What Is CBD & Its Benefits? – The Ultimate Guide To Cannabidiol

On Oct 28, 2020

So, what is CBD? Short for Cannabidiol, CBD is one of over 100 compounds called cannabinoids that are found in cannabis plants. You might be thinking, “Isn’t that where marijuana comes from?” Yes, but unlike the mind-altering compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it will not get you high.

Since CBD does not cause psychoactive effects, it is an excellent option for people seeking the benefits of cannabis products without the high or breaking federal law. CBD products containing less than 0.3% THC are derived from industrial hemp plants, which became federally legal for cultivation by state authorized institutions after the 2014 Farm Bill was signed. The updated 2018 Farm Bill will remove hemp from the DEA’s list of controlled substances which will also increase the exposure of potential medical CBD benefits.

Industrial hemp is a derivative of the cannabis plant that contains large amounts of CBD and low amounts of THC. CBD can be extracted from industrial hemp to make legal hemp oil, which has been the center of many recent research studies for its promising hemp CBD benefits.

Although CBD was discovered in the 1940s, research has been slow due to the legal status of cannabis over the last century. This past decade however, CBD has eliminated its negative stigma of being associated with marijuana, and many medical professionals have recommended it to help cope with various health conditions.

CBD first received national recognition in 2013, when CNN featured a documentary about Charlotte Figi, a little girl with a severe case of Dravet syndrome. When Charlotte was five years old, she was experiencing nearly 300 seizures a week and no treatments seemed to help control her seizures. Absolutely devastated, her family desperately searched for an alternative to conventional treatments. Using cannabis to treat a child’s epilepsy was very controversial at the time, but when Charlotte began taking extracted CBD hemp oil, her seizures miraculously began to cease. The entire world took notice of this incident, and research began for the potential medical CBD benefits. Many studies have generated positive results, which has made the demand for the supplement skyrocket.

Medical studies suggest that CBD benefits may occur if used as natural medicine for treating a multitude of other health conditions. CBD has also become vastly popular amongst medical marijuana patients that are bothered by the psychoactive effects of marijuana or do not wish to inhale smoke.

How Does CBD Work?

CBD works by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), which was discovered by Raphael Mechoulam about thirty years ago. When Dr. David Allen, a retired cardiac surgeon and cannabinoid research scientist, commented on his thoughts about the discovery of the ECS, he said, “The discovery of the endocannabinoid system is the single most important medical, scientific discovery ever. More people will be saved by manipulation of the endocannabinoid system than are currently saved by surgery.”

There is no denying that the ECS has been a remarkable discovery for humanity as it is the largest neurotransmitter system in the human body. The ECS contains receptors that regulate bodily functions such as mood, pain, memory, appetite, metabolism, bone development, sleep, and immune function. The receptors, which are categorized as CB1 and CB2, are activated by natural endocannabinoids produced by the human body as well as by plant cannabinoids.

Although cannabidiol does minimal binding with these two cannabinoid receptors, it regulates several non-cannabinoid receptors and ion channels located in the ECS to evoke potential CBD benefits. CBD also acts through several receptor-independent pathways—for instance, by prolonging the reuptake of endogenous neurotransmitters and by either boosting or reducing the binding of some G-protein coupled receptors.

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