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Colds and cases of flu are very common during the whole year. And while they are pretty common during winter, over the span of a year, people in the U.S. suffer over a billion colds, according to CDC estimates.
Since viruses cause colds, they cannot be treated with antibiotics, and most of the time, you’ll have to take something to alleviate some symptoms and let your own system fight back.
That said, some flu symptoms can be pretty light, while others will definitely knock you down and will make you call in sick. Some people have started looking into CBD oil as a possible way to help out these symptoms, especially since antibiotics are out of the equation.
In this article, we’ll tackle which specific symptoms could be alleviated by CBD products, which products may help with better sleep for a stronger immune system, and explore if CBD oil is good for colds.
Binoid CBD Oil - Day & Night Bundle
Key Takeaways
- Cannabidiol is a mostly non-psychoactive cannabinoid that could help some of these symptoms, like inflammation and getting better sleep.
- Other potential benefits of CBD for cold and flu symptoms include pain management, feeling more energetic, getting an immune system boost, and even aiding with general discomfort or soreness.
- There are multiple CBD products out there that can help symptoms, from CBD oil and tinctures to gelcaps and other products.
- Remember to check some of our top choices for aiding sleep and boosting your immune system, like Thera One’s CBD Tincture Oil and FOCL’s Premium Full Spectrum CBD Drops.
A Quick Look at the Best CBD for Cold and Flu Symptoms
- Thera One – CBD Tincture Oil
- Binoid – Good Night CBD Oil Sleep Blend
- Green Roads – Sweet Sleep CBD Oil
- CBDistillery – CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture
- Purekana – CBD Tincture Oil Sleep Aid
- FOCL – Premium Full Spectrum CBD Drops
- Fab CBD – CBD Oil
- Green Roads – Full Spectrum Gold CBD Oil
- Healer – CBD Oil Drops
- Penguin CBD – CBD Oil
4 Stages of a Cold
Before we check if CBD for cold and flu is effective, you must understand the four stages of a cold. First, regular flu and cold are usually caused by different types of viruses. There are over 200 different virus variants that can cause several symptoms.
Some of the most common flu symptoms include a runny nose, sore throat, and body aches. Other people might also get strong congestion, sneezing, coughing, or headaches. Because of this, cases of flu can be pretty annoying even as an adult, as the symptoms can make you stay in bed all day.
Now, colds and flu often have pretty visible symptoms and you do not need to go with a healthcare professional unless you notice severe symptoms. And while the symptoms might be annoying, this is actually good news as your body is fighting back the virus through things like extra mucus and rising temperature.
Colds usually have four different stages, which can present in a time period between 7 and up to 10 days on average. This is usually the recovery period for most people, but some symptoms can last up to two weeks. Let’s take a look at each of these symptoms.
Incubation Period
This first stage is when the virus enters your system and starts making it home. This stage can take up to three days, and symptoms are usually minor, like feeling very tired or a slight soreness in the back of your throat.
Symptomatic
The second stage will be pretty obvious as symptoms become more noticeable. This is the period when strong congestion, coughing, and sneezing are very prominent. Usually, patients last in this stage anywhere between two to seven days. Some people might also suffer from fever, just pay special attention, as high fevers can be a sign of complications or a more severe diagnosis.
Remission
In the third stage, the effects and symptoms start to get weaker. This depends on your metabolism, health, and age. This usually happens after ten days, but some symptoms, like coughing or congestion, can last a few more days.
Recovery
The last stage is usually the sign you are getting better, as it means that your body is recovering. In this period, most people will start to regain their health, but this also depends on your overall health. Make sure to drink lots of water in this stage as well.
Does CBD Oil Help with a Sore Throat?
Now, does CBD oil help with colds? Well, in a sense, it may help with several symptoms and general discomfort to help you feel better in the second and third stages of the flu. Specifically, CBD Oil could be helpful in treating soreness due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
This happens as CBD interacts with the CB1 and CB2 receptors of our endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for many chemical signals in our body, including the ones that tell our body to swell in certain areas. By regulating this chemical signaling, CBD can potentially aid pain and inflammation.
Now, while there’s no evidence that CBD can cure an illness, this interaction could be helpful so some symptoms can be alleviated. Another big factor that could prevent the first stage is sleeping, as getting a good night’s rest is key to maintaining a healthy body.
In this sense, CBD may aid with getting better sleep quality and for longer periods. Stress can also factor in and lower your system’s defenses, and CBD could be helpful in letting you feel more relaxed.
CBD for Cold and Flu
If you plan on taking CBD for cold and flu, it is important you understand that there’s no evidence that cannabidiol can cure viruses. Instead, since cases of flu and colds are usually solved by your own immune system, there are a few ways that CBD can support your system and get rid of certain symptoms.
As we talked about before, sleep is key to recovery and getting a healthy immune system. Stress is also an important factor when talking about health and sleep in general. Researchers concluded in this study that CBD could be helpful in producing a calming effect on the nervous system and help with overall sleep quality in adult patients.
Sleep can help recovery from the flu and even keep a healthy immune system. So a potential benefit of CBD for colds is to help with better sleep, which contributes to both your recovery and your immune system, letting you doze off after your body’s extra hours fighting back the virus.
Another way that CBD helps with virus-related diagnoses is that it can regulate some immune responses. In this research, scientists concluded that CBD could be helpful in some mechanisms of the immune system and help with the promotion of regulatory cells, which help other immune cell targets.
While more research is needed to fully understand CBD’s potential, it can still be a handy all-natural tool to aid in specific areas. Let’s take a look at other symptoms CBD can help during colds.
Can CBD Aid in Cold Symptoms?
CBD may aid in a few cold symptoms besides aiding with recovery. Think of it as an extra tool available to help with a speedy recovery and help you with sleep. Let’s take a quick look at them.
- Aiding with Muscle Soreness: CBD can be helpful to make the pain from feeling your body sore. Usually, this happens due to fever or as a general response to the virus, but cannabidiol may aid with muscle inflammation.
- Helping with Pain Management: Some people cannot use over-the-counter inflammation drugs, so CBD is a natural alternative that could potentially support pain management.
- Alleviate Anxiety and Stress: If you feel stressed about having a cold due to work, CBD can help your system relax and unwind, so you give your body a chance to get its energy back.
- Feeling More Energized During the Cold: Some people feel very tired due to their bodies fighting the virus back, so products like CBD that can make users feel more energized and have a clear head can make flu recovery a lot easier.
Best CBD Products for Sleep
We’ve discussed how CBD can help certain flu symptoms, specifically answering how does CBD oil help with colds. In this section, you’ll find some of our top choices if you want to get a better night’s sleep to unwind and either get an easier recovery or simply have a healthier immune system by lowering stress. Let’s explore some of these dispensaries.
1. Thera One – CBD Tincture Oil
For a premium experience with sleeping tinctures, the high-end TheraOne brand has a pretty solid option to aid with sleep. Their CBD Tincture Oil – Sleep has a USDA-certified organic CBD tincture with organic ingredients, including valerian root and 1000mg of CBD in their 30ml dropper bottle presentation. This tincture also has organic lemon and chamomile oils to support restorative sleep.
2. Binoid – Good Night CBD Oil Sleep Blend
Binoid is one of the biggest hemp brands in the industry, and their Good Night CBD Oil Sleep blend is proof that this producer can create high-quality and innovative products. Their 30ml presentation uses a broad spectrum formula with 1000mg of CBD per bottle, making it perfect to dose before heading to bed.
You can use this tincture as a support to get better rest at night thanks to its terpene combination with lemon and peppermint essential oils with organic-certified and third-party lab-tested hemp.
3. Green Roads – Sweet Sleep CBD Oil
If some nights, sleep is just difficult to actually get, the Sweet Sleep CBD Oil by the folks at Green Roads is a solid choice to aid your body’s natural sleep cycle. Their 30ml dropper bottle has a pharmacist-formulated 22.5mg of CBD and 2.5mg of CBG per serving that will help you doze off in no time. Their tincture is fully USDA-certified with independent lab testing and vegan and gluten-free ingredients.
4. CBDistillery – CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture
CBN and CBD can be taken together as a power couple to aid sleep, and CBDistillery’s CBN + CBD Sleep Tincture has the perfect 1:3 ratio to improve your rest. With 150mg of CBN and 450mg of CBD per 30ml dropper bottle, this full-spectrum formula is perfect for relief and relaxation. And if you were looking for a natural solution, their bottle comes in a natural flavor, meaning no extra additives were added besides the carrier coconut oil and natural terpenes.
5. Purekana – CBD Tincture Oil Sleep Aid
We saved the best sleep tincture for last since the Purekana CBD Tincture Oil Sleep Aid has a fairly strong formula with extra melatonin to aid you in falling asleep faster. This tincture has a proprietary mix of natural terpenes, lavender, chamomile, and 1500mg of CBD per bottle, which can promote deep relaxation and sleep with the highest-quality ingredients.
Best CBD for Cold and Flu Recovery
If you are instead looking for products that can help tackle certain flu symptoms or generally have a speedier recovery, in the following section, you’ll find our choices for CBD oils that could be handy to keep when you start getting some symptoms. Here are some of our top choices to help out a sore throat or general discomfort.
1. FOCL – Premium Full Spectrum CBD Drops
First, let’s start with a product from a high-quality brand that has wellness-oriented products, FOCL. Their Premium Full Spectrum CBD Drops are a solid choice if you want to get better focus and a night of more restful sleep with a fast-acting formula.
You can get these in two different strengths, either 1000mg or 3000mg of CBD per 30ml dropper bottle. You can also get these in four delicious flavors with natural terpenes and sugar-free: Citrus, Natural, Mind, and Orange Cream.
2. Fab CBD – CBD Oil
Now, for a fully customizable experience, Fab CBD’s high quality is just a great choice to potentially support pain and soreness from a cold. Their CBD Oil comes in four different strengths starting at 300mg, 600mg, 1200mg, and up to 2400mg in a full-spectrum, organic hemp formula.
You can choose between five delicious flavors with natural, citrus, mint, vanilla, and berry available. Their CBD Oil is fully pesticide-free and organically grown, with a unique terpene combination to aid recovery and relaxation.
3. Green Roads – Full Spectrum Gold CBD Oil
We’ve talked about Green Road’s superb quality before, but if you want the best CBD oil you can get, you’ll want to try their Full Spectrum Gold CBD Oil. This is a full-spectrum formula, meaning that you’re getting the goodness from several different cannabinoids, including CBN, CBG, and CBC.
This product is called gold for a special reason; thanks to its massive 3000mg of CBD per bottle, it is easily one of the highest concentrations of high-quality CBD extract we’ve seen. With no artificial flavors, independent lab testing, and fully USA-grown hemp, this might be a higher-end CBD oil that will help with relaxation and other flu symptoms easily.
4. Healer – CBD Oil Drops
For a different formula with CBDa, Healer’s CBD Oil Drops is an alternative with less concentration for a stronger result. This unique formula is available in 14ml with 700 mg of CBD, 30ml with 1500mg of CBD, and up to 60ml with 3000mg of CBD.
Each of these is lab-tested, organically farmed, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Their special 6:1 CBD to CBDa formula is designed to help you with stress, aches, and discomfort with less product too.
5. Penguin CBD – CBD Oil
Lastly, meet Penguin CBD. This company is known for its adorable name and packaging but also its incredible higher-end products that are affordable and straightforward. If you want some aching support during the flu, their CBD Oil could be your next favorite CBD product.
One of the things we love is their highly customizable experience, with two types of formulas available with two choices: No THC and Full-Spectrum. You can also get them in five different strengths: 250, 600, 1000, 2500, and 5000mg of CBD per bottle. Their tincture is even available in five different flavors, including Natural, Mint, Citrus, Strawberry, Citrus, Strawberry, and Cookies and Cream.
Is CBD Good For Colds: Final Thoughts
In this article, we have discussed the question of whether CBD oil is good for colds. And while there is no medical evidence that cannabidiol can cure virus-related diseases, there are a few potential benefits of using CBD oil and other products if you get a cold.
A few of the things that cannabidiol can potentially help with include improving your sleep to get a better recovery, aiding with inflammation, managing pain, and even giving your immune system a small boost.
Remember that CBD products are a natural alternative to aid with certain symptoms but are in no way a replacement for clinical treatments. Make sure to talk with your healthcare provider and use cannabidiol as part of your arsenal toward recovery rather than an all-in-one solution.
CBD for Wellness: FAQ
While our small guide on CBD oil for colds and flu is over, we still have a small section if you have more questions.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol (shortened as CBD) is an all-natural compound from the cannabinoid family that can be found in the hemp plant.
Will CBD get me high?
No, unlike Delta-9 THC, it is highly unlikely that you’ll get high from CBD. Due to how this cannabinoid interacts with our system, it is not psychoactive. Some people might still feel deep relaxation states with clear-headedness.
Is CBD legal?
Yes, CBD is legal at a federal level, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill. However, it has to contain less than 0.3% of Delta-9 THC per dry weight. State laws might differ from federal regulations, so you can check your states here.
What kind of CBD products are there?
There are many kinds of CBD products, like capsules, oils, gummies, and even CBD-only herbs.
Does CBD Oil Help with Colds?
Yes, CBD Oil can help with cold symptoms by aiding with sleep recovery, helping with inflammation and soreness, and generally helping with discomfort.
Is CBD good for colds and flu?
CBD can be good for some flu as long as it is used to help aid specific symptoms, proper treatment, hydration, and nutrition. It is not a replacement for medical treatment.
Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission when you purchase products featured here. Please consult your doctor before starting any new supplement to see it is right for you.