CBD is everywhere at the moment, right? Everyone from your grandma to your pet dog seems to take various forms of CBD oil, from oil tinctures to CBD capsules, and all for different reasons.
This medicine alternative is amazing for so many reasons that 64 million Americans now take it on a regular basis.
But what actually is CBD, and what are the top five benefits you should be aware of?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is derived from the hemp plant, usually via CO2 extraction. The Sativa material is then added to a carrier oil, such as hemp seed oil, jojoba oil, flaxseed oil or coconut oil.
What people don’t realize is that CBD won’t make you high in the same way that smoking marijuana does, as the oil doesn’t contain THC.
Any CBD product sold that is over the THC limit of 0.3% is actually illegal.
This natural remedy for health issues, spanning everything from mental health to arthritis, is now a $270 million market according to Healthcare Weekly, and is only expected to continue to grow as time goes on.
CBD isn’t a miracle cure, which is something to definitely note. People suffering from diseases should not expect to see their illness completely wiped away, however, CBD can work to reduce the symptoms over time.
The therapeutic effects of CBD usually take 1-6 hours to work, but the benefits increase over the amount of time the oil is consistently taken.
Now we know it’s safe and good for working environments, let’s take a look at the ways in which CBD can benefit you and your lifestyle.
Allows for a better night’s sleep
CBD helps with the production of two hormones which are vital for a long and deep sleep: serotonin and melatonin.
First off, serotonin helps to relieve anxiety. This is a major part of helping you to get to sleep, as everyone has nights of tossing and turning due to stress. By relaxing the body and making it feel ready for sleep, you’re likely to fall asleep much quicker.
The hormone melatonin then helps with the quality of your sleep, allowing you to sleep deeper for longer. Staying in a deeper state of rest is great for the body to recover.
In turn this could actually help to relieve symptoms of chronic pain, as the body is taking longer to look after itself.
One of the slightly more unexpected benefits of CBD is the way it affects the skin. CBD stops the excess production of sebum, the oily substance that the skin makes, which is the main causation of acne.
CBD is also anti-inflammatory, preventing cytokines, proteins in the skin, from activating. Stopping this production helps to keep the skin calmer, even during breakouts.
Adding to its list of amazing properties, CBD is also an antioxidant – which helps with anti-aging and keeping the skin hydrated.
Everything within CBD oil is great for keeping the skin clear, hydrated and oil-free, all without a long and monotonous skincare routine.
CBD is known to tackle issues with pain across the board, including everything from sore muscles to chronic pain. CBD is known to reduce pain symptoms as it produces pro-inflammatory biomarkers.
Inflammation is a common cause of pain, so reducing this will massively affect the way the body feels and works on a daily basis.
A study by the European Journal of Pain treated rats suffering from arthritis with CBD gel for four days. Over the treatment course, researchers saw a significant drop in inflammation and pain without additional side effects.
Even though this research has proven positive for CBD, however, scientists suggest that more work needs to be done to fully back up its effects.
Cool Things Chicago reports that in a day and age of increased substance abuse, medical practitioners are looking for better ways to avoid opioids when it comes to pain management. CBD oil seems to be the perfect solution.
A PubMed study researched the effects of CBD on smokers who struggle to quit using a more traditional method. Out of the group, 24 smokers were randomized to receive a CBD inhaler or a placebo for one week.
The smokers were told to only use the inhaler when they were craving a cigarette.
Those treated with CBD saw a 40% drop in the number of cigarettes smoked over the test period and some decided to continue with this method of quitting in the follow-up.
This method is considered effective as it reduces anxiety in the same way that a cigarette does for someone who is addicted to smoking.
Despite previous assumptions that CBD would cause users to experience a high, research shows that it can actually do quite the opposite.
Studies have shown that CBD can reduce symptoms of paranoia, anxiety and other emotions experienced after smoking too much cannabis.
Its thought that these feelings can be very overwhelming and cause people to overeat or take showers that are dangerously hot or cold.
Taking CBD as an alternative is thought to make the CB1 receptor in the body less receptive to THC to lessen symptoms.
Now it’s one thing to be convinced of the benefits of CBD, and another to actually decide to take it and figure out how.
To take CBD safely, the recommended dose should never be exceeded. However, if a user feels that their symptoms are too strong, then the dose can be reduced.
Users should always check the back of the bottle and do their research on the brand they are buying. CBD is illegal if THC levels exceed 0.3%, however, this can be very difficult to regulate.
Checking third-party studies is the best way to make sure the chosen CBD oil product is safe.
It’s also important to remember that you may not see results immediately, so be patient and consume the oil regularly.
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