Cannabidiol is a popular and natural remedy for a wide range of common ailments. It is among the many chemical compounds that are found in cannabis and marijuana plants. The other common chemical compound in these plants is tetrahydrocannabinol which is known for its psychoactive effects.
What’s good about cannabidiol is that it never causes the ‘high’ experienced by THC users. That quality makes CBD a good option for people looking for relief from pain and other symptoms. There will be no mind-altering effects, as is the case for marijuana and other pharmaceutical drugs.
CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the parent cannabis plant. After that, it is diluted with some carrier oil such as hemp seed oil or coconut oil. There are several benefits of CBD oil, so the compound is hitting the headlines in the health and wellness world. In this post, we will share the medical benefits of CBD, particularly those backed by evidence scientifically.
What Is CBD?
CBD is the short form for cannabidiol, and it is among the many chemical compounds (cannabinoids) found in cannabis. It happens to be the second most active cannabinoid after THC. As you might be aware, THC is a cannabinoid with psychoactive effects that lead to a high among users.
There are 2 main types of cannabis plants, namely cannabis Sativa and cannabis Indica. You can extract both CBD and marijuana from these two types of cannabis plants. All the same, hemp is only sourced from cannabis Sativa. Federally, the hemp must not contain more than 0.3% THC for it to be considered hemp. If this is not the case, growers risk persecution according to federal law.
CBD extracted from hemp has less than 0.3% THC, and for that reason, it is federally legal and still illegal under some of the state laws. On the other hand, CBD products sourced from cannabis are illegal federal and legal under some state laws.
As opposed to THC, CBD has no psychoactive effects and has been touted to remedy several medical conditions. These include Epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, pain, migraines, autoimmune diseases, and many more. Proceed below to learn more about the benefits of CBD, according to research.
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What Are The Claims?
CBD has continually been advertised to provide relief from anxiety, post-traumatic disorders, and depression. Apart from that, proponents claim that it helps to promote sleep. It is trendy because it is non-psychoactive; users reap the benefits without getting ‘high.’ With the hemp seedlings sprouting up all over the U.S., the same is the marketing case. There are different CBD products, including oils, sprays, lollipops, and suppositories. This makes it clear that no single place seems scared of CBD.
Does CBD Work?
The fact that CBD is relatively safe makes it applicable in different medical avenues. Good things are on the way as the FDA just approved Epidiolex, a CBD product. It is a pure CBD extract that is ideal for treating rare forms of seizure disorders. According to placebo-controlled clinical trials, this drug and other medications showed that it helped reduce seizures.
Such kinds of studies are generally gold standard in the field of medicine, with participants being divided by chance. It becomes hard to distinguish between placebo and medication. Even though there is proof that CBD works (from Epidiolex), more research will be needed to look into the matter.
Benefits Of CBD
CBD has been stigmatized for a long time until recently. Researchers have continued seeking answers as far as the full potential of CBD is concerned. When talking about CBD’s benefits, we are working with what has been backed by science so far.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved a CBD-infused drug, Epidiolex, recommended for treating seizures and other medications. This, therefore, shows that there is some light as far as the future benefits of CBD are concerned. Having said so, what are the benefits of CBD oil that everyone is talking about? Below is a list of some of these benefits.
Can Relieve Pain
According to animal studies, CBD has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect. It works on the endocannabinoid system as well as the pain-sensing systems to relieve pain. Studies have it that CBD could reduce chronic pain by basically impacting the activity of endocannabinoid receptors. CBD could also help to reduce inflammation and also interact with neurotransmitters to reduce pain.
The bad news is that just a few human trials are looking into CBD as a single agent in pain relief. Most trials use a combination of CBD along THC in pain relief. Health Canada recently approved some combination medication comprising of both CBD and THC in the ratio of 1:1. It seeks to address the relief of central nerve pain among cancer patients and people who have multiple sclerosis (M.S.). What we can conclude is that CBD could help to reduce pain in combination with THC.
Could Reduce Anxiety and Depression
Depression and anxiety are some of the most common health disorders that have devastating effects on human health. These conditions are usually treated with some pharmaceutical drugs that can have side effects ranging from drowsiness, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction. In addition to that, medications such as benzodiazepines could be addictive.
The good thing about CBD oil is that it has shown some promise to treat anxiety and depression. It is for his reason why more people have become attracted to the natural approach. According to research, a CBD dosage of 300mg was shown to be effective in reducing anxiety.
CBD oil has been used to treat anxiety and insomnia among children with PTSD safely. In several animal studies, CBD has been shown to have antidepressant effects. We can conclude that CBD could treat anxiety and depression, but more studies will still be needed.
Can Alleviate Cancer-Related Symptoms
CBD could help to reduce the symptoms that are related to cancer as well as the side effects that come with cancer treatment; these include nausea, pain, and vomiting. A particular study investigated the effects of both THC and CBD among 177 people who had cancer-related pain. This was after they found no relief from pain medications. People who received treatment containing these 2 compounds generally experienced a notable pain reduction compared to those who used a THC extract alone.
It is also worth noting that CBD could help in reducing nausea and vomiting that is brought about by chemotherapy. Even though there are drugs that could help with such distressing symptoms, they might be ineffective and lead people to seek better alternatives. According to some test tubes and animal studies, CBD has a promise of possessing anti-cancer properties. Our closing remarks are that even though CBD has been shown to reduce symptoms related to cancer, more research is essential to determine its safety and efficacy.
Approved To Treat Epilepsy
In June of 2018 Epidiolex was approved by the FDA as a treatment for seizures for people aged 2 years and above. These people suffer from Dravet Syndrome and LGS, which are rare forms of Epilepsy. Additionally, CBD has been investigated to be used in other forms of Epilepsy that are resistant to treatment. This is normally done along with conventional epilepsy medications. Even though results vary, several trials show that CBD could reduce seizure frequency in most people.
The caution that you need to take understands that CBD could interact with other forms of medications used for Epilepsy. This leads to some severe side effects like decreased liver function for people using valproate. What this means is that a doctor’s advice remains crucial before using CBD products. All the same, CBD is beneficial in treating some forms of Epilepsy, as the FDA has already approved it.
Addiction Management And Treatment
CBD oil could benefit people dealing with drug addiction, according to a review of studies in 2015. In one such type of study, CBD was administered to individuals with heroin use disorder by researchers. In a span of one week, CBD notably reduced the cue-induced cravings among heroin users. Other observations included a reduction in withdrawal anxiety, salivary cortisol levels, and the resting heart rate. The good thing is that there was no severe side effect that was observed.
It is essential to note that CBD’s effect on every addiction type varies from one individual to another. For opioid addiction, CBD shows minimal effect in reducing withdrawal symptoms when THC was absent. On the other hand, CBD alone appeared effective in reducing the drug-seeking behavior among cocaine users and other psychostimulant drugs. There are further suggestions that CBD could aid in treating nicotine and cannabis addiction. All the same, further research is still needed.
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Acne is among the common skin conditions experienced by human beings; CBD has many anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and oil-reducing properties that improve acne. According to studies, CBD was seen to be beneficial to human sebocytes. These are the cells responsible for the creation of sebum, an oily substance produced by the skin. Even though sebum is essential for skin protection, too much of it can prevent the creation of sebocytes.
Given that CBD has potential antifungal and antibacterial properties, it could help in preventing acne. Besides acne, CBD could also help treat other skin symptoms such as itching and dryness. To be precise, CBD oil helps to soothe the skin and reduce irritation. In this regard, it could be of great help for people with sensitive skin. Even though these studies seem promising, more research is needed to show how C.B. could help the human skin.
Neuroprotection
According to research, it is believed that CBD can act on the ECS and other brain signaling systems. This could offer benefits for people with neurological disorders. To be more precise, among the most-studied CBD uses in treating neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Epilepsy. Even though research in the area is still new, different studies show some promising results.
An example is Sativex, some oral spray comprising THC and CBD, which has been approved to reduce muscle spasticity among people with M.S. It is, however, essential to note that people experience adverse reactions related to CBD treatment, including fatigue, fever, and convulsions.
All the same, CBD has similarly been researched for its ability to treat different neurological disorders. For instance, CBD is observed to improve life and sleep quality among Parkinson’s disease patients. The take-home point is that further research is still needed to substantiate some of these claims.
Ease Diabetic Complications
For beginners, tests on the human cells showed that CBD could reduce the effects of high glucose levels in other body cells. This preceded the progression of diabetes along with other complications. The research concludes that CBD could benefit diabetic patients and those suffering from diabetic complications with more studies.
According to research, CBD has been found to decrease resisting levels among type 2 diabetes patients. Researchers similarly found out that CBD decreased resisting levels and raised the levels of insulinotropic peptides, which ensures that enough insulin is released from digested food. According to these results, we can assume that CBD could be a natural diabetes treatment. This is because it regulates hormone levels that are insulin-related.
How Does CBD Work?
So many years of research have it that CBD is a potent aid supporting the overall health of humans is concerned. This is normally achieved once CBD has enhanced Endocannabinoid System (ECS). It is within the ECS where you will find the CB1 and CB2 receptors. These neurons are a kind of lock where cannabinoids serve as the key. You will get CB1 receptors in a high number in your brain, particularly the Amygdala, Hypothalamus, and
Hippocampus. On the other hand, CB2 receptors occur naturally in the immune cells, spleen, thymus, and tonsils. What the endocannabinoid does is playing a vital role in homeostasis.
The ECS controls so many biological functions, sleep, immune response, mood, and a whole lot more. In case something wrong happens with your health, the ECS releases its endocannabinoids to restore a balance and bring you back to normal.
Does CBD Get You High?
CBD can be extracted from cannabis plants, but the good thing is that it will not have a similar ability to cause a high as marijuana or THC does. Therefore, it would help if you were sure that, unlike THC, CBD would not make you feel high or somehow mind-altered. Naturally, CBD is non-psychoactive as opposed to its counterpart.
Instead, CBD will help you to feel much relaxed and less anxious. Therefore, it would help if you were stress-free when using CBD-infused oil, edibles, and all other CBD-infused products. To be precise, in case you use CBD with cannabis products rich in THC, CBD could lessen the amount of high that you experience.
Is CBD Legal?
As we had stated earlier, both hemp and marijuana do produce CBD. The good thing is that hemp is federally legal as opposed to marijuana. A general kick-off point in CBD legality federally is the source of CBD. CBD will be legal when it comes to hemp, but when it is sourced from marijuana, it remains illegal.
It is, however, good to note that some states will still categorize hemp-based CBD as illegal. Still, on that, some states consider all cannabis products entirely illegal. The legality of CBD is dependent on whether it is pure CBD or whether it has THC in it.
According to federal laws, hemp-derived CBD that has less than 0.3% of THC will be legal. It is believed that such a low amount of THC is not enough to make one high. These laws are, however, subject to change according to different state laws. The best you can do to avoid getting yourself on the wrong side of the law is to check individual state laws before using any CBD product.
Conclusion
For a considerable amount of time now, CBD has been studied for its role in easing symptoms of so many health-related issues. These include depression, anxiety, heart diseases as well as acne. For people who are suffering from cancer, it could be a better and a natural alternative for pain and symptom relief.
Research around the potential benefits of CBD oil is still an ongoing process. This, therefore, means that new therapeutic uses of the natural remedy are yet to be discovered. Despite the existing knowledge gap about the safety and efficacy of CBD, results from the recent studies have shown that CBD could provide safe and powerful treatment naturally from so many health issues.
If you are willing to try out CBD, you can purchase many products, including lotions, gummies, and oils. It is, however, an excellent habit to consult your healthcare provider before trying out CBD. This is especially the case if you are under prescription medication. They will advise you on the dos and don’ts of the same.
