oil is protected until it reaches the digestive system. Our members typically report that the Daily Softgels have an onset of 1-3 hours, and offer effects for an average of 6-8 hours. They steadily provide extended background support, whether that’s to keep you feeling confident and covered for the work day, or lasting through the sleeping hours of the night! 

 

CBD Gummies vs Capsules

Both options offer support, but understanding the differences can help inform how we personalize your own CBD routine! 

 

One of the main considerations when comparing the two is dynamic dosing options. Since our Daily Softgels are filled with an oil, you either take them or you don’t — we can’t necessarily decrease the dosage of a CBD capsule. Our Daily Gummies on the other hand, offer ‘dynamic dosing’, which means they can easily be cut into smaller pieces for additional routine flexibility. You could also adjust the onset time of edibles by increasing or decreasing the amount of time you spend chewing before you swallow! 

 

Additionally, we recommend taking our Daily Softgels with food, whereas our Daily Gummies can be taken with or without food. This all comes down to the way your body systems process each product. 

 

Edibles, like our Daily Gummies, are relatively easy for your body to digest, as they are first chewed and don’t have a protective casing that needs to be broken down before the CBD can be released. By the time they make it to your stomach, they will have already started absorbing, which means the remainder of the CBD is more ‘readily available’ to be absorbed!

 

Daily Softgels on the other hand, need to be digested in the stomach over a longer period of time to dissolve the protective casing, which means that there is more opportunity for digestive enzymes to break down the CBD. However, CBD is lipophilic, which means it binds to fats – so pairing a capsule with a healthy fat, like nut butter or avocado, can help form a protective barrier around the CBD molecules, ultimately increasing the amount you can absorb from each dose.  

 

Which one is right for me? 

Everyone’s body chemistry is different, so we won’t know exactly which will be a better fit before you try them and experience the results for yourself! However, we’ve laid out a few of the top member considerations below to help inform your decision. 

 

All that said, many of our members choose to follow a routine that utilizes two or more products, as they all offer slightly different effects, and everyone’s body responds a bit differently as well. If you’re having a hard time choosing between the two, then we encourage you to give both a try and see how you feel! Taking some notes to journal your progress along the way will be a great way to identify which doses are working best. 

 

Regardless of the route you choose, our Member Education team will be here to empower you with guidance and education every step of the way along your own unique CBD journey. Have questions now? Feel free to send us an email at wellness@myeq.com