Since cannabis has been increasingly legalized throughout the world, the scientific community (and the public!) just can’t seem to get enough. For many, it isn’t the high they’re after, but the life-saving medicine the plant has to offer. One of the most potent ways to get all the good–without the bad–is by taking CBD hemp oil or CBD cannabis oil.
What is CBD Oil?
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is made from strains of cannabis that contain low levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is what makes marijuana psychoactive. CBD oil is high in cannabinoids, a group of phytochemicals found in cannabis plants.
Cannabis has been used all over the world for millennia to treat various illness and disease. The Western scientific significance of cannabinoids for human health has become more well-known in recent years, however, now that the stigma surrounding marijuana and its family is lifting.
Other plants commonly used to promote human health contain these substances. Plus, the human body creates its own cannabinoids and contains millions of cannabinoid receptors, mostly in the brain, central nervous system, and immune system. (1)
Cannabinoids play a fundamental role in the body since the endocannabinoid system regulates homeostasis, or general state of balance. Thus, it impacts and regulates mood, sleep, appetite, hormone regulation, and pain and immune response. (2)
With current research into CBD and its effects on the body, science has begun to discover all the ways in which these phytochemicals interact to fix our many ills.
CBD Oil Uses
Here 13 reasons to give CBD oil a try!
1. CBD Oil for Cancer
The number of scientific studies on the effects of cannabinoids on cancer is growing. Thus far, studies have been limited because cannabis is still illegal in many countries.
Nevertheless, people who have taken their health into their own hands to use cannabis in treating their cancers have, in many cases, been completely cured of it.
In every one of the clinical studies now published, cannabis has been found to kill cancer cells. (3) Even the National Cancer Institute in the United States now admits that cannabis is powerfully effective in the treatment of cancer.
2. CBD Oil for Autism
CBD hemp oil is particularly effective in treating neurological disorders. With the incidence of autism spectrum disorders increasing at a frightening rate, the medical community is scrambling for treatments.
As mentioned, cannabinoid receptors in the body mainly exist in the central nervous system. Endocannabinosignalinging in the brain does not occur normally in people with autism. (4)
The use of CBD oil restores cannabinoid balance and enables appropriate neurological communication, removing the cause and symptoms of autism. (5)
3. Cannabis Oil for ADHD
Similar to autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) results from impairment of neurotransmitters.
Cannabis raises the level of dopamine in the brain. (6) This is one of the pleasure hormones that promotes positive emotion. The same effect is the aim of ADHD drugs like Adderall and Ritalin.
The difference is that the pharmaceuticals stimulate dopamine production and then bind to it, affecting how it behaves and is metabolized.
Because cannabinoids work in the brain and regulate hormones, they release dopamine and the stimulating effect follows its natural course.
4. CBD Oil for Seizures
Used in children with epilepsy, cannabis stops seizures, preventing permanent damage and allowing them to live a normal life. Furthermore, 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to conventional treatment, resulting in high mortality rates.
A 2015 study found that cannabidiol was extremely effective in reducing seizures in those for whom conventional treatment was ineffective. (7)
According to a more recent study: “Most of the children (66/74, 89%) reported reduction in seizure frequency: 13 (18%) reported 75-100% reduction, 25 (34%) reported 50-75% reduction, 9 (12%) reported 25-50% reduction, and 19 (26%) reported <25% reduction.
Five (7%) patients reported aggravation of seizures which led to CBD withdrawal. In addition, we observed improvement in behavior and alertness, language, communication, motor skills and sleep.” (8)
This is partly because CBD inhibits glutamate release; this amino acid plays an active role in the genesis of epileptic seizures. (9)
5. Cannabis and Anxiety
A unique study at Vanderbilt University in 2014 discovered for the first time that endocannabinoid receptors exist in the amygdala sections of the brain. The amygdala is responsible for experiencing emotion. (10) This explains why cannabinoids affect emotion.
The experience of an individual varies and is dependent on several factors, including environment and unique personal chemistry.
Cannabinoids affect certain emotions more than others, specifically fear, stress, and anxiety.
In many people, emotional regulation by the brain’s receptors induced by cannabis results in a calming effect with the consequential reduction in anxiety. (11)
6. Marijuana Oil for Crohn’s Disease
Because CBD interacts with endocannabinoids in the immune system, it is very effective in treating Crohn’s and other immunoinflammatory diseases. Cannabis reduces pain, relieves diarrhea, relaxes gastrointestinal spasms, and decreases inflammation.
One study published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal in 2013 found that in half of the subjects of the study, marijuana put their Crohn’s disease into complete remission, improved appetite and sleep, and showed no adverse side effects. (12)
7. CBD Oil For Alzheimer’s
Again due to the endocannibinoid receptors in the brain, CBD oil provides protective effects on neurological function. In addition, it removes the protein in the brain that plaque and reduces neuron inflammation—precursors to Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. (13)
8. Cannabis Oil for Liver Health
Fatty liver and cirrhosis are degenerative diseases of the liver. Cannabinoid receptors exist in liver tissue. Cannabis oil prevents liver cell oxidation, a key factor in the deterioration of the liver.
Secondly, after liver surgery (including transplantation), a common complication is not attaining a steady oxygen supply to the organ for healing, causing tissue damage.
Cannabinoids moderate oxygen transfer, promoting energy storage and reducing energy demand, thereby reducing the risk of damage. Lastly, CBD reduces insulin resistance, with implications for the management of diabetes. (14)