CBD Oil Review > Dietary Supplements and CBD Oil: All You Need to Know from Vitamin A to Zinc

Dietary Supplements and CBD Oil: All You Need to Know from Vitamin A to Zinc

Like CBD oil, dietary supplements have gained big-time popularity, and many Americans use them on a daily basis. So, could it hurt to combine the two?

Written by Cathy Rozyczko — Edited by Jason Brett on September 27, 2021

Health supplements are becoming increasingly commonplace as average Americans struggle to meet their recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. CBD oil is the newest supplement to join the ranks, but how might it interact with your existing regimen? Are there any combinations you should avoid?

Put your mind to rest with this breakdown of everything you need to know about CBD oil and dietary supplements.

Interactions between CBD and Dietary Supplements

Visit any wellness, grocery, or drug store and you’ll find shelves lined with an array of dietary supplements, from Vitamin A to Zinc. According to the research so far, CBD oil doesn’t produce unwanted effects when taken with a majority of these supplements, and may in fact bolster or complement your current supplement regimen.

While the likelihood of having a negative reaction from the combination of CBD oil and dietary supplements is slim, a factor which increases these odds is the parallel function of both substances.

For example, in the case of pharmaceutical interactions, one has to be careful taking CBD oil in conjunction with any medication which lowers blood pressure, as cannabidiol (CBD) is also known to be hypotensive. When CBD oil and blood pressure medication is used together, the patient's blood pressure may drop too low and side effects are more likely to occur.

With that said, if you begin to feel undesirable side effects after using CBD oil with your existing dietary supplements, you may wish to reduce your dosage, or remove CBD from your regimen.

Iron and CBD Oil

Not only can CBD oil and iron supplements be taken together safely, but CBD oil can actually guard against some of the negative effects that iron can have on the body. If you think you may consume more than the recommended daily amount (RDA) of iron, using CBD oil is a wise choice.

Excess levels of iron within the brain have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A study on an animal test group found that the cognitive decline brought on by iron build-up could be reversed through the use of CBD.

If you currently take an iron supplement, CBD oil could be a crucial precautionary and protective addition to your regimen.

Fish Oil/Omega 3 and CBD Oil

Fish oil supplements are traditionally used for their high volume of Omega-3 fatty acids. There are no known interactions between fish oil and CBD oil, but interestingly, the seeds of the hemp plant are naturally high in both Omega-3 and Omega-6, in an ideal ratio of 1:3, respectively.

If you are taking a fish oil supplement and wish to use CBD oil, you may find you can kill two birds with one stone. If you find a CBD product that uses hemp seed oil as its base, which many do, you could potentially phase out your fish oil supplement altogether.

St John’s Wort and CBD Oil

St John’s Wort is the only supplement on our list that has any potential to produce side effects when used with CBD oil.

The reason for this interaction is discussed later in the article (see “Effects of CBD on Dietary Supplements”), and relates to the cumulative sleep-inducing properties of both supplements when used together. If St John’s Wort makes you feel drowsy, combining it with CBD oil may increase this effect. However, if it does not have this effect on you, or if sleep is desired, then the combination is of no concern.

St John’s Wort can also affect your serotonin levels in a similar way to antidepressants. CBD oil also increases the serotonin available to the body, so you are at increased risk of experiencing side effects related to high serotonin levels like nausea and dizziness.

Chondroitin Sulphate/Glucosamine and CBD Oil

Joint health is a growing issue, with many people turning to supplements such as glucosamine or chondroitin sulphate in the hopes of avoiding or reversing the damage. CBD oil can be used alongside either of these supplements without any known interaction. However, you may find CBD oil works well enough on its own to reduce inflammation of the joints, providing the possibility to remove glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate from your dietary supplement regimen.

As an anti-inflammatory, CBD oil can reduce the cause of joint pain at the source. An animal study on the use of CBD for joint pain found that CBD “significantly reduced joint swelling” and that it had “therapeutic potential for relief of arthritis pain-related behaviors and inflammation without evident side-effects.” For more information about CBD oil and joint pain, check out our CBD guide for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Other Common Dietary Supplements and CBD Oil

Here are a few more popular supplements and their potential interactions with CBD oil.

Popular Supplement	Interaction with CBD Oil
Calcium	No interaction reported
Echinacea	No interaction reported
Ginseng	No interaction reported
Ginkgo Biloba	CBD may not be metabolized as effectively when taken with ginkgo biloba
Vitamin A	No interaction reported
Vitamin B6; B12	No interactions reported
Vitamin C	No interactions reported
Vitamin D	Vitamin D may not be metabolized as well when taken with CBD oil

The reactions between CBD oil, Ginkgo biloba, and Vitamin D likely have to do with their use of the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system, which is just a fancy name for the enzymes in your liver that help digest toxins and certain medications.

Certain components of Ginkgo biloba have been shown to inhibit this system; cannabidiol (CBD) also inhibits this system. While it’s hard to say what exactly could happen when taking these two supplements together, if you decide to proceed with the combination, do so with caution.

Vitamin D, on the other hand, is metabolized by the P-450 enzyme system. Because CBD oil inhibits this system, the rate and efficacy with which Vitamin D can be broken down and used is decreased. If you currently take a Vitamin D supplement, it may be best to stay away from CBD oil.

Side Effects of CBD and Dietary Supplements

Side effects between CBD oil and dietary supplements are rare. Though, some sources suggest the relaxing qualities of CBD oil, when combined with supplements that have a similar sleep-inducing effect, may produce a strong sedative result.

If you’re thinking about adding CBD oil to your dietary supplement routine to help with insomnia, this cumulative effect could be seen as a positive. However, if sleepiness is not desired, the combination should be avoided.

Some of the most popular dietary supplements that are known to induce sleep are:

Calamus
California poppy
Catnip
Hops
Jamaican dogwood
Kava
L-tryptophan
Melatonin
Sage
St. John's wort
Sassafras
Skullcap

If you’re currently taking any of the above supplements and are not in need/want of a sleep aid, you should probably avoid taking CBD oil.

How to Take CBD Oil with Dietary Supplements

There are thousands of CBD products available online and in-store, so how do you know where to start? In order to find the safest and most suitable CBD oils, there are a few steps you should follow.

1. Choose a delivery format

The process of combining CBD oil with your dietary supplements starts with choosing a delivery format. CBD oil comes in a variety of forms, including capsules, edibles, vapes, tinctures, drops, and topicals. Choosing a method that is convenient and effective makes getting your daily dose of CBD a breeze.

Here’s a chart breaking down the different delivery methods so you can decide what’s best for your needs and lifestyle.

Delivery Format	Pros	Cons	Time of Onset	Duration of Effects
Edibles and Capsules and Tinctures	Convenient; Discreet; Doesn't harm the lungs; Familiar; Dosage control	Slow to take effect	30-60 minutes	Edibles/Capsules:4-6 hours; Tinctures/Drops: 2-4 hours
Smokables (E.g. Vapes; flower)	Fast acting; Easy to use; Social; Familiar	Non-discreet; Smoking/Vaping are illegal in many public settings; Can feel harsh on the lungs	Instant	45 minutes-1 hour
Topicals (E.g. Lotions; balms; gels)	Can be applied directly to the affected area; Bypasses liver metabolism; Long-lasting; Can be worked into daily hygiene routine	Slow to take effect	Varies widely due to factors like hair growth and the amount of fatty tissue	Typically 5+ hours
Transdermal Patches	Longest lasting effects; Bypasses liver metabolism; Steady release of CBD into the bloodstream	May take hours to feel effects	Varies depending on the amount of fatty tissue and hair on the skin	1-2 days

2. Do your research

Your CBD oil is only as good as the plant it was extracted from and the subsequent manufacturing process. In order to get a high quality CBD product, ensure that you buy from companies which use sustainably sourced, organically grown hemp, and perform third-party lab testing. This reduces the risk of any unwanted pesticides, herbicides or chemical additives making their way into your CBD oil.

3. Adjust your dosage

While it can be tempting to start with a large dose, like many other dietary supplements, CBD oil can be wasted in high quantities. Some studies have shown that CBD oil has a level at which its benefits peak, after which they cease to increase with dosage. Instead of paying for stronger CBD oil than you need, start with a lower dosage and increase incrementally until you feel the benefits.

If you’re looking for a starting point, we at CBD Oil Review have tested hundreds of products and come up with the following:

The CBD Oil Review Serving Standard is 25 mg of CBD taken twice daily.

If you’re not feeling the effects you’d like, increase your dosage by 25 mg every 3-4 weeks until you find the benefits you desire.

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+ 6 sources

Sources:

Iron - National Institutes of Health https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
Vanessa Kappel da Silva et al. (2013) Cannabidiol Normalizes Caspase 3, Synaptophysin, and Mitochondrial Fission Protein DNM1L Expression Levels in Rats with Brain Iron Overload: Implications for Neuroprotection - Springer Nature https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12035-013-8514-7
St. John's Wort - National Institutes of Health https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/st-johns-wort
D C Hammell et al. (2015) Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis - National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26517407/
Lisa L von Moltke et al. Inhibition of human cytochromes P450 by components of Ginkgo biloba - National Library of Medicine https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15285849/
Cannabidiol (CBD) - MedlinePlus https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/1439.html