The use of cannabis has always evoked mixed reactions in people. It is a relaxing agent for some people and a dangerous drug for others. Most nations have classified the use of cannabis as illegal, and its consumption could prove to be a punishable offense. However, many states in the U.S, as well as other countries, are now accepting the medical uses of CBD – the chemical found in it.
A lot of you may be aware of what CBD is. Perhaps some of you are already using it too. But there are still many who either doubt it or don’t have much idea about its use. Does cannabis offer health benefits? If so, are there any side effects? Is it safe to use it as a medicine? We’ll be answering these and many more questions in this article, as we discuss CBD, and how it can treat certain conditions.
History Of Medical Use Of Cannabis
The concept of using cannabis as a medicine is not a discovery. Even ancient civilizations used cannabis as an ingredient when concocting certain medicines. There are some scriptures and pieces of evidence that suggest how they consumed cannabis plants, either as food or mixing with other herbs to make natural medicines.
What Is CBD?
The cannabis plant contains different types of chemicals, which are also called cannabinoids. One of the most prominent cannabinoids is THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical in cannabis that makes a person ‘high’.
Cannabidiol, abbreviated as CBD, is also a chemical found naturally in the cannabis plant. It does not induce any psychoactive effects meaning you can’t get high from CBD. Instead, it offers some useful properties such as relief from physical pain or mental anxiety. That is why the use of CBD for medical purposes is growing gradually.
CBD is extracted from hemp – cannabis plants that are specially grown to contain very low amounts of THC. Cannabis can be also be grown at home, you just need to know how to germinate cannabis seeds.
Medical Properties And Health Benefits Of CBD
Researchers are still studying the medical properties of CBD, and there is a lot more to discover. Many diseases are believed to be treatable with CBD, or at least their symptoms alleviated to an extent.
Having said that, there are a few medical properties of CBD that are backed by stronger evidence and case studies, which are explained below.
Pain Relief Properties
Pain relief is one of the most efficient CBD balm uses. There are many research papers published on the National Institutes of Health website that demonstrate pain-relieving properties of CBD.
Random trials in both humans and animals suggest that CBD minimizes pain by targeting certain receptors in the brain. It also offers anti-inflammatory properties which can be useful to alleviate chronic pain and inflammation. Many people who have used CBD products for pain management have reported improvement in their conditions.
With more research, the idea of using CBD for chronic pain and other similar conditions is a promising prospect.
Treating Seizures
Many studies have shown strong results to conclude that CBD gummies uses can effectively treat seizures. You can more details on how to best use these forms at https://cbdnationwide.com/gummies/In fact, out of all the different conditions that CBD is believed to treat, the strongest evidence is for seizures. It can even relieve the symptoms of conditions such as epilepsy in younger kids, provided it’s used in the right doses.
An interesting fact is that only one CBD product has been approved by the FDA – a prescription drug for severe epilepsy. This speaks volumes about the effectiveness of CBD for treating seizures.
Treating Anxiety Disorders
A lot of people are turning to CBD to treat anxiety disorders. This is one of the effective CBD salve uses.
Be it due to heredity or other external factors, many people suffer from various kinds of anxiety disorders. And in today’s hyper-competitive world, a person’s daily life and surroundings can make their anxiety go from bad to worse.
People who have tried the general medications but failed to get results are now considering to try CBD products. Many of them have reported positive results. While hard scientific proof is still lacking, some studies have demonstrated the reduction of anxiety symptoms in rats and other animals by using CBD.
Thus, there are pieces of evidence that suggest that CBD can treat the symptoms of anxiety disorder.
Treating Skin Conditions and Acne
Acne and many other skin conditions are usually a result of some type of inflammation. As such, CBD with its anti-inflammatory properties can treat those conditions. A 2014 study showed that CBD can decrease the production of sebum, a substance that is one of the causes of acne.
CBD also possesses antioxidant properties which further helps to treat some skin conditions. And with time, we will only learn more about the hemp CBD oil uses, especially against conditions such as rashes and psoriasis.
Miscellaneous Benefits of CBD
Apart from the four major conditions explained above, CBD is also believed to be helpful in the treatment of certain types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and even diabetes. However, due to lack of standard level research and clinical trials, the evidence for these claims, while not outright false, is also not entirely reliable.
Downsides of CBD and Its Medicinal Uses
Although there is an array of CBD isolate uses, there are some disadvantages of CBD products. But these are mainly due to the status of the cannabis plant itself. Even though many places are legalizing the use of CBD products, it is still illegal in most locations. As such, it creates two problems for the use of CBD
Lack of Product Testing
In many states in the U.S., CBD is now legal. But on a federal level, the use of CBD has not been nationally legalized. As such, CBD products are not tested and approved by regulatory bodies. It means that there is no surety of whether such products are manufactured safely with the appropriate ingredients
Problems with Future Research
Due to the illegal status of the cannabis plant, it becomes extremely difficult to get the green light for a large scale, standardized test and clinical trial for the use of CBD. It is one of the biggest obstacles that researchers in the CBD industry are facing.
Final Notes
CBD is still neither legal nor available in many places. Still, its growing popularity as an alternative medicine to many illnesses, ailments, and conditions. There’s no major risk involved in using CBD, as it does not have psychoactive properties like THC.
Still, if you plan to use CBD for treating any condition, never self-administer and always consult your doctor first. Cannabidiol can help you treat your illness, but you should always exercise precautions and discuss the matter with a medical professional.
