CBD oil and CBD capsules deliver the same ingredient in two different ways. Oil is measured with a pipette and held under the tongue, so you can adjust the amount to the milligram and it tends to be felt sooner. Capsules are swallowed, so each one is a fixed dose, there is no taste, and the CBD arrives more slowly through the digestive system, where a meal makes a surprisingly large difference to how much is absorbed. Neither is “better”; one will fit your routine better than the other, and this guide is about working out which.
We cover how each format is taken, what the pharmacology research actually says about absorption (the figures quoted around the internet are shakier than they look), a side-by-side comparison, who tends to suit which, and the one thing to know before you buy capsules if you are vegan. We make both at our laboratory in York Science Park, and everything below applies to our oils and capsules sold in Ireland as food supplements.
Table of Contents
- How CBD oil is taken
- How CBD capsules work
- Absorption: what the research does and does not show
- Oil vs capsules at a glance
- Who suits which
- A note for vegans: capsules are bovine gelatine
- How much to take, in either format
- How we do it at HempWell
- Frequently asked questions
How CBD oil is taken
CBD oil is CBD dissolved in a carrier oil and sold in a 30ml bottle with a dropper. Ours ship with a graduated pipette marked in quarter-millilitres, which matters more than it sounds: drops are an unreliable unit, so we state strength in milligrams per millilitre and ask you to measure in millilitres. A 1000mg bottle holds 33mg of CBD per millilitre (8mg per quarter pipette), a 1500mg bottle 50mg per millilitre (13mg per quarter), a 2000mg bottle 67mg per millilitre (17mg per quarter).
You hold the oil under your tongue for a minute or so before swallowing. The thin tissue there lets some of the CBD pass into the blood vessels directly, and the rest is swallowed and absorbed like a food. Our Pure CBD Oil uses an MCT coconut carrier and tastes of almost nothing in the natural flavour; the Broad Spectrum range is in hemp seed oil and tastes earthier. Our guide on how to take CBD oil covers technique, timing and what to do if you dislike the taste. The oil’s great strength is adjustability: you can start at 10mg, add a quarter pipette at a time, and find your own level without buying a different product.
How CBD capsules work
A capsule is a measured amount of CBD in an oil base inside a soft gelatine shell, swallowed with water like any supplement. Our CBD capsules are CBD isolate in a hemp seed oil base and come in three fixed doses: 15mg per capsule (900mg pot of 60), 25mg per capsule (750mg pot of 30) and 50mg per capsule in the 1500mg pot of 30, which is the one most of our regular users move to and the most popular capsule on our subscription scheme.
Everything about a capsule is convenience. There is no taste, no measuring, nothing to spill in a bag, and the dose is identical every day, which suits people who have already found their amount with an oil and want to stop thinking about it. The trade-off is that the CBD has to pass through the stomach and liver before it reaches the bloodstream, so it takes longer to be felt, usually an hour or two rather than the twenty to forty minutes people typically report with oil, and how much is absorbed depends heavily on whether you took it with food.
Absorption: what the research does and does not show
You will read confident figures online: oil “13 to 19% bioavailable”, capsules “6 to 15%”. We used to quote them too. The honest position is that nobody has measured the absolute bioavailability of CBD in humans for either route. A systematic review of every human pharmacokinetic study found that “bioavailability following smoking was 31% however no other studies attempted to report the absolute bioavailability of CBD following other routes in humans”, and that peak levels are “reached quicker following smoking/inhalation compared to oral/oromucosal routes” (Millar et al., 2018). Two things are well established, though, and they are the ones that matter for choosing.
- Food changes oral absorption enormously. In the safety trial of the prescription CBD solution, a high-fat meal “increased CBD plasma exposure (Cmax and AUCt) by 4.85- and 4.2-fold” compared with fasting (Taylor et al., 2018). In a study of 99% pure CBD capsules in adults with epilepsy, peak concentration was on average 14 times higher and total exposure 4 times higher when taken after a high-fat breakfast than when fasted (Birnbaum et al., 2019). Those were prescription doses, but the mechanism is the same at supplement amounts: CBD dissolves in fat, and a fatty meal carries more of it across the gut wall. Take capsules with food, consistently.
- Lipid carriers help for the same reason. The review notes that peak levels are “increased during fed states and in lipid formulations”, and laboratory work shows oils and dietary fats roughly triple the exposure to CBD compared with fat-free formulations (Zgair et al., 2016). This is why both our oils and our capsules are built on an oil base, and why our MCT oil guide exists.
What the under-the-tongue route adds is speed and a partial bypass of the liver’s first pass, which is why oil users report feeling it sooner. Whether it delivers more CBD overall than a capsule taken with a proper meal has never been shown. Our bioavailability guide goes deeper; the practical conclusion is that timing and food matter more than the format.
Oil vs capsules at a glance
| CBD oil | CBD capsules | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is taken | Measured with a pipette, held under the tongue, swallowed | Swallowed with water, ideally with a meal |
| Dose control | Adjustable to the milligram, quarter pipette at a time | Fixed: 15mg, 25mg or 50mg per capsule |
| Time until felt (typical reports) | 20 to 40 minutes | 1 to 2 hours |
| Taste | Natural (almost none), peppermint or mixed berry; broad spectrum is earthy | None |
| Effect of food | Matters for the swallowed portion | Matters a lot: take with a fat-containing meal |
| Travel and routine | Glass bottle, pipette; can be mixed into drinks | Pot of capsules; nothing to measure or spill |
| What is in it | Isolate in MCT oil, or broad spectrum in hemp seed oil | Isolate in hemp seed oil, bovine gelatine shell |
| Vegan | Yes | No (gelatine); vegan alternative = gummies |
Who suits which
- Starting out, or still finding your amount: oil. Being able to move in 4mg or 8mg steps is the whole point of the first few weeks. Our strength guide helps you pick the bottle.
- Settled on a daily amount and want to stop measuring: capsules. If you take a full pipette of the 1500mg oil (50mg) each evening, one 50mg capsule with dinner is the same CBD with less ceremony.
- Dislike the taste, or take it at work or when travelling: capsules, or an isolate oil in a coffee.
- Want it felt sooner, for example as part of an evening wind-down: oil under the tongue, or SleepWell if sleep is the reason.
- Vegan: oil, or our gummies, which are made with fruit pectin. Not capsules (see below).
- Many people use both: a capsule with breakfast for the baseline and a quarter pipette of oil later if needed. Just add the milligrams up.
A note for vegans: capsules are bovine gelatine
Our capsule shells are bovine gelatine, so the capsules are not vegetarian or vegan and we do not describe them as such. Every oil in the range is vegan, and so are the gummies (pectin, not gelatine). If you need a measured dose without the pipette and gelatine is a problem, a 25mg gummy does the job. The full ingredients list is on every product page, and our guide to CBD and halal covers the same question from a religious angle.
How much to take, in either format
The amount is the same question whichever format you choose. Most people start at 10 to 20mg a day and settle at 33mg, 50mg or 66mg, which is one full 1ml pipette of the 1000mg, 1500mg or 2000mg oils, or two 15mg, one 25mg or one 50mg capsule. Stay within the 70mg a day guideline for healthy adults that we work to across the range, give it two to three weeks before judging, and if you take any regular medication read our interactions guide and speak to your pharmacist first. The full method is in our dosage guide.
How we do it at HempWell
The CBD in both formats is the same: grown from EU-certified seed on our own hemp farm in Europe, extracted with supercritical CO2 and purified to 99%+ isolate (our broad spectrum oils use the whole THC-free extract instead). Oils are blended and bottled, and capsules filled, by hand at our laboratory in York Science Park. Each product is independently lab tested, with the reports published on our lab reports page, and the range was developed with guidance from our Scientific Advisor, Professor Mike Barnes. More than 2,000 verified customers have reviewed it. Both formats are on subscription at 20% off, and we deliver across Ireland with DPD, free over €50, same-day dispatch before 1pm.
Frequently asked questions
Are CBD capsules as effective as CBD oil?
They deliver the same ingredient and nobody has shown one route gives more CBD overall in humans. Oil is usually felt sooner; a capsule taken with a fatty meal is absorbed far better than one taken on an empty stomach. Consistency matters more than the format.
How long do CBD capsules take to work?
Typically one to two hours, because the capsule has to be digested. Oil held under the tongue is commonly felt in twenty to forty minutes. Both are rough, and both depend on what else is in your stomach.
Can I take CBD capsules on an empty stomach?
You can, but you will absorb much less. Studies of CBD capsules show several times more CBD in the blood after a fat-containing meal than when fasted. Take them with breakfast or dinner, and keep that routine the same so the effect is predictable.
Are HempWell CBD capsules vegan?
No. The shells are bovine gelatine. Our oils and gummies are vegan.
Which is cheaper per milligram, oil or capsules?
Broadly similar at the same strength, and a subscription takes 20% off either. The bigger saving is not wasting product: oil lets you take exactly what you need, capsules stop you over-pouring.
Can I open a capsule and take the oil inside?
There is no need and no advantage; the capsule contains an oil base and will absorb the same way once digested. If you want something you can hold under the tongue, buy the oil.