What is the best CBD for erectile dysfunction?

Cannabis has a long history of helping people enhance intimacy in the bedroom, with evidence showing the plant’s use in Ayurvedic sexual health practices since the 7th century CE.

Quite a bit of contemporary research has been conducted to clarify and support how cannabis containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impacts male sexual function and, more specifically, erectile function.

Little is known, however, about how hemp-derived cannabis products rich in cannabidiol (CBD) impact erectile function. To date, there are no studies specifically examining whether CBD can help with 

Still, CBD has shown some promise in treating common underlying symptoms of erectile dysfunction (ED), such as stress and anxiety. CBD may be able to relieve ED symptoms resulting from related causes.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how to approach using CBD for ED and what products are available to you, as well as explain some of the potential safety concerns regarding using CBD for ED. 

What’s causing your ED?

CBD won’t always be the right solution for treating your ED symptoms, so it’s important to know what’s causing your ED before trying CBD.

According to an authoritative review article published by the New England Journal of Medicine, ED can result from a variety of physical and psychological factors. It is also not uncommon for multiple factors to coincide and cause ED symptoms.

Common psychological factors “include performance anxiety, a strained relationship, lack of sexual arousability, and overt psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia,” the article’s author states.

ED can also result from “neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and cerebral trauma” or from blood flow issues stemming from hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, and pelvic irradiation.” 

It might also be the case that you’re simply getting older and, like many men, are experiencing decreased sexual function with age.

It’s always best, if at all possible, to consult with a qualified physician when looking to treat ED symptoms resulting from any of these underlying causes.

It should also be noted that the ENJM recommends psychotherapy and pharmaceutical interventions — or a combination of both approaches — for most cases of ED that aren’t associated with another serious medical condition.

Though there isn’t any evidence specifically suggesting that CBD will help with your ED symptoms, researchers are more confident in the mostly preclinical studies examining the cannabinoid’s anti-anxiety properties.

If your ED symptoms are caused by anxiety, psychotherapy offers a great opportunity to begin exploring the root causes of your anxiety symptoms. While other natural approaches to treating anxiety symptoms, including CBD, can yield results, getting at the underlying reasons for your anxiety may be your best bet for relieving symptoms in the long term.

The best CBD product types for ED

Determining the best products for your specific wellness goals requires looking at the particular situation you want to address. It’s also important to be aware that CBD tends to work best in high doses — often much higher than what is readily available over the counter.

Edibles, including CBD gummies, offer one option that requires you to consume CBD well in advance of sexual activity for the effects to be active during that time. It's generally accepted that cannabis edibles can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in. CBD gummies tend to come in relatively low doses of 10 to 30 milligrams, so you’ll likely need to consume several to achieve the desired effects — a problem compounded by CBD’s relatively low bioavailability when taken orally.

With all that being said, the effects of edibles tend to last longer than cannabis products intended for other consumption methods. If you’re looking for all-day relief from symptoms that can be alleviated by CBD, edibles might be the way to go.

If you’re looking for an alternative to ED medications like Viagra, a CBD product that can give you a fast-acting dose on demand might be a better choice. CBD dabs are the prime choice in this category, offering a quick way to consume a high dose of CBD that your body can quickly metabolize. The onset of the effects from CBD dabs should begin much faster in comparison to edibles. If you’re bringing CBD into the bedroom, this fast-acting option may also be better suited to more spontaneous sexual activity.

Regardless of the type of product you choose, keep in mind that differences in extraction technique can result in products with different contents.

When it comes to oral CBD products, such as edibles and tinctures, there are a few basic content profiles — all of which should still have less than 0.3% THC content.

As a primer published by the Baylor University Medical Center explains, “CBD extracts can be categorized as broad spectrum, full spectrum, or isolate.” 

“If all extracts of the Cannabis plant, including CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, essential oils, and other cannabinoids, are utilized, the extract is called full-spectrum CBD and the THC concentration should be <0.3%. Broad spectrum is similar to full spectrum with the exception that it is nearly THC free. Finally, isolate, which is typically harvested from Cannabis sativa, is pure CBD.”

The terpenes and other compounds present in products made from full or broad spectrum extracts may also have a role to play in alleviating specific symptoms. If you’re experiencing anxiety-related ED, for example, sedating terpenes such as myrcene, linalool, and beta-caryophyllene might help you feel a bit more calm.

When taking CBD products for any wellness-related reason, please be sure to purchase your products from a reputable vendor. Due to the current lack of regulatory oversight governing the massive CBD industry, the actual contents of CBD products available to you may actually differ from what you see on the label.

To that end, we advise purchasing your CBD products from a vetted marketplace like Jointly.

Find top-rated products for your goals 

Jointly is the cannabis discovery app that makes it easy to find and shop the best cannabis and CBD products for your goals. Your matches are calculated from the real product ratings and experiences from hundreds of thousands of people using the Jointly app.

If you're ready to discover new products and reach your goals, download the Jointly app today on the App Store or Google Play, or shop your matches on the Jointly website.   

Are you curious about Jointly?

Whether you want to improve sleep, relieve daily stress, or just relax and refresh, Jointly can help you reach your goals with cannabis.  

With Jointly, you can shop your top-rated products, and save lists of your favorites to share and bring to your local dispensary to help guide your shopping experience.  

The Jointly app also helps you improve your cannabis experiences by uncovering what’s working and what’s not with reflections and personalized insights. In fact, the quality of your diet, how much you slept, who you’re with, and the time of day are just some of the factors that can impact your cannabis experience.  

So if you're ready to find your best products and enjoy your perfect cannabis experience, download the Jointly app today on the App Store or Google Play, or shop your matches on the Jointly website. Discovery awaits.