With the constant increase of more and more U.S. states legalizing marijuana, a product known as CBD oil has surged in popularity among consumers, and largely due to word of mouth because of the great relief they have experienced. With this increase, many people are realizing that CBD is not associated with marijuana, but stands alone as an effective alternate and safe treatment for many ailments.
At our store, we have many customers who ask us what is CBD used for? CBD, or Cannabidiol, is one of many naturally occurring Cannabinoids in the Cannabis sativa plant, of which there are two very different, but very similar plants, hemp and marijuana.
Introduction:
Quote
Both Cannabis plants contain over 90 chemicals, known as cannabinoids, which have been identified in the Cannabis sativa plant, and are slowly being studied for their effects.
Both Cannabis plants contain over 90 chemicals, known as cannabinoids, which have been identified in the Cannabis sativa plant, and are slowly being studied for their effects.
Marijuana was the most well known of the two, and contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is what gives users the high associated with this chemical. Marijuana contains small amounts of CBD.
Hemp, although it looks and smells just like Marijuana, has a lot of CBD, and very small amounts of THC, legally less than 0.3% THC so it can be used for treatment without giving the high that Marijuana gives. Hemp has also been used historically for its fiber, which makes a very strong and high quality cloth, used in clothing, rope, sails and many other products. It is seeing more and more uses in industry and chemistry as well.
In addition to CBD, several other Cannabinoids have been making news: CBG and CBN have their own properties and effects that they can help with many ailments in the body.
CBD itself makes up the largest percentage of Cannabinoids, although plants are being bred to increase other compounds as well.
The Discovery of CBD’s properties:
Although the Cannabis plant has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, CBD was first discovered in the 1940’s, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that CBD was shown to have no connection to the high that THC gives.
In the 1980’s, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam tested CBD on epilepsy users, and found more than 50% of the patients stopped having them. But due to the stigmas towards cannabis because of the prohibition, his work was basically ignored. But in the 1990’s, the ground breaking discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) started to change the way we viewed Cannabis, which led to the beginnings of it becoming legal in California.
Legalization had opened the door to start allowing researchers to to begin studying the effects on many ailments.
However, it was when people began sharing their stories with many others that it was shown how CBD can relieve so many more issues people have.
CBD Breakthroughs:
Quote
A young girl changes CBD forever.
But it wasn’t until 2010 when a young girl, Charlotte Figi, born with Dravet Syndrome, a severe and rare form of epilepsy, changed and drove the CBD movement to the public limelight. Charlotte was experiencing almost 300 seizures per week, but after trying a small dose of CBD, the seizures dropped dramatically until they were only occurred 2-3 times a month! The Company Charlotte’s Web was started from their work with Charlotte though CBD.
Although there has not yet been any randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies done (considered the gold standard), people who try CBD for many common disorders have found tremendous relief from it, and with out any of the toxicity or dangerous and deadly side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
Research is continuing in these areas, and is showing much promise!
CBD: Most Common Uses (Limited by FDA)
As CBD has grown to be so widespread, more and more people are giving it a try due to the side effects that drugs can produce, and are looking for a safer and effective way to reduce the symptoms they are suffering from. CBD has been show to be able to treat a wide variety of symptoms, since the endocannabinoid system controls many aspects of both our mental and physical states.
Despite its growing popularity, CBD oil remains sorely under-researched, but since it no longer is illegal, more and more studies are opening up the real benefits of CBD, and many preliminary studies show it may have great promise. Unfortunately, due to FDA regulation, we are no longer allowed to talk or discuss any possible medical claims or effects from CBD,
With more and more research showing such potential benefits and relief, it is only a matter of time before CBD will become a welcome choice over pharmaceuticals, without all of their side effects.
Conclusions:
In our store over the past 3 years, we have seen hundreds of people with a mix of issues try CBD, and come back again and again and say how much relief they have gotten from this, even after all the drugs they were taking had failed to work. Many had their doctors reduce and even eliminate the prescription they were on, and are seeing that CBD has a place in proving natural relief free of side effects or toxicity.
The CBD industry currently needs regulation and research with drug based interactions, however, with all the stories from people using CBD reaching mainstream news, as well as all the increasing numbers of clinical trials underway, CBD and Cannabinoids are sure to become much more widely accepted by doctors and healthcare in general.