The use of medical marijuana continues to be an emotionally and politically charged issue. Although cannabis oil preparations have been used in medicine for millennia, the concern over the dangers of abuse led to the banning of the medicinal use of marijuana in the 1930s.
Only recently, marijuana and chemically related compounds have come back to being considered of therapeutic value. A prominent compound found in marijuana or cannabis, CBD, or cannabidiol, has shown to treat numerous diseases. Researchers believe that in view of the very low toxicity and the generally benign side effects of CBD, neglecting or denying CBD benefits and its clinical potential is simply unacceptable.
In this article from selfhacks.com, they go over the 24 benefits of CBD oil that are backed with scientific evidence:
“Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 80 cannabinoids, natural compounds found in Cannabis sativa – the marijuana plant (R).
CBD and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two main active compounds found in the cannabis plant and are therefore the most recognized and studied.
Unlike THC, CBD does not produce psychoactive effects, and it seems to have natural protection against the marijuana high (R, R2).
CBD has shown promising results as a treatment for a variety of conditions, many of which are otherwise not treatable (R).
CBD in doses larger than conventional therapy can enhance the effect of THC (R).
My Experience with CBD
I have 2 T alleles for the SNP rs1049353 in my cannabinoid receptor (CNR1) gene.
Lower functioning cannabinoid receptors are a fundamental issue of mine. I believe they contributed to my food sensitivities to begin with, so fixing those are my top priority.
In addition, I suspect there are other pathways and epigenetic factors that conspire make it work even less well. This is why I do great on CBD.
Since taking CBD regularly, I have been able to introduce some foods back into my diet without any inflammatory symptoms.
Health Benefits of CBD/Cannabidiol
1) CBD Fights Against Cancer
CBD and other chemicals found in Cannabis have an antitumor effect and could be used to improve standard treatments (R).
CBD successfully stopped cancer cells in multiple different cervical cancer cells (R, R2).
CBD increased tumor cell death in leukemia and colon cancer (R, R2, R3).
It also decreased human glioma cell growth and invasion, thus suggesting a possible role of CBD as an antitumor agent (R, R2).
Cannabinoids may be promising tools in combination therapy for breast and prostate cancer, due to their direct antitumor effects, their ability to improve the effectiveness of conventional antitumor drugs, and their usefulness as a treatment to reduce pain (R, R2, R3).
Anticancer Mechanisms:
- CBD decreased the ability of the cancer cells to produce energy, leading to their death (R).
- CBD treatment helps lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells kill cancer cells better (R).
- CBD blocks CPR55 signaling, decreasing cancer cell proliferation.
2) CBD Reduces Inflammation and Autoimmunity
Due to its anti-inflammatory role, CBD is a very promising therapeutic agent for a variety of inflammatory and pain-associated disorders.
CBD Can Blunt Th1 and Th2 Dominance
In a rat model of asthma, both Th1 (IL-6 and TNF-a) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) responses are reduced by CBD treatment (R).
CBD decreased the production and release of inflammatory cytokines such as Th1 (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-6), Th2 (IL-4), and IL-8 (R, R2).
CBD Helps with Th17 Dominance
CBD can help suppressing Th17 dominance, which means that it can help with some Th17-dominant autoimmune diseases (R).
Other Anti-inflammatory Mechanisms:
- CBD reduces the growth and mobilization of neutrophils (R).
- CBD reduces the inflammatory Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1 (MIP-1 alpha, MIP-1beta) (R).
3) CBD May Protect From Neurodegenerative Diseases
CBD was found to prevent toxic effects of neurotransmitter glutamate and radical oxygen species (ROS) in the brain, thus preventing brain cell death (R, R2).
CBD has antioxidant activity greater than vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or vitamin E (α-tocopherol) (R).
CBD may also protect brain cells from beta-amyloid toxicity, making it a potential therapy in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (R, R2).
CBD may also protect the brain from in cases where blood flow is reduced (ischemia) (R, R2).
Early human studies showed a dose-related improvement in patients with Parkinson’s disease treated with 100–600 mg/day of CBD over a 6-week period (R).
However, another study failed to show any beneficial effect of a mixture of THC and CBD either on Parkinson’s disease or dyskinesia (R).
CBD has been shown to reverse cognitive deficits of Alzheimer’s disease in animal models (R).
CBD, due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, may be a promising agent to treat and prolong survival in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients (R).
4) CBD May Relieve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Cannabis derivatives may relieve symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients (R).
A combination of CBD and THC is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of muscle tightness, pain, sleep disturbances, and loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence) in people with multiple sclerosis (R, R2, R3).
5) CBD Has Therapeutic Potential for Schizophrenia
CBD is a potential treatment for psychosis (R, R2).
CBD improves the symptoms of schizophrenia, but the mechanism of action is unknown (R, R2).
Studies suggest that CBD has similar effects as atypical anti-psychotic drugs, but with fewer side effects (R).
6) CBD Helps with Epileptic Seizures
CBD may be a promising therapy for treatment-resistant epilepsy (R, R2).
In a survey including parents of children with treatment-resistant epilepsy, 84% of parents reported a reduction in their child’s seizure frequency while taking CBD (R).
These children also experienced increased alertness, better mood and improved sleep; drowsiness and fatigue occurred as side effects (R).
After 3 months of treatment with a purified 98% oil-based CBD extract, 39% of children with treatment-resistant epilepsy had a more than a 50% reduction in seizures (R).
7 out of 8 patients suffering from secondary generalized epilepsy and resistant to antiepileptic drugs had improvement of their disease state after receiving 200-300 mg/d of cannabidiol for up to 4.5 months (R).
7) CBD Reduces Anxiety
Cannabidiol reduces anxiety in both healthy individuals and patients with social anxiety disorder (R, R2).
Studies showed that CBD significantly reduced anxiety and discomfort caused by public speaking (R, R2).
CBD also reduced anxiety caused by the use of THC (R).
Researchers suggest that it may be effective for panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (R).
CBD is a potential therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment (R).
8) CBD Relieves Pain
Studies suggest that cannabinoids may be a new class of drugs for the treatment of chronic pain (R, R2).
CBD significantly decreased chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain in rodents (R).
Cannabidiol, especially in a combination with THC, shows promising results for the treatment of postoperative pain, chronic pain associated with multiple sclerosis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and neuropathic pain (R, R2, R3).
Sativex, a combination of CBD and THC as a sublingual spray, is effective in treating neuropathic pain in patients with multiple sclerosis and in cancer patients with advanced pain (R, R2).
Study had showed that CBD and opioids act together to relieve pain (R).
9) CBD May Be Beneficial in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Due to its anti-inflammatory effect, cannabinoids may provide relief of joint pain and swelling, and decrease joint destruction and disease progression (R).
Administration of CBD protected joints against severe damage, decreased progression and produced improvement of arthritis in animal models (R).
The first controlled trial showed that administration of Sativex over five weeks produced significant improvements in intensity of pain on movement and at rest, quality of sleep, and inflammation. No serious adverse effects were observed (R).
10) Cannabidiol Relieves Nausea and Increases Appetite
Study showed that CBD relieved nausea and vomiting when it was given to rats (R).
Researchers found that CBD in low doses decreases nausea and vomiting produced by toxic drugs, but in high doses it increases nausea or has no effect in animal models (R, R2).
THC is an approved drug used to treat nausea and vomiting (dronabinol) in human patient, but clinical studies proving the efficacy of CBD are needed in humans (R).
According to the National Cancer Institute, CBD increases appetite by binding to cannabinoid receptors in the body (R).
11) Cannabidiol Lowers Incidence of Diabetes
The study which included 4,657 adult men and women showed that current marijuana use was associated with 16% lower fasting insulin levels, and smaller waist circumferences, a factor connected to the onset of diabetes (R).
Cannabidiol significantly reduces the development of diabetes in young non-obese mice, from 86% in non-treated mice to only 30% in mice treated with CBD (R, R2).
Cannabidiol can inhibit and delay the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic cells and the production of inflammatory cytokines in diabetics (R).
This data strengthen assumptions that CBD, which is known to be safe in man, can possibly be used as a therapeutic agent for treatment of type 1 diabetes at an early stage of the disease (R).”
CBD oil is now easily available to purchase online or at your local nutrition store. My two favorite brands are from Charlotte’s Web and Kat’s Natural’s. Also, keep in mind that if you purchase whole plant CBD oil, it does contain small amounts of THC. Therefore, there is the possibility of testing positive for marijuana if given a drug test. Should you be worried about this, just buy the oil that does not contain all plant parts.
To continue reading the other benefits of CBD oil, go over to the selfhacked.com website by clicking the link below:
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