How Does Pure CBD Oil Affect My Health?

How does pure CBD oil affect my health?

pure cbd oil health

Living in a modern age, where any news that might prove to be groundbreaking can reach almost all the people in the world in just a couple of hours, it is extremely easy to get hyped by any new medicine that has people claiming it cures many diseases. In the same manner in the last couple of years, we have a new substance that is taking the role of a messianic drug, which supposedly is helping people with mental health disorders, chronic states, pain, skin problems, and even cancer. But unlike others, this substance is an active ingredient of marijuana, which probably gives it even more of a mysterious and miraculous scent. And also, it has gone onto many trials, both animal and human and the hype have transferred to the scientific and medical circles where scientists and doctors, in many numbers, have started raising their voice for this substance to be included in the list of approved drugs. We are talking of course, about the CBD, cannabidiol. In the next couple of paragraphs, I will explain what CBD is, why it is so controversial and what do we have scientifically proved about it

What is CBD oil?

CBD (cannabidiol) oil is a product that is derived from cannabis. It is the second most prevalent active substance of marijuana. But pure CBD oil is derived from another cannabis plant, a cousin if you will of marijuana, a hemp plant which is high in CBD concentration but very low in THC. CBD, unlike THC, doesn’t cause a “high” but has other, very important effects on the human body.

Why does CBD affect the human body and mind?

In the 90s, Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli organ chemist, has made an unbelievable discovery of until then completely unknown endogenous system of neurotransmitters and receptors involved in health. These receptors are not only found in the brain but also in many organs, skin, glands, immune cells and connective tissue. Later it was found out that this system has a very similar structure to the cannabinoids, and hence it got the name of the endocannabinoid system, which is a cannabinoid system inside our own bodies. Similarities between plant cannabinoids, like CBD, accounts for their strong integration with our body systems, much better than many synthetic drugs. This in accord with the broad distribution of receptors in our bodies, leads to understanding why the list of states pure CBD oil effects is so long.

How can pure natural CBD oil affect my health?

As Alger B. E. (2013)., a leading researcher on endocannabinoids from Harvard University, states “With complex actions in our immune system, nervous system, and virtually all of the body’s organs, the endocannabinoids are literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system, we begin to see a mechanism that could connect brain activity and states of physical health and disease.”

I will first write about the more basic benefits of organic CBD oil, its use in preventative medicine, which a more broad spectrum of people can use and after that will focus on more specific diseases and effects of CBD oil on them.

Lower risk of cardiovascular disease

A strong body of research suggests that taking natural CBD oil can prevent the process of atherosclerosis, the process of degeneration of the internal layer of blood cells which can lead to heart attack, stroke, blood clotting, embolia. An animal trial from 2012. ( Stanley, C. P. et al) suggests that CBD has a direct relaxative effect on the arteries, as well as protection of arteries and veins in high glucose environment (diabetes). In the same trial, it was also shown that CBD accounts for a better blood cell distribution and migration and increases blood flow in the brain and the heart. Taken together, this preclinical data support the claim that CBD has a positive role in hearth treatment, as well as peripheral and brain vasculature.

Reduced risk of Diabetes and obesity

Diabetes and obesity are two of the most common chronic diseases in the world. They are connected with unnatural insulin regulation and dysregulated metabolism, especially the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.

According to Leindlow L. and Birnbaum J. (2017), several studies show that regular cannabis users have a lower body mass index and reduced risk of diabetes and obesity. One report in the American Journal of Epidemiology published a survey of fifty-two thousand participants which concluded that the rates of obesity are about one third lower in cannabis users. CBD on its own was shown to lower the rates of diabetes in rats.

Lowered cancer risk

One of the most controversial statements about medical uses of CBD oil is that it cures cancer. In 2016 Pokrywka M et al. noted that the use of natural CBD oil inhibited the growth of many different types of tumor cells in both test tubes and animal models. However, they also noted that a certain dosage or type of cannabinoid might suppress the immune system and thus cause cancer cells to grow unchecked. Also, in 2019, a review by Sharafi G. et al. of in vitro and in vivo animal studies on pancreatic cancer concluded that cannabinoids can help slow tumor growth, reduce tumor invasion, and induce tumor cell death. Romano B. et al. (2014) have also concluded in their study of experimental models of colon cancer that CBD inhibits the spreading and growth of tumor cells but not of the healthy ones. All of the authors agree however that research into the effectiveness of different formulations, dosing, and precise mode of action is lacking and urgently needed.

Stress and Anxiety

Living in a modern, high-paced world, we could say that stress and some amount of anxiety is the norm rather than the exception. But carrying a lot of stress and anxiety affects not only our mental and emotional state but our physical state, our immune system and our overall feeling of wellbeing. Cannabinoids have been used in treating anxiety for centuries and among many cultures but only recently we have taken them to a science lab to discover if they and how much do they help with anxiety and stress. It was shown that THC in some cases increases and in some cases reduces anxiety. But when CBD comes in question, the results show that pure natural CBD oil consistently reduces anxiety. Leonard and Burbaum report that many pieces of research prove that CBD decreases anxiety, especially social anxiety and that augmentation of the endocannabinoid system might be an effective strategy to mitigate behavioral and physical consequences of stress.

Pain management

Cannabis has been used for pain for centuries all the way from Asia, across Europe and Africa to the Americas and today, the use of cannabinoids is mostly reserved for pain management. The endocannabinoid system in our body has been shown to modulate the transfer of pain information from the receptors to the pain center in the brain and it is no wonder CBD can have such a strong effect on pain modulation. CBD oil has shown to be as effective in pain management as medical marijuana but without the psychotropic effects of THC. However, finding the right dose in pain management is crucial in getting the most from pure CBD oil.

Conclusion

Even though the hype around CBD is bound to subside at some time, we actually might have finally discovered something which might change the face of medicine and pharmacy as we know it. Discovery of a completely new system of chemical transmitters in our body that is extremely important in the overall health of our bodies and minds is truly epochal and no one actually knows where it might lead us next, which is not easy to believe in an age in which we think we know everything.

Besides those aspects of CBD oil use I have dealt with in this article, there are many more, such as sleep regulation, protective effect on neurons and anti-inflammatory effect, all of which could prove immensely important in the treatment of numerous states. If you find yourself having any of those states and not finding the appropriate therapy for it, and thus thinking about trying CBD oil, I would like to note that there has not been enough research to have appropriate and standardized doses, so know that you will basically be treading in scientifically unknown territory and that any drug no matter how beneficial, if taken in an inappropriate dose, can become a poison. Although CBD oil has not been found to produce any serious side effects, it can cause nausea, low blood pressure, symptoms of anxiety or depression in some people as well as dizziness and hallucinations.

References

Alger B. E. (2013). Getting high on the endocannabinoid system. Cerebrum: the Dana forum on brain science, 2013, 14.
Stanley, C. P., Hind, W. H., & O'Sullivan, S. E. (2013). Is the cardiovascular system a therapeutic target for cannabidiol?. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 75(2), 313–322. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04351.x
Leindlow L. and Birnbaum J. CBD - a patient guide to medicinal cannabis--healing without the high. (2017). North Atlantic Books
Pokrywka M; Góralska J.; Solnica B. (2016). Cannabinoids – a new weapon against cancer? Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej, Volume 70, Number 1, 2016, pp. 1309-1320(12). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0009.6908
Sharafi, G., He, H., & Nikfarjam, M. (2019). Potential Use of Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer. Journal of pancreatic cancer, 5(1), 1–7. doi:10.1089/pancan.2018.0019
Barbara Romano, Francesca Borrelli, Ester Pagano, Maria Grazia Cascio, Roger G. Pertwee, Angelo A. Izzo. (2014.) Inhibition of colon carcinogenesis by a standardized Cannabis sativa extract with a high content of cannabidiol, Phytomedicine, Volume 21, Issue 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2013.11.006