What is Cannabis and What are Cannabinoids?
Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is one of the 60 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids found in hemp and marijuana plants, that holds the key to the wide variety of medicinal and therapeutic effects.
The more we learn about CBD, the more it seems poised to revolutionize medicine as we know it. One of the most crucially important qualities of CBD is its lack of psycho-activity. In layperson’s terms, this means that CBD won’t get you high. Unlike THC, the cannabinoid with the legendary power of producing euphoric sensations, Cannabidiol is inert.
When CBD is taken on its own, users experience none of the sensations of being stoned. And this is the single most important property of the cannabinoid from the medical—and legal—perspective.
How Does Cannabidiol Interact With The Body?
Cannabinoids interact with our bodies thanks to a network of neurons called the endocannabinoid system. You could say that human beings are “hard-wired” for CBD.
The endocannabinoid system runs throughout your body. And it’s loaded with receptors that bind to the cannabinoids you introduce to your bloodstream when you consume CBD. And it’s the chemical interactions of those bonds that create a wide and largely unknown series of responses in your body.
Without distorting the science too much, you could say that human beings are “hard-wired” for cannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system runs deep and touches all of the major systems of the body. And that’s why weed can do so many things for us, from altering and regulating moods to stimulating appetites and reducing pain.
And even though cannabidiol has no toxicity for humans—meaning, it doesn’t make you intoxicated (i.e. high)—it is highly reactive with the endocannabinoid system.
To put things as simply as possible, CBD makes things happen. When it binds to the endocannabinoid system’s receptors, it stimulates all kinds of changes in the body Most of those changes are incredibly beneficial, and researchers keep uncovering real and potential medical uses for them daily.
Here’s What CBD Can Really Do—And The Research Backing It Up
Here’s a quick overview of the major studies and most promising findings about the medical importance of CBD.
CBD Can Reduce or Eliminate Epileptic Seizures
One of the most important CBD studies ever published was a path-breaking study into the efficacy of using CBD as a treatment for epilepsy.
In 2012, researchers with the British Epilepsy Association published a paper called “Cannabidiol exerts anticonvulsant effects in animal models of the temporal lobe and partial seizures.” Their conclusion? “The evidence strongly supports CBD as a therapeutic candidate for a diverse range of human epilepsies.”
CBD Can Help Treat Various Neurological Diseases Like Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s
Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. We know it has to do with a protein pathway, and that’s exactly the pathway this 2006 study investigates.
Taking a look down to the molecular level, researchers discovered that CBD can actually protect nerve cells from degenerative diseases. Scientists call this CBD’s “neuroprotective effect,” and it’s one of the most promising aspects of the cannabinoid.
CBD Can Relieve Pain
Medical cannabis is quickly becoming the go-to alternative to dangerous and addictive prescription painkillers, like the opioids that are causing an epidemic of overdose deaths in the United States.
A lot of cannabis’s pain-killing power stems from its psychoactive cannabinoid, THC. But CBD is also a potent pain reliever. 2015 saw the most important study to uncover the pain-relieving effects of CBD. In that study, researchers compared CBD to morphine.
To their surprise, CBD worked well in combination with morphine and counteracted the latter’s risky side effects. This means CBD can help treat acute pain conditions, along with more long-term benefits.
CBD Can Reduce Inflammation
Cannabis is widely-valued as a treatment for inflammation. Credit goes to both THC and CBD in that regard, but CBD has some special anti-inflammatory properties of its own. Specifically, CBD binds with the endocannabinoid system to produce a response that reduces nerve inflammation.
This is another of its “neuroprotective” qualities and a major reason why CBD is such an effective treatment for neurological diseases.
CBD Can Treat Mood Disorders
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects nearly 8 percent of all American’s during their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from it. Finding an affordable, safe, and reliable treatment for PTSD would profoundly impact the lives of millions of Americans every year.
To that end, a pathbreaking 2013 study found that CBD improved people’s abilities to forget their traumatic memories. These findings are incredibly important and could be relevant for figuring out how CBD can treat other anxiety and stress disorders.
CBD has also been proven to help with various Anxiety disorders, bringing relief to millions of people, who’s only other alternative until recently have been harsh prescription medications that, more often than not, have severe, unwanted side effects.
Full Spectrum and the Entourage Effect
There are two main sources of CBD: hemp plants and marijuana plants. Where a given product comes from depends on the legal status of marijuana in a particular state.
If medical marijuana is illegal in a given state, THC levels determine whether a CBD product is illegal or not. In most places, the limit is extremely low. We’re talking under 1 percent THC, with some states opting for a cap as low as 0.3 percent.
Note: All Eden Holistics CBD THC Free products are sourced from Industrial Hemp and all Full Spectrum products contain 0.3 percent THC.
The general consensus has it that Full Spectrum CBD derived from marijuana is both more potent and more effective. Many attribute this phenomenon to the “Entourage Effect,” or the theory that one cannabinoid can do its job better when it works together with its companion cannabinoids.