As more countries legalise the use of marijuana products, the most popular of these is CBD. The funny thing about it is that CBD is non-psychoactive, so the argument against using it doesn’t hold.

CBD is now available all over the country without a prescription, and millions of people are talking about its health benefits. So we decided to put together an article that describes some of the awesome health benefits.

What is CBD?

CBD is a compound in cannabis and hemp, and it has medicinal value to the body and mind. It is legal in the U.S., and can be used to treat or manage a variety of conditions, based on recent studies. Feel free to check with your doctor before taking CBD; that way you will have realistic expectations based on the condition you are treating. 

CBD is extracted (mainly) from hemp, but it is also present in cannabis. It is believed that CBD affects the body through the endocannabinoid system (yes that’s right, the body has its own cannabinoid network), however, plenty more needs to be studied before we can say conclusively how CBD works. 

Uses

CBD is used as treatment for different conditions, and these are the most common:

• Anxiety
• Pain
• Acne
• Epilepsy
• Insomnia
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle spasms 
• Parkinson’s disease 

CBD is believed to promote sleep, minimise inflammation, and fight oxidative stress. There is indication that CBD might also be useful for fighting cancer cells, promoting heart health, and protecting against certain forms of cancer. Although millions of people are using CBD today for a variety of health reasons, there isn’t enough medical research to validate its use for all of these conditions.

Benefits of CBD

Although millions of people are using CBD today for a variety of health reasons, there isn’t enough medical research to validate its use for all these conditions. What we do know from clinical trials and existing research is that a majority of people who use CBD for pain, anxiety, sleeping disorder, or all these symptoms, has reported positive experiences and improved health overall.

 Let’s look at some of these health problems and what CBD can do:

Anxiety

So there is widely accepted evidence, such as articles published in a neurology journal in 2015, showing that using CBD before going to a public event reduced anxiety for people living with social anxiety and generalised anxiety disorder.

Experts believe the link between CBD and cannabinoids in our bodies causes the body to work in a more enhanced manner, at least when it comes to the transmission of certain signals from the brain through CB1 and CB2 receptors.

Many of the hormones that cause stress or calmness function through this system, and CBD causes the body to release more of the ‘happy’ hormones and reduces stress hormones such as cortisol. This is great for anybody dealing with stress and anxiety, but also for people like athletes who need to minimize the release of stress hormones to keep performance high.

Addiction

CBD may also be of use to people with addiction, according to a review published in a popular health journal (1).  Several studies have been done to see if CBD can be used by people who want to quit smoking, or are addicted to more serious drugs such as cocaine, opioids, and/or psychostimulants. CBD may be used to treat both tobacco and cannabis addiction – even though there is some CBD present in cannabis. Taking CBD alone allows it to reduce some of the dependency, and the withdrawal symptoms.

Improving heart health with CBD

Millions of Americans are worried for their cardiovascular health, mainly because of lifestyle habits that tend to worsen heart health as we age. It also doesn’t help that heart disease is the number one killer in most western countries. According to a study published in the journal JCI Insight, taking CBD in a single dose every day lowered blood pressure for people experiencing a particularly stressful event. 

It showed great promise as a treatment for high blood pressure (possibly because of its anti-anxiety effect), and was found to be instrumental in keeping blood pressure within the normal range. 

The side effects of CBD

For anybody hearing about CBD for the first time, it might sound strange that a single compound could have so many health benefits and not disrupt your physical and mental health in any way.  It’s true that CBD works from within the body’s own healing process, and that way, it provides reliable treatment without addictions or any serious side effect. But for some people, the following has been reported:

• Anxiety – but not common, and only when taken by new users in high doses.
• Change in mood – this is expected with the release of anandamide, serotonin, and other hormones. 
• Dizziness, drowsiness 
• Diarrhea   
• Dry mouth
• Nausea

Safety concerns?

There are no serious safety concerns with CBD, but in case you notice any of the above effects, stop using it and it should go away quickly. Remember, you won’t overdose with CBD, and even in small doses it still works, so stick with 40-60mg per day and you should be fine.