The Benefits and Effects of CBD

September 6, 2019

The Benefits and Effects of CBD

Are you researching CBD as a potential natural treatment for your ailments or conditions? CBD is a naturally occurring chemical compound, specifically a cannabinoid known as cannabidiol.

Cannabidiol proponents believe this safe, affordable and non-habit-inducing chemical provides relief for a whole slew of health and psychological problems ranging from memory, anxiety and pain management to seizures, stress and insomnia. CBD detractors admit that research does suggest those benefits may exist, but they haven’t all been conclusively proven in enough reliable clinical trials to ascertain the extent of CBD’s effectiveness for a certainty.

Frequent CBD users, on the other hand, can provide a mountain of anecdotal evidence about their personal experiences and how this chemical compound significantly improved their lives – all without having to resort to potentially addictive pharmaceuticals that subject their users to a litany of severe side effects, not to mention the higher monetary cost.

What Specifically Are the Benefits and Effects of CBD?

Some of the most common benefits of taking CBD include:

Reduced anxiety and improved stress management
Reduced pain and inflammation
Better sleep
No addiction and no tolerance buildup
Improved focus and stimulation without anxiety, panic, jumpiness or psychoactive/intoxicating effects

It’s important to note that CBD is very different from THC, the chemical in marijuana that has psychoactive effects on users. CBD does not get people high. Even full spectrum CBD products have only trace amounts of THC, usually not in high enough concentrations for the users to even feel an effect. People can also purchase isolated CBD, which has 0 percent THC content.

Another factor that separates the effects of CBD from marijuana is tolerance. Regular marijuana smokers build up a tolerance to THC, which means they need to smoke or ingest increasing quantities on subsequent uses to get the same high. This is also true of other drugs, such as prescription opiates.

People who take CBD on a regular basis do not build up a tolerance to the chemical. An opposite effect tends to occur where the benefits of CBD become more pronounced as it is absorbed on subsequent uses. Many CBD advocates attest to the fact that the cannabinoid has greatest positive impact when it has built up in the system after days, weeks or even months of continued use.

Full Spectrum / Whole Plant CBD - The Entourage Effect

One of the terms unique to the CBD community is the entourage effect, which essentially refers to the synergistic effects of ingesting the combined cannabinoids and terpenes present in full spectrum or whole plant CBD. Similar synergistic relationships can be found in other parts of your life as well.

Research has shown that certain nutrients can be better absorbed from vegetables when they are consumed with good fats, like avocado. Many CBD users believe there is a similar relationship between the cannabinoids and terpenes in whole plant CBD products.

The debate regarding the entourage effect and its impact is ongoing.

A research paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science in January 2019 argues that the case for the entourage effect is strong.

Another study published in bioRxiv did not detect a difference in CB1 or CB2 (cannabinoid receptor) responses to cannabinoids when terpenoids were present. Those researches did note, however, that just because there wasn’t a measurable difference in CB1 or CB2 receptor response that it ruled out the combination’s beneficial effects elsewhere.

What About Side Effects?

Up until recently, most studies focusing on the side effects of CBD use were narrowly targeted at CBD-derived medications for specific ailments. For example, there was an extensive clinical study published in 2011 that focused on CBD side effects for patients using it to treat epilepsy and psychotic disorders. Those studies also focused on CBD’s interactions with other medications the patients were taking.

A more recent review, performed in 2017, came to the same conclusion as the 2011 study - CBD has a favorable safety profile for humans, but did concede that additional clinical trials with wider scopes, more participants and longer periods were necessary.

Further research into side effects is a good thing for several reasons. The results will likely continue to point to CBD as a safe alternative to modern pharmaceuticals, many of which have a nightmarish list of side effects that sound worse than the symptoms of the disease they’re meant to treat. Given the comparative safety of CBD, drug developers should start flocking to unlock all its hidden potential. It’s also important for the CBD community to understand the chemical they’re ingesting and know that CBD is safe.

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The Benefits and Effects of CBD