Can CBD Boost Your Immune System?

Can CBD boost your immune system?

cbd for your immune system

With a global pandemic looming and COVID-19 cases continuing to rise all around the world, many have started looking for different ways to boost their immune systems and fight off the virus. As a result, many articles have been published online about what to eat and drink during these incredibly tough times to stave off sickness. This begs the question, like popular immune system boosters like vitamin c, bell peppers, garlic, and ginger, can Cannabidiol (CBD) a potent phytocannabinoid, also boost one’s immune response?

Before we tackle CBD’s immune system benefits, let’s delve into what makes up the immune system in the first place.

To put it plainly the immune system is a network of tissues, cells, and organs that serve as the body’s defense against infections. It works, first, to keep out bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and then, if they do manage to get in, deals with them. The main parts of the system are:

- White blood cells

- Antibodies

- Complement system

- Lymphatic system

- Spleen

- Bone marrow

- Thymus

Before an infection or virus can enter the body, it has to go through the body’s first line of defense, the skin. If that fails, if you forget to wash your hands for example, the infection or virus could then go into your system via mucous membranes in the nose, mouth, or eyes. This is how COVID-19 is passed on. This is why experts emphasize the importance of hand washing for at least 20 seconds and to avoid touching the face. Currently, self-isolation has also become highly effective, especially in cities with rising numbers of cases.

But before all that, we have to ensure our body can handle the virus should we become infected. Boosting your immune system is a great way of doing that and, hopefully, help you avoid getting sick altogether.

In recent years, research on CBD has shed light on its health benefits, particularly on its anti-inflammatory properties. It is these properties that have given us some insight on how exactly CBD can be beneficial for our immune response.

The endocannabinoid system

Although only discovered fairly recently in the ‘90s, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has become a hugely important discovery in allowing us to further understand how our bodies work, especially when it comes to a range of functions, and the reason why cannabis has been shown to be beneficial for humans.

The ECS helps maintain homeostasis between various systems in the body, including the immune system, appetite, metabolism, memory, communication between cells, and more. It does this through two main receptors (CB1 and CB2), endogenous ligands known as endocannabinoids, the proteins that transport them, as well as the enzymes that break them down in the body. The two endocannabinoids, anandamide and 2-AG, are produced on demand, traveling back and forth between chemical synapses and modulating cell activity. This is why the ECS is known as a homoestatic regulator.

How CBD interacts with immune system

CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties are the biggest reason why it’s able to treat so many conditions and illnesses, and its function as both an immunosuppresant and immunomodulator means that it’s a double-threat for viruses and infections.

While the term ‘immunosuppresant’ may sound negative, when it comes to poorly functioning immune systems, it isn’t. That’s when inflammatory responses are triggered too easily, resulting in persistent inflammation that can lead to many chronic conditions. CBD works to reduce the immune system’s inflammatory response and, in immunedeficiency disorders like HIV, it can increase white blood cells which boosts the immune system.

Cannabis’ dual role was noted by Dr. Mariano Garcia de Palau, a cannabis clinician from Spain and member of the Spanish Medical Cannabis Observatory: “I believe cannabis is immunosuppressive when there is hyper-immune response but otherwise it regulates and corrects the immune system. In fact, you could say it functions like the endocannabinoid system, bringing equilibrium to the organism.”

The ECS’ CB2 receptor is also crucial in regulating inflammatory response. CBD oil inhibits the CB2 receptor, thereby regulating inflammation in the body.

In addition, a protein called cytokine is released by immune cells when the body undergoes trauma or stress. These proteins then contribute to the initiation and continuation of inflammation in the body. According to research, CBD can disrupt the release of cytokines so well that it is able to prevent inflammation before it even starts.

CBD also affects the way the neurotransmitter adenosine is absorbed by the body by inhibiting it, which increases its presence in the brain, thereby influencing its receptors and resulting in reduced inflammation throughout the entire body. CBD is also been known to help treat a range of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s.

More research still needs to be done in order to fully understand CBD’s relationship with the immune system and how it can benefit those seeking to boost their immune response. In times like these, the importance of verified and accurate information in dealing with this increasingly worrying global situation cannot be overstated.