A natural oil that has many benefits and some controversies? CBD is a trending product that you can find in many different markets. Now, you can find CBD in gummies, tinctures, baked goods, and even beauty products!
Watch my video or read the transcription below to learn what CBD is and how it can help you.
What Is CBD Oil? | Top Benefits Explained
Length: 5 minutes
What Is CBD?
Basically, CBD is a plant compound. It's a phytochemical called cannabidiol, which is actually a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It's one of about 113 identified cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant, and it accounts for approximately 40 percent of the plant's extract.
CBD is a naturally-occurring constituent of industrial hemp, which is the Cannabis sativa plant. It's the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in Cannabis species. If you want to know the differences, check out our Hemp vs. CBD article.
Most people have heard of the cannabinoid called THC, which is tetrahydrocannabinol. That's the ingredient in cannabis that gives users the high feeling, or the “stoned” feeling.
However, unlike THC, CBD — cannabidiol — is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and does not cause a high feeling. The fact that CBD is therapeutically potent as well as non-intoxicating makes it an appealing remedy for those who are cautious about trying cannabis for the first time.
How Does CBD Work in the Body?
CBD works directly with our own body's endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system, which we all have, plays a crucial role in regulating a broad range of physiological processes that affect our everyday experience, mood, and energy level. These processes include:
- Our intestinal fortitude
- Our immune activity
- How we experience pain
- How we experience stress
- How we experience hunger
There are many more situations within the body that the endocannabinoid system functions and regulates.
So, what happens if the endocannabinoid system doesn't function properly? What are the consequences of a deficient or overactive endocannabinoid system? Well, like I've said for a long time, anything that's deficient or overactive or toxic, it all leads to the root cause of disease and symptomatology.
But now, cutting-edge science has shown that the endocannabinoid system is dysregulated in nearly all pathological conditions. Even scientists with the U.S. National Institutes of Health suggested in a 2014 publication that modulating the endocannabinoid system may have therapeutic potential in almost all diseases affecting humans.
So, it's no longer a matter of debating whether Cannabis has merit as an herbal medication.
Today, the key challenge is discerning how to utilize cannabis for the maximum therapeutic benefits.
The 2018 Farm Bill included a provision that now legalizes the cultivation of hemp, which is Cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC, and that's in large part because of the popularity and the driving economic force of CBD.
So what are some of the benefits of CBD?
Natural Benefits of CBD Oil
CBD has been proven medically to:
- Help Nausea
- Calm anxiety
- Reduce stress
- Improve sleep
- Ease gut issues
- Promote healthy skin
- Reduce joint pain
- Strengthen brain health
There are a wide variety of additional benefits that CBD can help with!
What Type of CBD Is Most Effective?
The Haddasah Medical School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem compared the effectiveness of a completely purified CBD extract versus a full-spectrum extract of cannabis flowers containing large quantities of CBD.
The conclusion of the study was that the whole-plant extract — which contained a large percentage of CBD, but also contained traces of the other cannabinoids — proved far more effective than CBD-only solutions in alleviating inflammation and pain.
The reason why I talk about that is because I'm a big believer in using the full spectrum of plants. For example, if somebody's taking a 96 percent curcumin product, where they've taken a compound out of a plant, it's not as effective as it is when you take that with a full spectrum of turmeric.
So, in the hemp industry, some people are taking and extracting just the CBD out, which there are multiple CBD compounds, however, they're leaving out the full spectrum of the hemp plant.
What the study above talks about is if you really want the most effective CBD, you need to have the full spectrum of all of the components of the plant working together in harmony and unison to give you the best and most effective health benefits.
†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.