Original photo by Kimzy Nanney on Unsplash
What is CBD?
A seven minute read about the facts and possibilities of CBD?
What is CBD? Cannabidiol (CBD) — a non-psychoactive and highly medicinal cannabinoid found flowers, stems, and leaves of the hemp plant — is used to treat a wide range of health conditions.
Over the past several years, researchers have committed immense resources toward researching the potential benefits that CBD may hold for human health. Many clinical studies of CBD have produced extremely promising results. The research has already culminated in the creation of one prescription drug – Epidiolex – which has received FDA approval as a treatment for certain rare seizure disorders.
Although the research focused primarily on humans and other mammals, it turned out that we share these neurochemicals with most members of the animal kingdom, including mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and even sea urchins. It’s now clear that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) evolved almost 600 million years ago.
How can a single compound be so useful for so many different medical issues?
CBD uses a wide range of mechanisms that interacts directly with the human endocannabinoid system to treat ailments. By far, the most impressive benefit it offers is its anti-inflammatory effects.
The anti-inflammatory effects of CBD are extremely powerful — involving dozens of separate inflammatory processes simultaneously, which in effect assist in the body’s natural healing functions.
CBD differs from THC in that it has only a very small amount of THC (the psychoactive element, about 4% and only enough to receive the therapeutic benefits. Variants exist with the THC removed) and cannot, therefore, produce a feeling of “high”. It is instead taken to relieve conditions such as PTSD, epilepsy, anxiety, chronic pain.
Photo by Kimzy Nanney on Unsplash
What is CBD?
Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds that make up the cannabis plant. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids, concentrated to various degrees in specific areas of the plant. The most familiar of these compounds are cannabidiol (or CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (known as THC). These cannabinoids interact with receptors in cells to influence the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. They impact the body in a variety of ways.
Photo by Enecta Cannabis extracts on Unsplash
Chronic Pain and Inflammation
Out of all the health conditions that exist, chronic pain is among the most common and most debilitating. One in five adults in New Zealand deals with pain on a daily basis. Most prescription medications do a poor job of treating that pain. They also have undesirable side effects such as addiction. You want to live a quality life without having your cognition and body largely affected by other medicines such as opioids.
Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management published a review in 2008 of existing studies of cannabinoids and pain management. The studies examined seemed to indicate that THC is a better pain fighter if CBD is also present. The finding seems to confirm that CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory compound on its own.
Alzheimer’s and General Cognitive Decline
In 2006 a study was published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine. It suggests that oxidative stress is one of the leading causes of Alzheimer’s disease. The clinicians conducting the study looked at the potential effects of CBD on Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline. Their findings showed that CBD reduces the classic molecular hallmarks of the disease.
Epilepsy
Research into the effect of CBD on seizure disorders goes back to the 1970s. A study in 2012 published by Seizure affirmed that CBD reduces the austerity and frequency of some types of seizures. This study also showed that CBD can reduce seizure-related fatality. In 2018, the FDA approved the CBD-based prescription Epidiolex to treat Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The approval of Epidiolex represents a major breakthrough in the acceptance of CBD as real medicine.
Cancer
A study published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology looked at the potential role that cannabinoids could play in cancer treatment. The study noted that, in animal studies, CBD has demonstrated anti-tumor activity (largely due to its anti-inflammatory capabilities) when used to treat cancers of the prostate, colon, breasts, and more. The study concluded that CBD could potentially enhance the effectiveness of traditional anti-cancer medications.
CBD helps:
- Pain
- Appetite
- Sensation
- Inflammation
- Energy
- Metabolism
- Stress Response
- Muscle Control
- Thermoregulation
- Eye Ocular Pressure
- Mood
- Motivation & Reward
Arthritis
CBD is an extremely potent anti-inflammatory compound. In 2015 researchers examined the effect that CBD could have on patients with arthritis. The European Journal of Pain published the result. The study saw researchers induce arthritis in the knee joints of rats. They then applied CBD gel as a treatment. The researchers found that topical CBD treatment reduced joint swelling and arthritic pain.
Photo by Enecta Cannabis extracts on Unsplash
Insomnia and Sleep Regulation
Early indications show that the treatment of sleep disorders in which the isolation of CBD from cannabis (with THC) may have profound benefits. While there appears to be a link between THC and poor sleep quality due to THC is seemingly shown to inhibit REM sleep. CBD seems to promote the opposite effect. Current Psychiatry Reports published a review of multiple sleep-related cannabis studies in 2017. In summary to the review, CBD could assist to regulate REM sleep and combat tiredness throughout the day.
Multiple Sclerosis
2018 the Frontiers in Neurology published a review of studies citing the use of cannabis in people with multiple sclerosis. The publishing concluded that CBD can improve the character of life in people with the disorder by eliminating pain, fatigue, depression, spasticity, and inflammation.
Panic Disorder
Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from panic disorders on a regular basis. Most people understand and know that prescription medications for anxiety do exist, that many have shown to cause dependency and have other negative side effects. In 2017 a study from Current Neuropharmacology published a review of human and animal studies to see CBD’s capabilities as a treatment for anxiety and panic. The researchers concluded that CBD appears to have a clear anxiolytic effect.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
When we started this journey of inquisition into CBD, we discussed the discovery and role of the body’s endocannabinoid system. Scientists have discovered that the endocannabinoid system plays a role in the conditioned fear response resulting from a memory of a traumatic event. In 2017, Neuropharmacology published the results of a study on the post-trauma fear response in rats. In the study, researchers discovered that, if administered immediately after a traumatic event, CBD appears to disrupt the activities of the endocannabinoid system and prevent a long-term fear association from developing. CBD could therefore potentially play a role in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. (Further studies are underway for human application)
Hypertension
JCI Insight published the results of a double-blind study in 2017. Where nine healthy males were given either a placebo or 600 mg of CBD. The researchers who conducted the study found that CBD lowered both resting and post-exertion blood pressure.
Psychosis
In 2012, Current Pharmaceutical Design published a review of multiple studies evaluating the effect of CBD on psychotic disorders. The doctors conducting the review found that CBD has a pharmacological profile similar to that of antipsychotic drugs without the side effects that those drugs exhibit. It is, therefore, possible that CBD could play a role in the treatment of disorders such as schizophrenia
The fact that there is a system in our body that produces cannabinoids and is specifically designed to accept just them, should be overwhelming proof of cannabis’ efficacy as a medicine. From the pain-killing effects of THC to the anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, we have just scratched the surface of a world of possibilities. People are waking up to the benefits of these medicines as more researchers are exploring the infinite possibilities inherent in this seemingly simple plant. Future generations will look back and wonder why it took so long to figure this out.
Grayson
Stay tuned as we look to delve deep into the effects of CBD and how it can interact with your day to day lives.