If a more discreet way to consume cannabidiol (CBD) has been on your radar, CBD chewing gum should be as well. It’s easy to hide, effectively delivers your CBD, and offers added benefits of its own.
We know what you might be thinking: CBD gum, are you serious? Yet another CBD product to bleed away your hard-earned money on, but this one seems twice as goofy.
Yes, we felt that way, too, at first. In fact, this was an interesting post because, as we go on, you will see that we learned enough to become believers in CBD gum and made a selection for our favorite that might be somewhat controversial.
So, in this post we’re going to explore what CBD gum is and how CBD gum works; who should try CBD gum and what CBD gum is used for; offer advice on how to choose CBD gum; and provide our pick for the best CBD gum on the market.
What Is CBD Gum?
CBD gum is exactly like plain chewing gum except that it contains hemp extract rich in cannabinoids and terpene, and in many cases its much higher quality all around. Each piece of CBD gum delivers a certain serving of CBD, usually 5 to 10mg.
Unlike with CBD edibles, your body doesn’t actually digest the CBD from chewing gum. It works more like a sublingual does, with the membranes in your throat and mouth absorbing the CBD into the bloodstream—and the added saliva from chewing assists this process.
In fact, CBD gum is an extremely effective delivery method for getting CBD into the bloodstream. The body experiences benefits from sublingual CBD and absorbs functional additives through the oral mucosa, delivering these benefits much more quickly.
Bypassing your digestive tract also optimizes the innate bioavailability. Compared to CBD gummies, CBD capsules, CBD drinks, or other CBD edibles, CBD gum delivers more of the listed CBD on the label because it is more bioavailable. And, assuming you don’t hate gum (if you do, you’re in the wrong post), this is a far more pleasant and comfortable delivery method for CBD than capsules, pills, tinctures, or other liquids that are bitter and oily. No sugar or colors are needed either.
Also, CBD gum can deliver consistent microdoses of CBD over time while you chew. This is a huge advantage for many patients who would prefer that to the “balloon” effect they get after taking a single, larger amount.
On the other hand, if you prefer a high dose of CBD, it’s possible that CBD gum is not the most effective option for you, unless you use it in tandem with other products.
Considering all of these facts, avoid swallowing your saliva immediately when chewing CBD gum, so your mucosal membranes have a chance to absorb more of the CBD. The less that passes through the liver, the better, with more rapid onset, and improved benefits even with lower amounts.
How Does CBD Gum Work?
So, how does CBD gum work? Derived from the hemp version of the Cannabis sativa plant, CBD is one of many cannabinoids that occur in the hemp plant. Together with its cousins THC, CBG, CBN, CBC, and others, CBD offers numerous health benefits to humans and other mammals.
Essential to this process is the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the body. This network of receptors is made to bind with natural chemicals in the body called endocannabinoids, and the receptors themselves manage a range of physiological processes, including sleep, mood, pain regulation, and digestion.
CBD is a phytocannabinoid, meaning a cannabinoid that occurs in a plant. However, these also interact with the receptors in the ECS, causing effects just as neurotransmitters would.
Although mind-altering or intoxicating properties come from some cannabinoids—most famously THC—CBD cannot cause those effects. Instead, CBD produces benefits that are purely therapeutic and can improve sleep, relieve chronic pain, stabilize mood, relieve anxiety, reduce inflammation, and more.
CBD gum has its own particular benefits as well, including fresher breath, and for some people, help quitting smoking or with other unwanted habits. It’s also very discreet—impossible to spot, actually—as it appears identical to other chewing gum.
Who Should Try CBD Chewing Gum?
[Whenever you try any new health product, remember to check with your doctor or healthcare provider. The Food and Drug Administration FDA does regulate CBD and CBD products, but this remains new territory for many health professionals.]
For some people, CBD chewing gum is less than ideal. But for many, especially compared to CBD gummies or CBD oil, CBD gum can be the perfect choice.
Chewing CBD gum delivers the effects of CBD quickly. Unlike with edibles, the digestive system and liver are bypassed, so you don’t have to wait the 10 to 15 minutes for benefits to kick in. The difference is just as notable with topicals, which can take a long time to absorb through the skin—if they do at all.
Smoking and using a vape are still the quickest route to relief from CBD, but after that, CBD chewing gums works well for both fast-acting and long-lasting relief, even among experienced CBD users.
CBD chewing gum is also among the most undercover ways to consume CBD, if that’s a concern to you. Of course, even full-spectrum CBD is legal and absolutely will not intoxicate you! But even so, if you just don’t want anyone knowing your business or seeing you use a cannabis product, chewing gum is definitely not going to blow your secret.
Another great reason to use CBD gum is that it just tastes good. Unless you’re a true aficionado of bitter plant flavor, you may not be a fan of straight CBD oil. CBD gum is usually a delicious mint flavor, and it leaves your breath that way, too.
It’s also not oily, and whatever you think of the taste of hemp oil, that oily texture in your mouth can really be unpleasant. Instead, with the CBD gum, the CBD oil itself is emulsified into gum. As you chew, the action from the jaws along with the saliva breaks up the particles of CBD, and it’s a less oily texture.
Like to travel? CBD gum was made for frequent flyers. Chewing gum on an airplane makes for a much more pleasant flight, because increased saliva production means more swallowing and less ear popping.
Add CBD into that mix and someone kicking the back of your seat might bother you a little bit less. It sounds funny, but the CBD infusion in CBD gum does calm panic and anxiety as the cannabinoids interact with the ECS and the receptors that trigger fears during stressful situations like turbulence.
Another group that might want to try CBD gum is people who have trouble focusing through a long work day or a similar situation. A fantastic benefit of CBD gum is improved focus, and this comes in large part by microdoses delivered slowly over time through chewing. Chewing gum is a natural thing to do when you’re needing to focus your energy, too—ask a baseball player or a former smoker.
Finally, anyone who enjoys having fresh breath might feel like trying CBD gum. This is especially true because chronic bad breath is often caused by nutritional imbalance or other issues such as bacterial problems in the mouth. CBD promotes homeostasis, helping correct these kinds of problems, and high quality CBD gum is made with natural flavors and non-gmo, natural ingredients, so it tastes clean and delicious.
What to Look For in CBD Chewing Gum
CBD gum is one of the latest new trends here in the United States, and, as always, that means there are several innovative companies leading the way with new products—and many imitators. There are many ways to get CBD gum wrong, from using poor quality ingredients to loading it up with sugar and other additives.
Here are several factors to consider:
Transparency. Is the business open about their ingredients? Is it clear how much CBD is in each piece of gum? Where do they source their industrial hemp? How? Can they prove it is of the highest quality?
Quality and 3rd Party Testing. Trustworthy CBD companies share results from 3rd party lab testing to support the purity, high-quality, and safety of their CBD gum and other hemp products.
Manufacturing Process. The gold standard for CBD products is CO2 extraction, which delivers the cleanest product.
Ingredients. Look for CBD infused chewing gum, not coated with CBD, so you get benefits as long as you chew rather than for the first two minutes only. Look for only all-natural and organic flavors from essential oils like peppermint or lemon. Look for a natural gum base such as a chicle. Avoid preservatives and artificial sweeteners like sorbitol which can disturb your gut’s microbiome, cause cavities, and hurt the potency of the CBD itself. Instead opt for a sugar-free or naturally sweetened product with stevia. Are the ingredients vegan, and, if not, does this matter to you?
Type of CBD. Is the gum THC-free broad-spectrum CBD, full-spectrum CBD, or CBD isolate? Some of the benefits of CBD, including the entourage effect, depend on these factors.
Potency. Remember, not all CBD gums have the same amount of CBD tincture in them. Some brands offer just 5 mg of CBD per piece of gum, although the average stands around 10mg of CBD per piece, and some brands offer 15mg of CBD per stick of gum.
The Best CBD Gum: CBD American Shaman CBD-Infused Chewing Gum
Each piece of CBD American Shaman CBD-infused gum contains 7mg of CBD. It contains all natural ingredients including chicle, a natural gum base, and 100% full spectrum CBD hemp oil.
We’ll just say it: this is the CBD gum we liked best. We can see that they appear to be discontinuing it, but we don’t care. This one was better!
Yes, it would probably be smarter to promote our second choice, which shall for now remain nameless. But we’d rather follow our hearts, minds, and taste buds.
(Our secret hope is that enough people will buy this gum that they’ll be forced to bring it back! It’s a great product, and it deserves to stay on the market.)
The first thing we loved about CBD American Shaman was the serving size. At 7mg of CBD per piece of gum, it’s an unusual choice and on the lower end. To us, though, this is the entire reason you’re using CBD gum: to microdose. Furthermore, the CBD infused gum is high-grade, so the 7mg is all you need.
We also loved the natural ingredients. They start with chicle, a natural gum base, and infuse it with full spectrum CBD hemp oil, so you get medicine in every chew. Natural peppermint flavor and xylitol ensure your breath stays sweet without unnecessary calories.
The flavor lasted a long time, and we truly did notice a gentle low dose impact from this CBD gum. Now, if high levels of CBD are what you’re after, this is not the product for you—at least not alone. But if you like the idea of continuous low to moderate levels of fast-acting CBD relief, CBD American Shaman CBD-Infused Chewing Gum is absolutely a great choice.
Final Thoughts
We didn’t expect to find out much of anything good about CBD chewing gum when we started this piece, and we did find plenty to watch out for! There’s no reason, for example, to buy CBD dipped gum or a low dose product of any kind if that’s not what will work for you, no matter how good it is.
We loved the discreet way we could use CBD American Shaman CBD-Infused Chewing Gum all day without anyone being the wiser. It offered nice low- to mid-level relief from chronic pain and anxiety for some of our testers, and a general sense of relaxation and well-being to all. Recommended!
