Did you know that Coca-Cola is considering adding CBD to its upcoming beverages? That's how popular CBD is getting these days.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a phytocannabinoid chemical found in the cannabis plant, accounting for up to 40% of the plant's extract.
As the second prominent cannabinoid — the first being THC — found in the cannabis plant, user interest and sales of CBD has sky-rocketed over the past few years.
Suffice it to say that CBD deserves all the adulation due to its medical benefits sans the side effects. In addition, the stigma attached to the herb is dissipating slowly, all thanks to CBD.
Most people use CBD for its medicinal purposes. And as this cannabinoid's popularity continues to rise, many more people are curious about its effects, legality, and a lot more.
However, despite its popularity, there are a lot of myths surrounding CBD.
In this article, we will explore some eye-opening facts you need to know about CBD.
Wait, what? Is CBD psychoactive?
CBD's central selling point is that it is non-psychoactive, compared to THC that produces the narcotic high. While THC interacts with the receptors present in the body, CBD indirectly influences the effects of other cannabinoids. For example, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system to help you relax and promote a feeling of calmness.
CBD is non-intoxicating since it can't get you high — THC is the cannabinoid responsible for the high. THC also makes you euphoric since it binds to the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 and CB2 are the primary cannabinoid receptors in the body; CB1 is located in the brain and central nervous system, and CB2 is in the immune system cells, gastrointestinal tract, and peripheral nervous system.
Note that first-time CBD users often experience mild euphoria, but it's nothing compared to the high produced by THC.
But CBD does the opposite — it promotes a sense of calm but doesn't cause impairment of any kind. Sure, CBD may not make you high like THC, but it does affect how you feel. It also influences your cognitive processes and regulates your mood.
Therefore it is safe to say that although CBD is non-intoxicating, it can be considered psychoactive. No, it doesn't produce as many adverse side effects as THC, but it influences you in its own way.
So, while CBD does not bind to the CB1 and CB2 nerve receptors in the endocannabinoid system, it still stimulates them. This is important as activating or stimulating these receptors can leave a pretty noticeable effect.
In addition, recent studies investigating the link between CBD and Alzheimers have shown that CBD increases the proteins to eliminate plaque and dead cells in mice. It can also reduce oxygen buildup and inflammation while protecting the brain cells from declining further.
Plus, CBD-simulation of CB1 receptors can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, depression, fear, paranoia, blood pressure, and intestinal inflammation.
Most pharmaceutical medicines treat various health conditions quickly but often have different side effects that can affect you. For example, one of the most popular medicines, paracetamol, can cause complications in the kidney, intestine, and heart if consumed regularly.
This is where CBD excels and stands apart from most pharmaceuticals. CBD is considered a non-toxic substance and is almost entirely free of any adverse side effects.
A 2013 review published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology revealed that CBD could soothe vomiting and nausea.
CBD can even act as an antioxidant to reduce free radicals in your body that cause neurodegenerative ailments and as an anti-inflammatory agent that reduces swelling.
Yes, CBD is therapeutic, but its positives for the human body are beyond that — it can be a terrific agent for women as it can treat various conditions such as:
Hormonal imbalance: CBD regulates hormonal imbalance in the body, regulating the cortisol secretion process. Plus, hemp-sourced CBD is a good source of gamma-linoleic acid that helps maintain the hormonal balance even further.
Menopause: CBD intake can effectively relieve various symptoms of menopause, such as insomnia, bone density loss, and mood swings.
Premenstrual syndrome: It can even manage specific PMS symptoms in women by stabilizing mood, soothing bloating and cramps, and regulating mental health.
Some users report that they feel floaty or giddy, especially after using CBD for the first time. It can happen even with topical CBD where you feel numbness or tingling sensations for a while.
Although it's uncommon, it can occur with first-time users based on how your body reacts to CBD. While it is not the same as the high you feel from THC, the floaty feeling can be attributed to the ECS being overwhelmed with a high dose of cannabinoids.
Some users also report that floaty feelings are stronger when they consume high doses of CBD. Generally, these feelings will dissipate if you consume CBD frequently.
Many users also report that they feel more balanced after consuming CBD. But what exactly does "balanced" mean?
When you feel well-balanced, it usually means that you have a stable and calm mind — a feeling similar to a relaxed state you feel after meditating.
Some people confuse this with a high, but they can't be further from the truth. Usually, a high can be described as an impairment of motor control where you cannot do pretty much anything. On the other hand, CBD makes you feel calm, well-balanced, and relaxed, which is the opposite of a high produced by high-THC products.
In addition, you may also feel high when you consume full-spectrum products. Although the THC could be well within the permissible limits — less than 0.3% — some users may experience a psychoactive high, depending on their body metabolism.
This is especially true if you consume edibles with high concentrations of cannabinoids. Edibles induce strong effects compared to vaping and smoking because of how your body metabolizes the cannabinoids. For instance, when you vape or smoke, the cannabinoids enter your bloodstream and subsequently travel to the brain and many other organs.
However, when you consume edibles, the cannabinoids enter the liver, where there are metabolized or broken down. This process also reduces the potency of the cannabinoids, but the effects are stronger and last longer than vaping or smoking cannabis. Therefore, full-spectrum products, even with small amounts of THC, can make you a little high.
A 2018 survey in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research states that over 60% of CBD users reported consuming CBD to treat medical conditions. One of the most popular of these medical conditions is anxiety and depression.
How does this work?
CBD interacts with the CB1 receptor along with the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor to regulate anxiety-induced behavior.
According to a 2015 review, CBD can treat various forms of anxiety, such as the following:
A study in 2020 stated that CBD could act as an effective complementary therapy for treating such forms of anxiety disorders.
In June 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CBD to treat seizures and epilepsy. The institution even reconsidered the safety profile of CBD, moving it from Schedule 1 to the Schedule 5 drug category as long as it has a THC content of under 0.1%.
Here's how CBD works to relieve the symptoms of seizures and epilepsy.
In seizure patients, erratic electrical activity in the brain can spread uncontrolled physical movements or consciousness alterations, leading to seizures.
When this happens, CBD stimulates and activates the CB1 receptors, having a range of biochemical effects on the nerve cells, easing the seizure symptoms. However, researchers still aren't sure exactly how CBD treats seizures.
If you've ever gone shopping for CBD oil, you must have come across various types of CBD oils including edibles. These oils don't just differ in their brand names and colors but also their properties.
In the current market, there are three popular formulas to obtain CBD oil, leading to three types of it:
Full-spectrum: This formulation of CBD oil contains all the plant components, including CBD, trace amounts of THC, terpenes, and other minor cannabinoids.
Broad-spectrum: This formulation contains a full spectrum of extracted terpenes and cannabinoids without trace amounts of THC.
Isolate: This formulation is pure CBD without any other cannabis compounds like THC, terpenes, etc.
CBD is safe for your furry little friend, too!
CBD can help treat arthritis and seizures in dogs, and regular intake of CBD oil can even strengthen a dog's immune system, improve their breath odor, and promote a shiny coat.
Of course, this stream of scientific research is still in its infancy, and more research is needed to determine how CBD can improve the lives of dogs, cats, and other animals.
CBD provides an array of benefits for you (and your pets), and we can use it to treat anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, seizures, and a lot more. And every passing year, new research is surfacing to highlight the various benefits of this magical substance.
It is only a matter of time before CBD is adopted worldwide as a go-to medicine. Even the future of CBD looks incredibly promising, with the global market for CBD forecasted to reach $23.6 billion by 2025.
Comments
supplements aren't medicine. When it is properly researched employing the scientific methodand then peer-reviewed and such, then you can confidently attribute medicinal uses to CBD. otherwise, the motivation to manipulte is far, far too great, bwahaha
we're talkin bout supplements, man! supplements! c'mon... practice, man, i mean supplements!
even if a few things are true, none of which will be at a level of a 'miracle', most of what is proclaimed out there will be proven to be bullshit.
it's a supplement... supplements have virtually no oversight in regard to actually living up to any claims made. they are 99% bullshit.
e.g. the vitamin c supplements that give you more than your body can possibly metabolize in 24 hours BWAHAHA... just pissing out money. not to mention no respectable research showing any benefit to taking vitamins in first place, bwahaha. think some weak correlations associated with fish oil? maybe another 1 of hundreds available? they don't study it because they know it's snake oil, ffs... no one wants to be the turd in the punch bowl to that profit machine.
@smoke24, that's not at all what i said even though some of those words were used (semantics say otherwise). you are arguing with a figment of your imagination on a good chunk of that.
Something used by veritable cavepeople as medicine doesn't validate anything... the same behaviour is seen today with rhino horns used as aphrodisiacs or your local vitamin/supplement aisle at the convenience store... or cbd oil, which is a supplement... not a proven medication at this point. Supplements and vitamins aren't supposed to make specific claims, but ofen infer a bunch of magic that people believe in like religion... more about their faith and belief than measurable results.
The term "medicine" should have some integrity -- some measurable and consistent cause and effect. Supplements do not meet this qualification. They are not required to, but if they actually performed proper studies the suppliers know the results will hurt sales with inconclusive results. Hence, said tests will never be done while continuing sell products with grotesquely huge profit margins.
it was brought up as a parallel / analogy to claims about cbd oil/products -- which, again, falls under that "supplement" umbrella. you shouldn't forego existing options with a track record and proof of an effect for what amounts to a maybe at this point in time. In fact if you have a serious issue, forego the holistic nonsense as it might interfere with things that actually are proven to work, unless your doctor specifically says it is okay.
if you want to use it as a security blanket for less serious issues, knock yourself out.. like using "anti-aging" cream, BWahaha.. go for it. you look younger already! it really works! 9 out of 10 people felt that way after spending 0 on 4fl. oz. of something likely derived from the adipose tissue lipo-sucked out of their fat asses months before, BWAHAH.
i've read all sorts of unproven claims about CBD.. this has played out before.. it is relevant to compare to current, recent and past events of a similar nature for greater perspective. History is repeating itself for the Nth time with no respite on the horizon.
Whatever is true, will be proven as such with enough effort and time. To assume something with no proof makes zero sense. that sums up the conflict here... you want to believe something that hasn't been proven. belief cannot make something a reality no matter how much you want it.
Some things are far too complicated to understand with basic human perceptions. Figuring out the real benefits, if any, of cbd oil is one of those contexts. The scientific method and statistical analysis are some of the tools we implement to learn truth... not by asking how uncle george's buddy's wife got relief after she smeared some camel piss on her psoriasis.
@NobodysBuds, I am well aware of what clinical trials are. That list was merely upcoming or currently underway clinical studies on CBD. I'm not quite sure why you feel the need to come on here and attack vitamins and any other compound that hasn't met your strict requirements of what qualifies as "medicine". Were you aware that marijuana has been used medically for at least 5000 years? But according to your logic, that's not medicine because there were no clinical trials done back then. As someone who grows, I would expect you to be a little more open and understanding when it comes to the medicinal properties of certain plants. Finally, vitamins can be considered medicine, if an individual suffers from a particular vitamin defeciency, then the cure or "medicine" would be that particular vitamin. Either way, this is a place for growing, so lets focus on that.
@smoke24, you do understand what "clinical trial? means?
here's an important stat to remember... 90% of all initial studies are later proven false or otherwise unrepeatable.
there are a lot of claims.. few, if any, have been properly tested as i already stated.
something like valarian root is an exception where holistic health nuts actually used somethign with an active ingredient that could be proven to have a mild sedative effect. More often then not urban myhs are simply bullshit.
it takes very little for a group of people to believe silly things... just look at all the cults out there... that includes major religions. I love it when one makes fun of the other, because in reality they are all just as hilarious as Scientology.