Last Updated 19th November 2020

Individuals take or apply cannabidiol (CBD) to treat an assortment of ailments, however, there does seem to be a stigma attached to it! Many people are unclear about what it is and how it influences the human body.

---

Cannabidiol (CBD) has many medical advantages, and the public may not know of them. Items containing the compound are currently lawful in the UK, in various countries around Europe/ Worldwide and in several states in the United States.

This article will clarify what CBD is, its conceivable benefits, how to use it, potential dangers, and issues encompassing its lawfulness in the UK and the United States.

In June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) affirmed the medical use of Epidiolex, a CBD oil, for treating two sorts of epilepsy. On the 1st of November 2018, the Medicinal use of cannabis became legal in the UK.

What is CBD oil?

CBD is one of a plethora of 114 or more compounds, known as cannabinoids that are present in the cannabis plant. The Therapeutic and Medical world have been researching the benefits of CBD 

CBD oils are basically oils that contain different percentages of CBD in them, depending on the manufacturer and the Chemovar (strains, or chemical varieties)

---

Is CBD Cannabis?

As of not so long ago, the best-known compound in cannabis was delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).  This is the most active ingredient/ compound in cannabis.

CBD oil may well have various beneficial health uses.

Cannabis contains both THC and CBD, and these both have different effects on the human body.

THC produces a mind-altering “high” when smoked or in cooking. This is on the grounds that THC changes property with heat and on ingesting it.

CBD is extraordinary.  In contrast to THC, it isn’t psychoactive. This implies CBD does not change a man or a women’s perception when used.

In any case, CBD appears to create huge changes in the body, and some say it has health advantages.

---

Where does CBD originate from?

The least known type of cannabis plant is Hemp. Hemp contains the majority of the CBD that individuals use as a food supplement. Hemp and Cannabis originate from a similar plant, Cannabis sativa, yet the two are altogether different.

Throughout the years, growers have specifically farmed their plants to contain elevated amounts of THC and other substances in them, frequently on the grounds that these created a sought after smell or had a particular other impacts on the Buds

Be that as it may, hemp growers have hardly modified the plant. These hemp plants are cultivated to make CBD oil.

---

How CBD functions?

All cannabinoids, including CBD, create impacts in the body by connecting to specific receptors.

The human body creates certain cannabinoids of its own. It additionally has two receptors for cannabinoids, called the CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors.

CB1 receptors are available all through the body, yet many are in the mind.

The CB1 receptors in the mind manage coordination, how we move, pain, feelings, and mood, our thoughts, hunger, memories and much more. THC joins itself to these receptors.

CB2 receptors are more typical in the immune system. They have influence on pain levels and inflammation.

CBD appears to trigger the bodies endocannabinoid system to make use of its very own cannabinoids. (see Introduction to the Endocannabinoid System by Etha Russo, MD)

---

Benefits of CBD

1- Inflammation and Chronic Pain

CBD helps our wellbeing in a handful of ways.  It is an anti-inflammatory and a pain reliever.  Individuals will in general use over-the-counter medications/ prescriptions to ease muscular aches, inflammation, and pain in general.  It is becoming clear that CBD offers a natural alternative.

The Journal of Experimental Medicine has a study in it that shows that CBD reduced chronic pain and inflammation in a mice and rodents.

These researchers proposed that the non-psychoactive elements in cannabis, for example, CBD could give sufferers of CFS an alternative treatment for their constant agony.

2- Stopping smoking and medication withdrawals

Some encouraging proof recommends that CBD may assist individuals with quitting smoking.

An article in US National Library of Medicine/ National Institutes of Health, discovered that smokers who used inhalers containing CBD smoked less cigarettes than regular and had no further yearnings for nicotine.

A comparable study published by Neurotherapeutics discovered that CBD might be a promising treatment for individuals with opiate type addictions.

The scientists noticed that CBD decreased some addictive behaviour. These included sleeping disorder, pain levels, anxiousness and mood.

There is a massive amount of new information out there pointing towards the fact that CBD may help in preventing and reducing withdrawal symptoms.

3- Epilepsy

To treat:

1. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a condition that shows up ion children between the ages of 3 and 5 and includes various types of seizures.
2. Dravet syndrome (DS), an uncommon hereditary condition that shows up in the first year of a new born and creates repeated fever-related seizures.

4- Other Neurological issues and illnesses

Specialists are examining the impacts of CBD on different neuropsychiatric symptoms:

Creators of a 2014 paper:  Cannabidiol: Pharmacology and potential therapeutic role in epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders remarked that CBD has anti-seizure properties and is safe, with few side effect, for the use of individuals with epilepsy.

Discoveries recommended that CBD may likewise treat numerous intricacies connected to epilepsy, for example, neurodegeneration, neuronal damage, and mental illnesses.

Another investigation in the publication Current Pharmaceutical Design, discovered that CBD may work like some antipsychotic drugs, and that the compound may give a healthy and powerful treatment to individuals with schizophrenia. Further research being the key!

5- Anti-Cancer Drug

Cannabidiol as potential anticancer drug, a few scientists have discovered that CBD may be effective on cancerous growths.  Specialists writing in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology discovered proof that CBD essentially reduced the spread of cancer.

They also noticed that CBD will in general slow the development of diseased cells and help reduce them.  They called attention to the fact that CBD should be used in conjunction with traditional medicine to fight cancer.

6- Chronic Anxiety

Specialists will advise people with chronic anxiety to keep away from cannabis, as THC can trigger or intensify their feelings.

However, the writers of Neurotherapeutics discovered that CBD might lessen uneasiness in individuals with certain related anxiety issues:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• General anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Social anxiety disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

They noticed that present medications for these conditions created additional symptoms and side effects, which in turn stopped the patient from using their medication.  CBD has no side effects and is ideal if you are of an anxious disposition.

7- Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes results from the immune system attacking cells in the pancreas.

Research carried out by Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation discovered that CBD might be beneficial to the pancreas. This might be the initial phase in finding a CBD-based treatment for Type 1 diabetes.
Experimental cannabidiol treatment reduced early pancreatic inflammation in type 1 diabetes.

A paper published in 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal, recommended that CBD brings down inflammation and may slow down or be a protector against Type 1 diabetes.

8- Problem Skin and Acne

Skin inflammation treatment is another promising use for CBD. The condition is caused, partially, by a defective sebaceous glands in the body.

A report distributed by the Journal of Clinical Investigation discovered that CBD brings down the quantity of sebum the body makes and that prompts these outbreaks.  This then helps reduce inflammation somewhat in light of its calming impact on the body. Sebum is a type of oil we produce, and overproduction can cause skin inflammation.  CBD could turn into a future treatment for Acne.

9- Alzheimer’s

Early research in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease discovered that CBD prevented social recognition deficit in users.

This implies CBD could help individuals during the early stages of Alzheimer’s with the capacity of recognizing their loved ones or aquaintances.  This is the initial proof that CBD may slow down Alzheimer’s.

Legal Standing

Cannabis is legal for either therapeutic or recreational use in some American states and the UK,  but not recreationally in the UK. Different states and the UK have approved CBD oil, as a hemp derived product and therefore as a food supplement but also for medicinal use.  The UK has not legalized Cannabis recreationally.

Some states and governments laws vary, and current cannabis and CBD law in the U.S. and the UK is baffling and unclear, even in states where cannabis is lawful.

There is a consistently changing number of states that don’t really view cannabis as legitimate yet have laws specifically identified with CBD oil.

Be that as it may, officials in the US and the UK are starting to by and large favor the utilization of CBD oil to treat epileptic conditions, and you should be certain to contact your doctor if you are thinking of using it.

Side Effects

CBD promotes wellbeing in adults and we are able to tolerate a wide range of doses.  Specialists have not discovered any adverse reactions on the central nervous system, vital signs, or moods, even among individuals using elevated doses.

The most widely recognized unwanted effect was tiredness. Additionally, a few people detailed loose bowel movements and changes in cravings for food or their weight.

Dangers

There is as yet an absence of accessible information.  Likewise, to date, specialists have not performed many investigations on minors.  Scientists have connected Cannabis use in pregnancy to damage in fetal neuron development. Ordinary use among adolescents is related to issues concerning memory, conduct, and brain development.

---

The most effective methods of delivery

•  CBD use is not the same as using/ smoking Cannabis.  We can use CBD oil in various different ways for a plethora of ailments!

•  Should your specialist recommends it to treat LGS or DS, it is imperative to adhere to their directions.

•  CBD products come in all shapes and sizes. Some can be blended into various foods or drinks or taken with a pipette or dropper.

•  Capsules are available for ingesting and massage creams for topical application to the skin, sublingually seems the preferred method for liquids.

•  Doses vary on body weight, condition being treated, the individual, mood, and the concentration of the product.

Consider taking CBD oil for

• Chronic pain
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Sleep disorders
• Glaucoma

---

CONCLUSION

Due to the information available and the regulations in place for most CBD products always ask your doctor, a health care professional or your therapist for advice when possible.

As laws change and the industry becomes more regulated; as more specific Chemovars are developed and the entourage effect becomes more understood; different dosages and prescription will become mainstream information.

The final point I would like to make is that once you are clear on the dose you need and any risks associated, it is primal to compare the different brands of CBD Oil available

Always try and buy organic and pesticide free, look for laboratory test results and know where the maker’s flowers come from and that it comes from a sustainable source.

---

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=cbd&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=

https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cannabis-pharmacology/how-cbd-works

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27767974

https://www.icci.science/en/article/news/press-cbd-cannabis-oil-produces-improving-risk-consumers-remain/

https://www.phytecs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IntroductionECS.pdf