The CBD market is growing rapidly, with a predicted revenue of more than 20 billion by 2024. What is CBD oil and how effective does it work? Here are 9 possible health benefits that CBD oil may have.
What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol (short for CBD) is one of more than 200 chemical compounds that can be found in cannabis. It is the second most prevalent active compound found in cannabis, behind THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the compound in cannabis that has psychoactive properties and gives people a high. Cannabis is a plant. There are two types of cannabis: Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa. While both CBD and marijuana can be made from either of these types, hemp is only made from Cannabis Sativa. To be considered hemp, hemp must not contain more than 0.3% THC. This is the oil that gives you the high. Otherwise, growers could face federal prosecution. Hemp can be used to make 100% biodegradable and environmentally-friendly products like clothing, packaging, paper, biofuel, building materials, or paper.
CBD extracted from hemp has a legal THC content of 0.3% and is legal under federal law, but it is still illegal under state laws. Cannabis-derived CBD products are, however, illegal under federal law. They are legal under certain state laws. CBD is not psychoactive and does not give you the “high” like THC. According to the World Health Organization, CBD is not associated with any side effects or abuse. CBD has been shown to be effective in relieving many medical conditions such as anxiety, epilepsy and inflammation. However, “credited” doesn’t necessarily mean that it is proven. Due to the regulatory history, there are not many well-conducted trials supporting these claims. However, research is expected increase now that marijuana and hemp laws have been clarified.
We will be looking at nine medical conditions in which CBD could be beneficial, or has been proven to be beneficial.
1. Epilepsy
The FDA approved Epidiolex, a CBD-based CBD formulation, in June 2018 for treating seizures in people aged 2 and older with Dravet and Lennox–Gastaut (LGS) epilepsy. CBD has been studied in the treatment of other forms epilepsy. Usually, this is in addition to traditional epilepsy medication. Although the results were varied, most studies showed that CBD significantly decreased seizure frequency by nearly 44%. CBD can interact with epilepsy medications. Some side effects, such as a decreased liver function, have been reported.
Conclusion: CBD can be beneficial in treating epilepsy.
2. Pain
Animal studies have shown that CBD can reduce inflammation and work on the pain-sensing and endocannabinoid systems to relieve pain. There are very few human trials that have tested CBD as a pain reliever. Most trials use a combination of CBD or THC. Health Canada approved a combination medication that contains CBD and THC in a 1:1 ratio to relieve central nerve-related pain in Multiple Sclerosis and for cancer pain that is not responsive to optimal opioid therapy. CBD treatment was observed to improve self-reported quality-of-life measures in people who don’t suffer from non-cancer-related symptoms.
However, there was no statistically significant difference in patients suffering from cancer-related pain and those with neurological symptoms. A series of 47 patients with multiple sclerosis saw improvements in their pain, walking and muscle spasms after using a combination CBD/THC. Studies in animals have shown that CBD can positively affect serotonin and brain levels. Low levels of serotonin may play a critical role in mood and pain. Other studies (both animal and human), have shown CBD to have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help relieve pain. You should consult your doctor before you start CBD. CBD can interact with medications that are used to treat heart disease or immunosuppressants.
Conclusion: CBD may be effective in relieving pain, but there are no high-quality human trials to prove it.
3. Arthritis
The CBD topical application was found to be effective in relieving pain and inflammation caused by arthritis. There were very few side effects. Topical CBD application is beneficial as CBD is not well absorbed by the mouth and can have gastrointestinal side effects.
Conclusion: While topical CBD might be effective in relieving arthritis symptoms, there are no high-quality human studies to support this.
4. Anxiety
Pretreatment with 300mg CBD significantly reduced anxiety in 57 healthy men who took a simulated public speaking exam. The men did not experience any anxiety at all with the 600mg and 150mg CBD dosages. An observational study that included 21 of 400 patients who had anxiety found CBD to have beneficial effects on anxiety. In a large series of 72 patients, anxiety scores declined. 57 (79.2%), reported a decrease in anxiety scores after CBD treatment.
Conclusion: CBD can relieve anxiety prior to public speaking events, but it isn’t known how much CBD is the best.
5. Depression
Some CBD has been shown to reduce depression in animals, possibly due to its strong antistress effects after repeated or acute administration. Studies in animals have shown that CBD can positively affect serotonin and brain levels. Low levels of serotonin may play a critical role in mood and pain.
Conclusion: CBD could be a treatment for depression, but further trials are required.
6. Sleep Disorders
CBD has been reported to improve sleep quality by 31% of CBD-using patients with anxiety and non-cancer related pain. A large series of 72 patients was examined. 48 (66.7%) reported a significant improvement in their sleep scores after the first month. However, these scores fluctuated over time. Another study of CBD at 300 mg in patients with anxiety and depression revealed that CBD appears to preserve sleep architecture. This means it is unlikely to have any adverse effects on quality of sleep.
Conclusion: CBD appears to not interfere with sleep, and can help people sleep better.
7. Acne
In a laboratory study, CBD was found to prevent human sebocytes generating too much sebum. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect that stops inflammatory cytokines activating. Topical CBD may be a good treatment for acne. It can reduce or prevent future breakouts due to excessive sebum production and inflammation.
Conclusion: While topical CBD can be used to reduce inflammation and excess sebum production, more research is needed.
8. Parkinson’s Disease
A number of small studies have shown positive results from CBD use to treat Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. Most studies found no difference in movement outcomes between groups. However, CBD 300 mg/day treated groups showed significantly better well-being and life quality, as measured using the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39).
Conclusion: CBD has the potential to improve quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease, but more trials are needed.
9. Nausea And Vomiting
Many studies that looked into whether CBD can relieve nausea and vomiting have used both CBD and THC in combination. The combination was found to be as effective or more effective than a placebo in a 2016 review. Recent research has shown that THC is more effective in reducing nausea and vomiting then CBD.
Conclusion: CBD by itself is unlikely to cause nausea or vomiting. Combining CBD and THC seems to work well for nausea and vomiting.
Other Conditions
Numerous other studies on humans and animals have also shown that CBD is an immunosuppressive agent and anti-inflammatory. This could make CBD a great choice for certain autoimmune conditions and inflammation-related problems. Additional trials are required to test its effectiveness for many other conditions such as muscle spasm in multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, substance abuse treatment, and protection against diabetes. CBD can cause nausea, tiredness and irritability as side effects. It may also interact with other medications such as warfarin.