Glossary
Tincture
Updated:
A hemp tincture is cannabinoid extract dissolved in a carrier oil, usually MCT or hemp seed oil, and packaged in a dropper bottle. Traditional tinctures used alcohol; most CBD tinctures today are oils. A 30 mL bottle labeled 1,000 mg holds about 33 mg CBD per 1 mL dropper. Dosed under the tongue or swallowed.
Tincture is a holdover word. In pharmacy it meant an alcohol extract, and some hemp tinctures still use ethanol. Most are oils: CBD isolate, broad-spectrum or full-spectrum extract dissolved in medium-chain triglyceride oil, hemp seed oil or olive oil, with optional flavoring.
The label states total milligrams per bottle. Dividing by the bottle volume gives concentration. A 30 mL bottle with 1,000 mg CBD contains about 33 mg per mL, and a full 1 mL dropper delivers that amount. Graduated droppers make partial doses practical.
Tinctures are taken under the tongue, where some CBD crosses the oral mucosa, or swallowed outright. Either way the oil carrier helps. Lipids increase systemic exposure to orally dosed cannabinoids (Zgair 2016), and a systematic review found exposure roughly 5 times higher when CBD was taken with food rather than fasted (Millar 2018).
For full-spectrum tinctures the bottle is the innermost container under the amended federal hemp definition, so the whole bottle's total THC must stay at or below 0.4 mg from December 11, 2026 (7 U.S.C. 1639o). Isolate and broad-spectrum tinctures with ND THC clear that test.
Sources
- A Systematic Review on the Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol in Humans (Front Pharmacol, 2018) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- Dietary fats and pharmaceutical lipid excipients increase systemic exposure to orally administered cannabis and cannabis-based medicines (Am J Transl Res, 2016) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- 7 U.S.C. 1639o, Definitions (hemp) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)