Taking CBD Oil: What the Label and Regulators Say

This is the question we are asked most often, and the only honest answer starts with a qualification: there is no established daily amount for CBD in the European Union. Not because nobody thought to set one, but because cannabinoid products are still going through the novel food procedure under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and the safety assessment has not concluded.

So if a shop tells you how much you "should" take, it is not quoting a rule — it is making one up. We cannot tell you either: the amount is stated on the label by the producer, and anything beyond that is a question for a doctor.

What EFSA says

In June 2022 the European Food Safety Authority stated that it could not establish the safety of cannabidiol as a novel food until data gaps are filled — in particular on effects on the liver, the gastrointestinal tract, and the endocrine and nervous systems. Assessment of the submitted applications is on hold until that data arrives.

The wording matters: EFSA did not find CBD to be unsafe. It found that the available data is not enough to rule. That is a state of uncertainty rather than a verdict — and precisely why caution is reasonable.

The one concrete official figure

In October 2023 the UK Food Standards Agency updated its consumer advice: healthy adults should not exceed 10 mg of CBD a day from food — roughly four to five drops of a 5% oil. The previous figure was 70 mg and rested on studies where CBD was investigated as a medicine, in an entirely different context.

The United Kingdom is outside the EU and this advice carries no legal force in Bulgaria. We quote it because it is currently the only concrete number a regulator has published after reviewing the food data — and because it is more useful than silence.

Working out milligrams per drop

The percentage on the label does not tell you how much you are taking. What matters is the content of the serving. The arithmetic: milligrams of CBD in the bottle divided by the number of drops in the bottle. A standard dropper gives about 20 drops per millilitre, so 10 ml ≈ 200 drops.

The table also explains why a 30 ml bottle holding 3000 mg is not "stronger" than a 10 ml bottle holding 1000 mg — the concentration is the same, the volume differs. The stronger one is the one with the higher percentage.

Who should not take it

• Children and adolescents under 18.
• Anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.
• Anyone taking medication, without consulting a doctor or pharmacist.
• Anyone with liver disease or undergoing liver function testing.

Frequently asked questions