What is CBD?

What is CBD? And why it’s becoming so popular in the health and wellness market today?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, one of the many compounds found in the cannabis plant family.

CBD is becoming popular in the health market because of the possible amazing benefits that it offers in improving different medical conditions.

Cannabis Plant Family

Just for clarification, the word cannabis means both marijuana and hemp plants, because these two plants belong to the same cannabis plant family.

Only that marijuana plants are the cannabis plants that contain more than 0.3% of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), while hemp plants are the cannabis plants with 0.3% or less of THC.

THC is the major psychoactive molecule in marijuana, the component that makes people “high”.   While CBD is known as non-psychoactive, which means that it won’t get people “high”, as marijuana does.

The legal CBD products available in the market today are derived from hemp plants.

What are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are a class of molecules found in cannabis plants and other plant-based sources. There are over 100 different cannabinoids found in cannabis plant family.  Only a few have been studied extensively due to their potential medical benefits. These include CBD, THC, CBG (Cannabigerols), and CBC (Cannabichromenes).

Cannabinoids interact with receptors in the body to produce therapeutic effects. For example, CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation and pain symptoms, while THC has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve symptoms of depression and chronic pain conditions.

How Does CBD Work?

To have a better understanding of how CBD works in the body, we have to know about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) first.

ECS is the system that is in charge in maintaining homeostasis, the state of balance and stability in the human body’s internal environment. The body is exposed to conditions that cause pain and other disruptions, the ECS takes immediate actions to help the body deal with the disturbance. It is designed to achieve homeostasis right away.

ECS is made up of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and metabolic enzymes.

The two main cannabinoid receptors are CB1 (located in the brain and throughout the body) and CB2 (located mostly in the immune and gastrointestinal system).

Endocannabinoids (also known as cannabinoids) are molecules produced by the human body that are like the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant family. The two main endocannabinoids are anandamide or AEA and 2-arachidonoylglyerol or 2-AG.

While metabolic enzymes are responsible in breaking down the endocannabinoids. They have done their functions to make sure that homeostasis is maintained in the body. The two main enzymes responsible i breaking down endocannabinoids are fatty acid amide hydrolase (for AEA breakdown) and fatty acid monoacylglycerol acid lipase (for 2-AG breakdown).

According to experts, endocannabinoids bind to the cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), depending on the body’s situation. For example, endocannabinoids bind to CB1 receptors in the spinal nerve to send a message the body to relieve it from pain. While others might bind to CB2 receptors in the immune cells to inform the body that it is experiencing pain and inflammation.

CBD may even be able to reduce some intoxicating effects of THC including short-term memory impairment.  This is why cannabis strains that have a more balanced ratio of CBD to THC are affecting people very differently.

Though it is not yet sure how CBD interacts with ECS, but experts already know that it doesn’t bind to the receptors CB1 or CB2 in the same way as THC. Though THC is also use to help in managing medical conditions, but it comes with side effects like anxiety or paranoia, possibly due to its psychoactive properties.

What are The Benefits of CBD?

Some of the benefits of CBD oil are  it helps to reduce inflammation such as in the cases of arthritis, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety.

It also reported to help with chronic pain, insomnia, and nausea, as well as it helps protect the cells from foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and other toxins.

CBD also shows promising results for cancer treatment, in the fight against neurological conditions such as seizures and epilepsy, and from oxidative stress which reduces the risk of cancer.

And it can also be taken with the use of a vaping pen, though the safety of using CBD through vaping is not yet established since it might cause lung damage in the long run.

What are The Side Effects of CBD?
Though it is said that taking CBD is safe, it can still cause side effects, as clinical research has shown.

Some of the common side effects of using CBD are anxiety, appetite change, mood change, dizziness, diarrhea, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, and dry mouth. Though individual side effect differs from person to person, as well as the type of CBD being used.

In this connection, always make sure to consult your doctor before taking CBD and make sure to get your CBD from a reliable, trusted source.

Final Thoughts on CBD

Though more research to back the beneficial claims about CBD, it is still an alternative medicine that is worth trying for.  Especially if you have been experiencing chronic medical conditions without or very little improvement normal and traditional treatments.

Just make sure to talk to your physician first before taking CBD and make sure to source it out from trusted and reliable source.

Our CBD oils and other products are extracted from organically and locally grown hemp plants, completely free from pesticides. It is also important to look for high concentrations of Hemp Oil when buying rather than just buying more carrier oil.  Look for the mg per ml of Hemp Oil.  The number on the bottle is how much is in each bottle, regardless of the size of the bottle.  A large bottle could have the same amount of Hemp Oil as a small bottle but could cost more because of the size.