Just a few years ago, the mainstream public wanted nothing to do with CBD – a product associated with marijuana. Not only was CBD considered a gray legal area, many feared consuming a substance made from cannabis – the same plant that produces marijuana – would lead to addictive behavior and worse.
Today, the rapidly-growing CBD market generates $2 billion in sales with nearly 7% of Americans using CBD in 2019, which is projected to grow to 10% by 2025. More than one-third of adult Americans have tried CBD at least once.
So what happened?
It wasn’t easy, but slowly the public and legislators learned the truth about cannabidiol oil (CBD). And it goes something like this:
Not all cannabis plants are created equally. Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants in the Cannabaceae family, which consists of three primary species: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
Marijuana is a term (somewhat difunctionally used) to classify varieties of cannabis that contain more than 0.3% THC by dry weight. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the compound found in some species of cannabis that is psychoactive and gives you the feeling of being high. In fact, there are cannabis plants that contain up to 30% THC.
Hemp on the other hand is a term used to classify varieties of cannabis that contain 0.3% or less THC content (by dry weight). For thousands of years, hemp-type cannabis has produced crucial resources such as food, rope, clothing, paper and housing material.
CBD is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoid compounds in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract.
Note that both marijuana and hemp-type cannabis plants may contain high levels of CBD, but only hemp cannabis with the low levels of THC are now classified as a non controlled substance under the DEA’s Controlled Substances Act.
This came about due to an important clarification known as the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalizes the (regulated) manufacture of hemp products including CBD.
The health benefits associated with CBD could pretty much fill an e-book – in fact they do fill e-books as well as whole websites. A few of the primary claims is that CBD can relieve pain, subdue anxiety and help its users sleep better.
It’s not exactly clear how CBD works, but it’s believed to impact the brain. The exact cause for these effects is not clear. However, cannabidiol may prevent the breakdown of a chemical in the brain that affects pain, mood, and mental function.
On the pain claim, its supporters believe CBD can regulate pain by influencing our bodies to use its own endocannabinoids more effectively. The human body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) that receives and translates signals from cannabinoids. It produces some cannabinoids of its own, which are called endocannabinoids. The ECS helps to regulate functions such as sleep, immune-system responses, and pain.
CBD is also believed to limit inflammation in the brain and nervous system, which may benefit people experiencing anxiety and insomnia.
Many believe a topical application of CBD can relieve pain and inflammation associated with arthritis as well as treat psoriasis, promote anti-aging and reduce symptoms of epidermolysis bullosa (rare inherited skin disorders).
About 9% of the population suffers from acne. CBD has been used to treat acne, which is caused by a number of factors including the overproduction of sebum, an oily secretion made by sebaceous glands in the skin. CBD is marketed to help treat acne due to its anti-inflammatory properties and reported ability to reduce sebum production.
Additionally, CBD may also play a role in helping to reduce seizures. Seizures are surges of electrical activity in the brain that occur at inappropriate times. Underlying conditions, such as epilepsy, can cause seizures. About 30% of people with epilepsy have difficulty controlling their symptoms using traditional methods.
CBD may also help reduce symptoms related to cancer and side effects related to cancer treatment, like nausea, vomiting and pain. CBD may also help reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, which are among the most common chemotherapy-related side effects for those with cancer.
And it’s not just humans who benefit from CBD, according to CBD manufacturers. PETS, like humans, possess an endocannabinoid system as well. Those who feel CBD benefits pets (primarily dogs and cats), claim CBD has a myriad therapeutic effects such as reducing or stopping seizures, reducing pain, relieving anxiety, helping with arthritis, aiding with digestive disorders and improving memory and mood.
Furthermore, it is believed that CBD can help speed up healing and increase appetite in pets that are recovering from illness or surgery.
The extraction process for both animal and human CBD is the same. So, CBD products meant for humans are essentially the same thing as CBD oil for pets with just a few minor differences in potency and flavor options.
Though normally well tolerated, some reported side effects of CBD include dry mouth, low blood pressure, light headedness, and drowsiness. Signs of liver injury have also been reported in some patients, but this is less common. Still, people with liver disease may need to use lower doses of cannabidiol compared to healthy patients.
There’s also been some research suggesting that muscle movement may become worse in people with Parkinson’s disease if high doses of CBD are taken.
Although rare, nausea, fatigue and irritability have also been reported as side effects. Additionally, users should keep in mind that CBD can increase the level in your blood of the blood thinner coumadin and it can raise levels of certain other medications in your blood the same way grapefruit does.
Also use caution if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
However, the No. 1 concern is that not all CBD is the same. Non-pharmaceutical CBD is marketed and sold as a supplement rather than a medication. What this means is that the safety and purity of CBD (as well as all dietary supplements) is not regulated. Different manufacturers produce different grades of CBD containing variable elements in addition to the CBD. Generally, CBD oil for sale is a mixture of CBD and a carrier oil such as coconut, olive or some other ingestible oil. There are no regulations specifying the percentage of CBD to the ingestible oils. It’s also possible that ingredients may include other cannabinoids other than CBD.
There’s that, and currently it’s unclear what the most effective therapeutic dose is for any particular medical condition.
CBD comes in several forms: oil, capsules, gummies, salve – even vaping. Using a CBD tincture is one of the easiest ways to consume CBD oil. Simply fill the dropper, administer the oil under your tongue, then hold it there for 30 to 90 seconds before swallowing to facilitate the CBD getting into your blood stream and working faster.
However, the biggest complaint about this method is there’s really no way to know how much to take. Generally the advice is to start out with a little and increase the dosage if necessary. It appears that different people – and animals – respond to different dosages of CBD. Most of the human studies use dosages start at 20 milligrams (mg) per day and go up from there.
With that said, many CBD oil users abide by this dosage formula: Take 1–6 mg of CBD for every 10 pounds of body weight based on the individual’s level of pain. Of course other variables involved include the severity of the condition you’re treating and the concentration of the CBD.
It might be wise to keep track of how much CBD oil you’re taking and whether your symptoms are getting better. Better yet, talk it over with your health professional.
CBD capsules may be a more accurate way to take CBD. CBD capsules are filled with an exact amount of CBD so they should provide a truly accurate way to dose CBD. If your optimal CBD dosage is 16 mg to 25 mg, then simply buy a bottle of 20 mg or 25 mg capsules and you’re good to go.
Vaping CBD is another application method that can be done using a CBD e-liquid or CBD cartridge system.
When using an e-liquid to vape CBD, people commonly start by estimating how much CBD is in a dropper (just like with a tincture). Once users know this, they know how much CBD they are putting into a single tank. As the CBD user vapes throughout the day, they need to keep an eye on refilling their tank, and how many times they need to refill their tank. But again, dosage is kind of a guess based on results.
Then there’s CBD gummies, a form of cannabidiol edibles. Some feel gummies are an easy, tasty and discrete way to consume CBD. There’s a wide held belief that CBD gummies can be great for newbies and also help facilitate dosing. The downside is that it takes longer for the CBD in edibles to get into your blood systems because of the digestive process involved.
And yet another popular application is topical CBD in cream and salve form, which is used primarily to relieve pain in joints and muscles. Generally, users of topical CBD apply a small amount to their problem areas and give it up to an hour to work. If they experience nothing, then they apply a little more, re-applying the topical CBD every three to four hours.
Overall, empirical testing of CBD has met with mixed results. Some of the strongest scientific evidence for its effectiveness has been in treating cruel childhood epilepsy syndromes such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome which typically don’t respond well to mainstream antiseizure medications. Numerous studies have shown how CBD was able to reduce the number of seizures and in some instances able to stop them altogether.
Chronic pain affects between 50 and 116 million American adults, a staggering number that surpasses those affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. It then is no surprise that so many are turning to CBD for pain relief. Since the early 2000s, clinical trials involving CBD for the treatment of chronic pain have shown a wide range of results: from makes little difference, to CBD being highly effective.
As reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), several studies have shown that CBD may help reduce chronic pain by impacting endocannabinoid receptor activity, reducing inflammation and interacting with neurotransmitters.
Several human studies have found that a combination of CBD and THC is effective in treating pain related to multiple sclerosis and arthritis. Because of this, an oral spray called Sativex, which is a combination of THC and CBD, is approved in several countries (not including the U.S.) to treat pain related to multiple sclerosis.
There have also been studies attesting to the efficacy of topical CBD. For example, a study with 20 patients published in 2019 in Clinical Therapeutics, found that a CBD ointment used over three months for psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and scars significantly improved symptoms and signs of the skin disorders.
Some of the more propitious studies have shown CBD as a promising anti-acne agent. Most of the research surrounding acne and CBD is related to CBD’s power in stopping the processes known to cause acne, such as excess oil buildup. One of the most encouraging studies was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
However, human studies verifying anti-aging and other skin care benefits of topical CBD are lacking. Yet, manufacturers advertise that the antioxidants in CBD are one way topical use helps lessen the visible signs of aging including visibly diminishing issues like wrinkles and skin dullness.
On the other hand, some studies do back health claims that CBD helps with anxiety and insomnia. These qualities are linked to CBD’s ability to act on the brain’s receptors for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and social behavior.
Regarding CBD and pets: Analysts predict the CBD pet care market will reach $125 million by 2022, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of the CBD market. But is it safe?
While research is somewhat limited, an impressive 2018 study reported in NCBI proved that dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) showed a “significant decrease in pain and increase in activity.”
There is also considerable anecdotal proof of CBD’s positive impact on the health of pets. This includes my own experience in administering CBD to my aging Airedale who was experiencing symptoms of chronic pain. Not only did the CBD help manage the pain, it also improved the dog’s skin and fur color.
Generally CBD for pets is given in oil form (with an eye dropper) or in chewable treats.
There are also promising in vitro and in vivo studies relating to cancer and CBD. In addition, evidences obtained during the last 15 years support that these compounds can reduce tumor growth in animal models of cancer.
Cannabinoids have been shown to activate an ER-stress related pathway that leads to the stimulation of autophagy-mediated cancer cell death. Cannabinoids may inhibit tumor angiogenesis and decrease cancer cell migration. The mechanisms of resistance to cannabinoid anticancer action as well as the possible strategies to develop cannabinoid-based combinational therapies to fight cancer have also started to be explored.
An especially hopeful 2019 study indicated that CBD could provoke cell death and make glioblastoma cells more sensitive to radiation, but with no effect on healthy cells.
Cannabinoids from cannabis have been reported to improve health conditions for people for thousands of years. The anecdotal health benefits are substantial. There’s also scientific backing, although a lot more needs to be done in this arena with human subjects.
There appears to be two very important factors that have a profound impact on whether or not CBD will provide health benefits. One of those factors is that CBD seems to benefit some people more than others. For instance, a February 2019 study published in Scientific Reports found that cannabis products with higher THC levels were associated with greater symptom relief among more than 3,000 people, but CBD products (with no THC) were not.
The other main factor – often avoided in CBD discussions – has to do with the quality of the product.
There are three main variations of CBD:
- Full-spectrum CBD contains all the phytochemicals that occur naturally in the cannabis plant including trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive compound in marijuana.
- Broad-spectrum CBD contains all the phytochemicals that are in the cannabis plant but no THC.
- CBD isolate is the pure form of CBD. This becomes a fine white powder that contains 99% cannabidiol, stripping out all other plant components in the refining process.
There has been considerable disagreement among CBD manufacturers over which product is best. Much of the infighting has to with what’s known as the entourage effect.
In whole plant (non-conventional) medicine, the entourage effect refers to hundreds of natural components within a plant interacting together and with the human body to produce a stronger impact than with any one of those components used alone. The combination of these multiple compounds in their natural state is what produces a synergy.
Full-spectrum CBD may benefit from the entourage effect because the plant’s natural components working together have not been eliminated, as is the case with CBD isolate.
For several years I worked as the senior editor for HoneyColony, an e-commerce site that promotes health through community-curated knowledge. I wrote and edited quite a few stores about CBD, including the impact of the entourage effect.
While there are still relatively few studies taking a hard look at whole plant medicines, it’s generally believed that there’s a greater efficacy of whole plant medicines over isolates thanks to the entourage effect.
A 2015 groundbreaking study from Israel documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant CBD-rich cannabis extract as compared to single-molecule cannabidiol (isolate).
This is believed true because once consumed, whole plant CBD acts on the body’s endocannabinoid system to promote homeostasis and is a vital “cellular-signaling system” that is involved in modulating pain, appetite, mood, memory, and cellular life and death cycles.
Apparently, CBD processing is also critical.
CBD gurus such as clinical herbalist Elizabeth Moriarty, recommends buying full-spectrum CBD that is processed by supercritical (or subcritical) CO2 extraction. This method uses carbon dioxide under high pressure and extremely low temperatures to isolate, preserve, and maintain the purity of the medicinal oil.
Also check out CBD sourcing. According to Moriarty, the quality of CBD oil is really based on its source, that is, where it was grown, how it was grown, and the species of cannabis. Look for brands that source their cannabinoids from organic-certified, hemp-grown farms in pristine regions of Europe.
It should also be pointed out that the pharmaceutical industry now sells a synthetic CBD isolate called Epidiolex. It was originally approved in 2018 for the treatment of two conditions, both related to epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Aside from Epidiolex, no CBD product has been approved by the FDA for any other medical purpose.
The jury is still out on its effectiveness compared to natural, full-spectrum CBD.
