CBD oil is the latest alternative medicine to make the news; although it’s been around for a while, it’s seen a recent surge in popularity as researchers start to uncover and prove the various health benefits of this treatments.
In the post below, we’ll help answer any questions that you may have about CBD and the proven benefits it can have to a variety of different conditions and health issues.
Table of Contents
What is CBD oil?
CBD oil is a medical cannabis-based product that is used by some people to treat various medical conditions and relieve their symptoms.
CBD refers to cannabidiol, which is one of the numerous chemical compounds (known collectively as cannabinoids) found in the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids make up the different characteristics of the cannabis plant such as its color, aroma and taste.
Despite the connotations of being a chemical from the cannabis plant, CBD is a non-psychoactive compound cannot get the user “high.”
The psychoactive chemical compound that affects brain function is called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This is the chemical that we associate with smoking to “get high.” It comes from the marijuana plant, which is a subspecies of the cannabis plant family.
CBD has a more therapeutic effect on the body instead, and as a result, is used by patients to help with various medical conditions, ease symptoms and improve health.
The proven benefits of CBD oil
CBD oil has a range of natural, positive properties which means it can be used to benefit users who suffer from a range of medical conditions to improve their overall health and ease any troubling symptoms.
CBD is still being studied to establish the full extent of its ability to treat health issues, but existing research has already established some benefits to using CBD oils and other products.
Below, we’ve listed some of the key health benefits of CBD oil:
Relieving pain and easing inflammation
CBD has natural pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties, which means that can be used to help alleviate pain and manage chronic pain syndromes.
This means that it can help users with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis deal with chronic pain, muscle spasms, stiffness, and inflammation.
CBD oil is often used by patients as an effective natural alternative to strong painkillers that can cause strong side effects and be unpleasant to take.
Treating depression and anxiety
Depression and anxiety are extremely common mental health problems that can hugely impact wellbeing, physical health, and the way someone lives their life.
CBD oils can be used to treat mental health problems like depression and anxiety, and can even help with PTSD, OCD, and insomnia. This is down to CBD’s effect on the brain’s serotonin receptors, which reduces anxiety, and regulates mood and social behavior.
As with painkillers, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications can come with unpleasant side effects like stomach pains and drowsiness, and can even be addictive. This is why some sufferers have started turning to CBD oils as an alternative method to treat depression and anxiety disorders.
Helping with neurological diseases & disorders
Research is still being carried out into CBD’s effectiveness for treating neurological disorders, but researchers believe that CBD has neuroprotective properties and can act on the body’s endocannabinoid system to ease symptoms.
For example, CBD has been shown to reduce seizures in epilepsy patients, as well as reducing muscle spasticity in MS patients, and helping people with Parkinson’s disease.
Further research is being done to investigate CBD’s effect on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s; using it could safely reduce inflammation in the brain and slow down the development of such diseases.
Reducing cancer-related symptoms & treatment side effects
CBD oils can help to alleviate cancer-related pain and other symptoms. It can also reduce nausea and vomiting that are common side effects of powerful cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.
CBD has also been found to inhibit the spread of aggressive cancer cells in mice, and even kill cancerous cells in other studies; further research needs to be done to fully establish the impact that using CBD could have on cancer patients.
The side effects of CBD oil
As well as having proven benefits for multiple different conditions and health problems, CBD comes with very few side effects. In fact, side effects are extremely rare in users.
The most common side effect experienced by people who have used CBD oils is tiredness. Other, more uncommon, side effects include a change in appetite, mild stomach upsets, diarrhea, dry skin and a dry mouth (CBD inhibits the secretion of saliva, which can leave some users with a dry mouth).
Buying and using CBD oil
Buying and using CBD oil is legal in the USA and many other countries around the world, as long as it contains an extremely low level of THC (0.3% or less).
As the popularity of CBD oil has soared over the last few years, so has the number of online CBD suppliers. This means you can buy CBD oil easily online from supplier websites such as Sol CBD, who can offer various CBD products that come in a range of strengths and flavors. This essentially means you can find the CBD product that suits you best — whether it’s oil (which you drop under your tongue or on your gums), or tablets, balms, vapes or even gummies.
As you can see, CBD oil has numerous proven health benefits. It can help relieve pain, treat mental disorders, reduce the symptoms of neurological diseases and combat the side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. These are just some of the uses for CBD that we already know about — research is still being carried out to see what this alternative medicine can do to help people everywhere. If you’re considering using CBD oil, we’d recommend consulting a medical professional first.
