The cat is out of the bag about the phenomenal health benefits attributed to cannabidiol (CBD) oil. What many self-prescribed patients of CBD have known for a long time, is now being frantically pursued by leading medical centers, and institutions. It’s not that researchers didn’t know about the capabilities of medical marijuana long ago, but CBD offers the option to study cannabis, without any of the associated legal problems. Because CBD is non-psychoactive, it has made CBD oil suddenly much more attractive to researchers, who were put off with the complex legalities surrounding marijuana in many regions. Because there are no psychoactive effects, CBD is proving to be safe to use where many other medications are not, this includes even mainstream pharmaceuticals. Plus, unlike many of these common pharmaceuticals, there are no serious side effects, and no possibility for addiction or abuse.
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Some information has trickled through the media about new areas of study for CBD therapy, but there are likely many benefits of CBD oil that you haven’t heard about yet. Below is a quick summary of some of the most exciting developments in CBD’s potential.
Neuroprotective
Synthesized cannabinoids have already been found to reduce brain tissue death during periods of oxidation. This synthetic cannabinoid is thought to be applicable in patients experiencing stroke, traumatic brain injury, and surgery patients hooked up to a synthetic lung machine. These benefits have also been found in preliminary studies with CBD, where it was evidenced to protect brain cells against glutamate and hydroperoxide induced neurotoxicity.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Cannabidiol interacts strongly with the body’s endocannabinoid system, one of whose roles is to regulate and manage memory. For people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), memory is often misregulated, causing vivid recollections, triggers and problems deciphering reality from the recollection. The endocannabinoid system of someone with PTSD is unbalanced, and tends to have lower level of naturally produced endocannabinoids floating around, thereby leaving receptors empty. Because proper functioning of the CB-1 receptor (located within the brain), leads to a deactivation of traumatic memories, a combination of THC and CBD can help people with PTSD properly ‘forget’ the immediacy of these experiences. The theory suggests that CBD helps stimulate proper function of the CB-1 receptor in order to allow it to accept the THC molecule, thus filling the void.
Substance Abuse
Not only have studies shown that CBD oil use can reduce the quantity of cigarettes smoked by tobacco users, it may also prove to be beneficial for more serious addictions as well. Preliminary studies on animals and on humans suggest that in cases of opioid, cocaine and psychostimulant addiction, CBD oil can help reduce the severity of the addiction. The hypothesis is that it eliminates the reward facilitating effect of certain drugs, eliminating the urge to continue using. More research is needed to determine the exact mechanisms, and also to figure out how to most effectively use CBD for addiction treatments.
Anti-Anxiety
Naturally, CBD acts as a counterbalance to the psychoactivity caused by THC. Associated with this characteristic, CBD also reduces the anxiety experienced during THC use by some people. Researchers have taken this capability and run with it, studying CBD for environmentally caused stressors. One study, provided CBD to a group of people prior to requiring them to speak publicly. Their physiological stress indicators as well as their self-reported levels of stress were compared to a control group. Across the board, the participants receiving CBD all showed dramatically reduced levels of anxiety and stress, both before and after the public speech.
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Lowers Risk for Diabetes
A study published in 2006 demonstrated that CBD treatment of obese laboratory mice was able to drastically reduce the appearance of diabetes. In the control group, 86 percent of the obese mice developed diabetes, while only 30 percent of the mice being treated with CBD therapy developed the disease. Marijuana has also been found to reduce the risk of diabetes in adult males, by reducing their fasting insulin levels. This same study also found that marijuana users (contrary to popular belief) tended to have a smaller waist circumference than non-users, which leads to lower risk for development of diabetes.
Helps the Body Fight Cancer
A bold claim, but one that is supported by some serious scientific evidence. In one study after another, CBD has been shown to effectively reduce tumor size of some cancers, prevent cell migration, and reduce metastasis. In one study of breast cancer cells and CBD, it seemed to induce cancer cell death without causing similar activity within healthy mammary cell function. In one of the earliest studies of cannabis and cancer, published in 1974 (and interestingly, funded by the federal government), CBD was effective in slowing the growth of breast cancer, lung cancer and some forms of leukemia in lab mice.
Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is the leading cause of many illnesses, including gastrointestinal issues, chronic pain, and muscle and joint issues. Cannabidiol is a powerful anti inflammatory agent, and according to many recently published studies, provides relief where the more commonplace medications have failed. It also is able to reduce inflammation without any harsh side effects. In a study of laboratory mice, CBD treatment was shown to reduce pain and inflammation without causing increased analgesic tolerance.
References
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-and-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4444130/pdf/sart-9-2015-033.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cannabidiol-cbd-a-primer_us_58b7129ee4b0ddf654246290
https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/cbd-effects-benefits-whole-plant-medicine
