Cannabis ingestibles are products that come in an oil or tincture form that are administered under the tongue or added to foods or beverages. The cannabinoids are absorbed – or ingested – through the thin tissue in the mouth or the stomach and other organs.

Ingesting oils and tinctures is a much more efficient method of delivering cannabinoids to the body compared to others, like inhaling (absorption through the lungs) or even eating. Don’t mistake edibles for ingestibles. Yes, edibles are products with CBD oils added to them, but direct absorption of oils and tinctures is a more pure delivery method.

Cannabis ingestibles aren’t new. Cannabis tinctures were fairly popular in mid-to-late 1800s. They fell from favor due to wide inconsistencies due to little dosing guidance, causing some users to experience intense intoxication and others to feel no pain relieving or anti-anxiety effects at all.

Thanks to scientific progress, today’s products are more sophisticated than those of the 19th and even late 20th centuries.

CBD oils are extracted through what’s called the CO2 method, which results in the separation of CBD from other cannabinoids, terpenes and plant matter. What’s left is pure CBD isolate. That differs from tinctures, which are extracted using an alcohol soaking method. The soak separates the chemicals in the cannabis from the plant matter and into the alcohol. The alcohol then dries out and what’s left is a wax-like substance with all of the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. That wax is usually then diluted with flavored oils – what’s left is full-spectrum tincture.