CBD Effects and Benefits

According to The Hemp Business Journal, the CBD market will grow at a rate of 700% between 2016 and 2020, which would put it at a $2.1 billion dollar industry by 2020. A survey was just recently conducted which concluded that half of those who take Cannabidiol based product stop taking traditional medications. But what is Cannabidiol? Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in Hemp and Marijuana plants utilized for its different medical benefits. Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp is traditionally cultivated for seeds, oil, and fiber, while Marijuana is cultivated for its high content of THC, utilized for its psychoactive properties. Currently, there are 85+ Cannabinoids known to medical science, cannabidiol being the compound prevalent in most CBD products. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found throughout the cannabis plant which, when ingested or inhaled, can provide a range of beneficial treatments to an array of different symptoms and ailments. Individuals looking for alternative means of relief can find benefits for treating anxiety, sleep-related disorders, inflammation, pain, psychosis, seizures, spasms, and nausea.

Anxiety

Unfortunately anxiety, and anxiety-related disorders, like Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Social phobia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Mild to moderate depression are highly common in the United States. Over 18% of the adult population having some anxiety-related disorder. Traditional medications for anxiety range with the severity of the disorder from mild blood pressure medications and serotonin reuptake inhibitors to basic muscle tranquilizers like benzodiazepines or Valium. Though these treatments can be effective, they come with some serious side effects and can lead to addiction and dependency.

Many sufferers of anxiety and anxiety-related disorders have started to look for alternative ways to quell their nerves and restore some feeling of normalcy and retain a higher quality of life. Some suffers have found relief in supplementing with CBD. CBD is able to provide these desired benefits by interacting with our brains endocannabinoid system, which is our vital molecular system for helping maintain healthy homeostasis. This communication between Cannabidiol and our Endocannabinoid system helps our body remedy any deficiencies or fix potential issues in our body’s ability to maintain a healthy balance. While CBD doesn’t bind with our CB1 receptor, it does interact with other receptors to cause its desired effects. Studies have shown CBD to interact with G-protein and CB2 receptors located in the central and peripheral nervous systems. This is why CBD is seen to be so beneficial for those dealing with anxiety. By activating, receptors called adenosine receptors, which regulate cardiovascular functions, myocardial oxygen consumption, and coronary blood flow, which allow oxygen and blood flow to circulate more effectively and ease many of the symptoms associated with anxiety.

Insomnia

CBD has shown to have positive effects on those who suffer from insomnia and or other sleep-related disorders including restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, and especially sleep-related disorders related to anxiety. Studies have showcased CBD’s ability to help those go to sleep and feel better rested overall. These findings have been attributed to CBD’s many health-related benefits including its anxiolytic (anxiety-inhibiting) properties. Studies have concluded that CBD’s ability to curb anxiety, due to its anxiolytic effect, statistically helped those individuals who suffered from Insomnia and other sleep-related disorders. According to the research, CBD seems to reduce effect Rapid Eye Movement sleep. Those individuals who took CBD before sleep had a noticeable reduction in their recollection of dream sleep, a key indication that CBD effects REM sleep. In case you aren’t aware, REM sleep is the stage of sleep in which we experience increased neurological activity, dreaming, bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing rates. REM sleep, for those suffering from sleep-related disorders like Night Terrors, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain, is a stage of sleep patients will want to reduce if not avoid in order to lessen the effects of their condition. The research suggests those who were injected with 40 milligrams of CBD felt a significant decrease in REM sleep over the control group. The research also found that the group, which was administered the 40 milligrams of CBD, had a statistically significant increase in the total amount of sleep they had per night.

Inflammation and Pain

CBD, unlike THC, interacts with the bodies CB2 receptors which are important mediators for the suppression of pain and inflammation. By consuming CBD, you are absorbing keys which interact with different locks on cells in the body. These cell receptors make up our endocannabinoid system, which helps modulate and interacts with other pain control systems and anti-inflammatories. In 2008, a review study was conducted which assessed how CBD works to relieve chronic pain. The study reviewed many studies which were conducted from 1980 to 2007. As the researchers uncovered the data they concluded that CBD was statistically effective in decreasing pain levels in patients suffering from chronic pain disorders. What is really interesting is that those participants, who felt the effects of CBD on their pain levels, reported no adverse side effects. The research also commented on the fact that the participants also had the added benefit of being able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer than the control group, which helped in their pain management and unfortunate insomnia due to their chronic pain disorders.

Alzheimer’s

In reference to the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, there has been a growing trend towards therapeutic and homeopathic treatments to combat the disease. Especially alternative medications which target the endocannabinoid system (ECS). For the main reason, being ECS medications have the ability to modulate neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. CBD has also been seen to activate PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors), which degrades amyloid-beta plaque a key molecule linked to the development of the disease. Recent studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system could be a potential target for treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Cannabidiol appears to assist in the removal of amyloid clumps from nerve cells grown in the lab. Amyloid Clumps being one of the main attributing factors for the disease. A study on mice showed improvement in learning and had statistically fewer amyloid clumps in their bodies. The reason for CBD’s ability to work well in dementia and other memory-related diseases is due to its ability to communicate with the body’s endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is involved in memory, appetite regulation and response to stress. The brain naturally produces endocannabinoids, which affect these receptors.

Seizures

A recent study published by the American Epilepsy Society (AES), found CBD to be effective in combating epilepsy. CBD was a scene to have acute efficacy in treating seizures in children. The study, Efficacy, and Safety of Epidiolex (Cannabidiol) in Children and Young Adults With Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy, found CBD was able to treat not only the severity of the seizures but also the frequency at which they occur. Scientific studies have documented the anticonvulsant effects of CBD. CBD oil extracts have been seen to have a dramatic beneficially improvement in children with debilitating seizure disorders. Children who have severe epileptic seizures can experience near complete cessation of their seizures. Most children who have taken CBD to quell the effects of their seizures have seen beneficially effect. From trial and error, it seems THCA, the unheated non-psychoactive form of THC, seems to be most beneficially with assisting those affected by daily seizures.

Conclusion

What we can understand from this early work is that CBD is a nontoxic compound which acts very naturally and works with your body through the endocannabinoid system. According to The National Cancer Institute, “Because cannabinoid receptors, unlike opioid receptors, are not located in the brain stem areas controlling respiration, lethal overdoses from Cannabis and cannabinoids do not occur.” So it’s important not to be scared or confused about concentrations of CBD in your product, as long as you adhere to advised consumption rates you’ll be fine. Studies have shown that ingesting 700mg a day for 6 weeks did not show any toxic effects in humans. As we have discussed earlier, the standard forms of treating many of the symptoms CBD has been seen to help with, are considered very toxic to the human body. What CBD allows is for the treatment of these disorders with little to no adverse effects. More human studies are needed for CBD to receive the full backing of the medical community. But, as CBD becomes more and more popular, the necessary large group human studies will be administered and peer-reviewed.

Medical Disclaimer

Information listed, referenced or linked to on this website is for general educational purposes only and does not provide professional medical or legal advice.

Japa Organics does not condone, advocate or promote licit or illicit drug use. Japa Organics cannot be held responsible for material from references on our pages or on pages to which we provide links, which condone, advocate or promote licit or illicit drug use or illegal activities. Please consult your Doctor/Health care Practitioner before using any products/methods listed, referenced or linked to on this website.

Reference:

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n257/a05.html?1126

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26271310

https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/08/02/people-who-use-cannabis-cbd-products-stop-taking-traditional-medicines/#6cd04af82817

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24923339

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24851090

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25467221