CBD is such a new industry that there are a lot of people who are unfamiliar with what it is and what it can do for your body. It makes sense, too, considering it’s closely associated with cannabis, THC, and getting high.
That said, CBD doesn’t get you high and is used for medicinal purposes by countless people worldwide. It’s important to know what it does and how it works if you want to use it on yourself, though.
So, what are the health benefits of CBD, how does it work, and what can it be used for? We’re going to take a look at these questions and more today, giving you some insight into the potential of CBD.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What Is CBD, Anyway?
Source: fda.gov
CBD is one of the numerous cannabinoids contained in cannabis and hemp plants. We often hear about CBD and THC as if they’re the only active substances in these plants, but there’s a lot more going on in cannabis than people think.
There are roughly 200 cannabinoids that we know of, and all of those have the potential to affect the body in the right amount. That said, CBD and THC are the two dominant chemical substances in these plants, which is why we hear so much about them.
THC is the chemical cannabinoid that contributes to the psychological effect of cannabis. Again, other cannabinoids might have a strong psychological effect, but those aren’t noticeable at the amounts that they tend to occur in the plant.
When you get high from using marijuana, it’s a result of the THC in that strain.
CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t get a person high. Instead, it interacts with the person’s central nervous system, immune system, and other systems affected by the endocannabinoid system.
This is where a lot of the benefits lay.
The Importance of The Endocannabinoid System
Source: herbliz.com
The endocannabinoid system is a supplemental system in the body that aids in keeping equilibrium inside all of the systems. For example, it helps to manage the nervous system’s stress response, produces hunger, manages the immune response, and aid with the sensation of pain.
Generally speaking, the endocannabinoid system governs the responses of other systems to ensure that the person stays in good health. When things go out of line, though, introducing cannabinoids can help improve the system’s function.
THC might have some medical benefits, and those come from the fact that it engages with the endocannabinoid system in the way its chemical structure allows it to.
Namely, THC binds to CB1 receptors, which interact more with the mind than the body. Areas of the brain are impacted by THC, which is why there’s a psychoactive effect when it’s used.
CBD engages more with the central nervous system, appetite, pain response, and immune function. This is because it binds to CB2 receptors, which are more related to those areas of the body.
What Are The Health Benefits of CBD?
Source: woodiesuk.com
Now that we know a little more about CBD let’s take a look at its benefits.
There are several benefits that need to be explored more, but there are a few key ones that people often use CBD for. The general one is that CBD relaxes you.
This is true, and that relaxation occurs for several reasons. For the most part, the term “relaxation” is a vague one and can’t be quantified through research. It’s something we can get a read on based on personal testimony, but it’s hard to measure.
The fact that CBD might subdue the nervous system response or relieve pain, however, is a good place to start when it comes to understanding why CBD relaxes a person.
Through the effects of those health benefits, we can start to appreciate why CBD relaxes you.
1. Reduced Anxiety
Source: uniquemindcare.com
CBD can help to reduce anxiety in several ways. First, it’s important to note that anxiety is caused by a number of factors, not all of which can be improved through medication.
You might be anxious because your blood pressure is high, you’re experiencing stress, and not getting enough sleep. CBD can help to benefit all of those issues, so relieving one or more of them might help you reduce your anxiety.
On the other side of things, you might have anxiety based on your past experiences, trauma, or the diet that you eat. There are several other factors like genetics that come into play as well.
Even if you experience anxiety for one of the more foundational reasons that medications can’t help, CBD can help to relieve some of the symptoms.
While it won’t “cure” your anxiety, subdued stress response and pain relief will help calm the rapid thoughts and feelings of stress for the time that you’re using CBD.
2. Pain Relief
Source: practicalpainmanagement.com
CBD is associated with the treatment of pain. There are a couple of reasons that CBD might be effective in the treatment of pain.
First, it has anti-inflammatory properties. A lot of pain, chronic or otherwise, is caused by the inflammation response. This is what the body does when trying to attack an intruder or send enough resources to an area to repair it.
It seems pretty harmless, right?
While we need a healthy immune response to heal ourselves, it’s common for that response to exceed what is required. The result is chronic pain. CBD can help to mediate that inflammation response.
This is possible because the endocannabinoid system interplays with the immune system, which is responsible for inflammation. The chemical structure of CBD operates so that it relieves an intense immune response for a period of time.
Pain is also distributed via the central nervous system. The pain-sensing (also known as nociceptive) systems embedded in the nervous system are affected by CBD. That presence can reduce the sensation of pain and make the experience more tolerable for the individual.
Different types of CBD oil or CBD rub might interact differently and have unique effects. For example, if you have a sore muscle in your back, you might rub CBD oil on that area and experience more relief than you would if you smoked CBD flower.
3. Less Nausea and Vomiting
Source: healthcanal.com
The use of CBD can improve some of the effects associated with cancer. The pain that comes along with chemotherapy and nausea and vomiting that go along with it have been shown to be reduced by treatments with THC and CBD.
Some animal studies have also shown that the spread of cancerous cells is reduced with CBD treatments. This is the case with a lot of animal studies on the effects of CBD. Those data points can’t be fully trusted because we haven’t done adequate research on humans yet, but there’s a lot of genetic similarity between mice and humans.
We can extend that logic to see CBD as a potential help for individuals experiencing any nausea or vomiting. You might have a chronic illness that leads you to have those symptoms regularly.
You might also just be feeling sick with the flu, and CBD could come to the rescue and ease some of your pain.
4. Epileptic Seizures
Source: cbdoil.org
Issues like multiple sclerosis and epilepsy are neurological disorders that lead to muscle spasticity. Spasticity works on a spectrum, but it can often mean that individuals experience intense seizures regularly.
Seizures are very dangerous as they put you in physical harm whenever you’re not in a safe environment. A person’s muscles may spasm, leading them to hit their body on different surfaces, objects, corners, and more.
They might even fall and injure themselves on the ground. In many cases, those spasms can be so intense that the individual passes away from injury.
Studies have shown that spasticity can be decreased with the help of CBD products. In some neurological diseases, the potential for seizures has been reduced by a significant margin.
5. Improved Sleep
Source: healthline.com
CBD might have some impact on a person’s circadian rhythms. The sleep benefits that come from CBD might be a result of that impact.
That said, the connection between sleep and CBD can be seen in the other issues that CBD helps to treat. Anxiety, pain, and nausea are all things that get in the way of sleep.
Treating those things will lead to improved sleep quality, and improved quality of sleep can improve those issues even more. It’s hard to pinpoint just why CBD improves sleep at this point, but it could have a lot to do with reduced symptoms of other illnesses, reduced blood pressure, and a subdued nervous system.
Want to Learn More about CBD Benefits?
So, what are the health benefits of CBD?
There are many of them, and there’s a good chance that you’re experiencing symptoms that CBD could relieve. There are no guarantees, but it’s always smart to explore natural options before rushing into chemicals that might do damage to your system.
We’re here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on CBD oil, CBD gummies, The benefits of CBD, and more.
