CBD is the name for a compound with the full name cannabidiol, which is found in the hemp plant CBD sativa words and is one of many compounds collectively called cannabinoids. Researchers are working to discover what the medical uses could be for CBD.
The oil, which is extracted from the hemp plant with CBD in it, is known as CBD oil. The difference is in its concentration and also in its use.
Until recently, the best known compound extracted from CBD was delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. THC is the best known active ingredient in hemp. Hemp contains both THC and CBD, but the compounds have different effects.
THC is best known for being a mind-altering agent and getting you “high,” at least when it is heated and then inhaled as vapes, smoked as cigarettes or eaten as space cakes.
The other substance is CBD, which is not mind-altering, so you won’t feel any different when you ingest it. Nevertheless, it does have a substantial effect on the body and there are many medical uses for it.
Most of the medically used CBD is found in the least refined variety of the hemp plant. The well-known hemp may be extracted from a plant with the same name CBD sativa, but it is not or barely improved.
Over the past few decades, hemp growers have bred their plants to such an extent that they contain a high proportion of THC and of other compounds they find interesting, for example, because of their smell and taste.
In contrast, the growers of the hemp plant have not refined their plants in a similar way and they therefore contain practically no THC and a much higher proportion of CBD.
Therefore, these plants are preferably used to make CBD oil because there is no need for witchcraft to remove the THC. Another plus is of course that hemp cultivation is completely legal. At least in a number of European countries such as Austria and Poland.
How CBD works
All cannabinoids, including CBD, attach themselves to certain receptors in the body, after which they become active.
The human body also makes certain cannabinoids itself and there are two different receptors for that, namely CB1 and CB2 receptors.
The CB1 receptors are found everywhere in the body, but are mainly found in the brain.
The CB1 receptors in the brain are involved in coordination and movement, pain, emotions and mood, the thought process, appetite and memory and much more. It is the THC, in particular, that attaches to these receptors.
CB2 receptors are much more involved in the immune system and involved in inflammatory processes and pain.
It was previously thought that CBD primarily attaches to the CB2 receptor, but this turns out not to be the case. Instead, it influences the action and production of the body’s own cannabinoids.
Health Benefits
Because of the way CBD works in the body, it has many potential uses. CBD oil can be ingested, but it can also be applied to the skin and sometimes it is also inhaled as CBD vape and even injected intravenously. Read cbd oil reviews by going to this website.
Natural pain reliever or anti-inflammatory
Many people use prescription painkillers or self-care drugs to suffer less from (chronic) pain and stiff joints.
Some prefer CBD oil because it is a more natural remedy for pain. Research shows that CBD significantly reduced chronic inflammation and pain in mice and rats.
The researchers believe that CBD and other compounds without mind-altering effects may be an appropriate means of treating chronic pain.
CBD is already widely used for that such as for multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia.
In fact, there is already a drug on the market for multiple sclerosis that incorporates both THC and CBD. But researchers think that it is mainly the CBD that has the greatest efficacy due to its anti-inflammatory effect in particular and to a lesser extent due to its analgesic effect.
In any case, clinical research is also needed to scientifically prove whether it is effective for humans as pain relief in addition to mice and rats.
