CBD is the second most prominent plant compound found in cannabis. Where THC causes psychotic ‘highs’, CBD does not. This difference is due to the various structures of atoms within each and how they bind to receptors in our brain. For this reason, scientists have been fascinated by CBD and have conducted plenty of research into the effects of it on the brain and body.
The Theory: How does CBD help the body?
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CBD has become renowned for a multitude of health benefits. For that reason, it has been incorporated into many health products such as CBD capsules, CBD oils, CBD creams, CDB edibles. It’s thought that the way CBD benefits the body is through how it interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system. The ECS system is responsible for regulating the body’s state of homeostasis, which is crucial for the digestive, immune and neurological systems to operate effectively. Research suggests the primary way CBD offers the number of benefits it does is through the different ways CBD cannabinoids interacts with our ECS system.
1. Pain Relief
Studies have shown CBD can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, such as that caused by arthritis. This happens when CBD activates the CB2 receptors in our ECS system. As a result, research has praised CBD for its anti-inflammatory effects on the body. Studies have also shown patients with arthritis are less likely to build up a tolerance to the pain-relieving effects of CBD, as is often seen with pain-relief drugs. There is also a lot of concern for the addictiveness of traditional medicines, which is why more patients are seeking more natural and non-addictive pain relief like CBD.
The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, which work on the CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, have also been shown to relieve symptoms of IBS, such as stomach pain and constipation.
2. Emotional Wellbeing
Not only can CBD relieve you of physical pain but emotional pain too. Studies have shown how the calming properties of CBD can positively affect your serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is the brain’s natural anti-depressant. Therefore, positive impacts on this can improve your mood and ability to cope with negative emotions. CBD can support better emotional wellbeing by relieving symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Poor mental health can affect our relationships, academic performance and overall health and wellbeing. However, it’s very typical to experience poor mental health at times in life. Plenty of research has indicated the beneficial effects of CBD on mental health, but the optimal dosage is yet to be confirmed.
3. Aids Sleep
Sleep is a pinnacle part of our health as it’s the prime time for our bodies to rejuvenate and replenish itself. Sleep allows our body to restore immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems. All of which are vital for maintaining our mood, memory, and cognitive functions. There has been a good amount of research that suggests CBD can promote better sleep by encouraging more time spent in deep sleep, also known as NREM stage 3 sleep. This stage of sleep is essential for our brain and body recovery as it causes our blood pressure and heart to fall. In this state of sleep, our body consequently uses less energy, and can restore itself.
Epilepsy
There have been positive correlations between the use of CBD and reduction in epileptic symptoms. Epilepsy is probably the most reported on condition in terms of using CBD as a preventative. Those who take CBD and who have epilepsy have seen a reduction in the number of fits, or epileptic episodes, that they have. Studies have shown seizures decrease by more than 1/3 in many participants, which shows that CBD has great promise as a preventative in managing epilepsy.
How else can CBD help the body?
Other medical areas CBD has been proven to help is:
- Fibromyalgia
- Brain cell protection
- Skin health
- Blood pressure