Below are frequently asked questions about CBD.
If you keep up with what’s new in medicine, you’ve likely heard about the excitement surrounding cannabidiol, known also as CBD. This highly popular oil is produced from cannabis plants, but unlike other cannabis products such as THC, is non-psychoactive and doesn’t cause any of the same side effects. So far, scientists have only begun to scratch the surface of all that CBD might be able to do for our health, but what we do know is that CBD is proving promising for dozens of ailments ranging from seizures to tumors.
If you’re just beginning to learn about CBD oil, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up 30 fun facts about CBD oil in order to summarize just what it is, what we know about it, what it does, and what we think it might do.
Most people know that CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the ingredients in cannabis, but some mistake that fact to mean that CBD is always associated with cannabis as a recreational drug. In fact, cannabidiol is one of more than 85 ingredients of cannabis that have varying effects on the human mind and body
CBD, along with THC, is one of the two main ingredients in both hemp and cannabis plants. CBD is found throughout the seeds, stalk, and flowers of the plant, and is therefore easily extracted.
The body’s endocannabinoid system is a massive network of cell receptor proteins that deal with just about anything the body is or does, including mood, memory, motor control, immune function, reproduction, pain perception, appetite, sleep, and bone development, to name but a few. Because CBD oil works naturally with the ECS, the list of things CBD could potentially benefit is huge.
Though research on this topic is still underway, scientists know that cannabinoid receptors aren’t the only receptors with which CBD can engage. So far, scientists know that CBD will engage either directly or indirectly with vanilloid receptors, adenosine receptors, and serotonin receptors, which could mean even greater effects on things like pain management, sleep-wake cycles, and mood and stress management, respectively.
The health benefits and other effects of CBD are able to occur because CBD interacts with the CB1 receptor (found on neurons and glial cells in the brain) and the CB2 receptor (found in the immune system). Unlike THC, CBD does not actually bind to these receptors, which leads us to our next fact.
CBD, along with THC, is a main component of the cannabis variant marijuana, but it’s THC that gives marijuana users their high. CBD is non-psychoactive in nature, and therefore cannot make you high.
While THC has been known to cause anxiety, paranoia, and increased levels of stress along with a high, CBD actually brings about the opposite. For this reason, CBD is being used more and more to treat anxiety and depression.
CBD is non-toxic, so it is not possible to overdose while taking it.
Once extracted from the plant, CBD oil can be taken orally through drops, cooked into food or other edibles, or vaporized for smoking.
CBD, like THC, is a cannabinoid, and its amount varies from plant to plant. Cannabis plants meant for recreational use tend to have more THC than CBD. Alternatively, industrial hemp plants and cannabis plants intended for medical use are both very low in THC, but high in CBD.
Hemp, along with its seeds and oils, has been used for more than 10,000 years for various purposes. As one of the first plants to be domesticated, hemp was used to make clothing, rope, paper, and shoes, while its seeds and oils were used as food and medicines.
CBD oil has been available in the UK as a “nutritional supplement” for quite awhile, but recently it has been reclassified as a “medicine.” This means that the British government has begun to formally recognize CBD’s many health benefits, a significant fact considering recreational cannabis is still illegal. It also means that CBD will likely be put through the same rigorous tests and trials as other medicines.
In a 2013 study done on rats, scientists found that CBD can successfully block the addictive effects of highly addictive painkillers such as morphine. Specifically, CBD reduced the pleasure of morphine, making it seem like less of a reward.
Recent research published by “Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment” reported that states that have implemented medical marijuana programs have already seen a 25% drop in deaths by opioid overdose. Furthermore, pain patients using medical cannabis (which by nature is high in CBD) used 64% fewer opioid painkillers than those for whom a medical marijuana program was not available.
As you read this, several states are working hard to make CBD oil available to children and adults suffering from epilepsy, a neurological disorder that causes convulsions and/or loss of consciousness. This is due to CBD’s anticonvulsant properties, which are being tested for use against neurodegenerative disorders, inflammation, and even cancer.
In doses larger than a few hundred milligrams, CBD oil can be used as a sedative to help insomniacs and others who have trouble sleeping. In lower doses, CBD oil can cause alertness.
A 2011 study published in “Neuropsychopharmacology” found that a single dose of CBD was enough to reduce anxiety, cognitive impairment, and overall discomfort in patients with Social Anxiety Disorder as they prepared to speak publicly.
Dozens of recent studies have shown that CBD can work to treat various illnesses, including depression. Unlike traditional treatments involving counseling and medication, CBD acts almost immediately and doesn’t cause any side effects or symptoms of withdrawal.
Many skin and beauty products, including everything from shampoo to skin creams, are being enhanced with CBD.
