CBD, commonly found in marijuana (also referred to as marijuana) and hemp plants, may help relieve pain, reduce inflammation and anxiety without producing mind-altering effects like those caused by THC. Recently approved by the FDA as a prescription drug to treat two rare seizure disorders.
Analgesia
Pain management practitioners have begun exploring cannabis and herbal products as potential analgesic solutions, due to the ongoing opioid crisis and an urgent desire to find safe solutions for chronic pain patients.
CBD is a compound in cannabis plants that does not cause an intoxicating high but has many health advantages. It affects your endocannabinoid system (ECS) as well as other receptor systems in your body, while increasing production of anandamide, an anxiolytic chemical found in your brain that reduces pain perception and boosts mood.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of cannabinoids in relieving pain and improving quality of life for people living with fibromyalgia, yet more research is required to ascertain an ideal dosage. A recent research paper from New England Journal of Medicine suggested CBD could help control seizures caused by epilepsy; similarly, Epidiolex (a pharmaceutical version of CBD) has recently been approved by FDA for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome treatment.
Anti-inflammatory
CBD is one of the 85 phytocannabinoids found in cannabis that bind to physiological targets in the human endocannabinoid system, providing various therapeutic properties, including analgesia, anticonvulsant activity, muscle relaxation and anxiety relief as well as neuroprotective, antidepressant and antipsychotic properties.
Reducing inflammation requires inhibiting production of proinflammatory cytokines and decreasing inflammation levels. Furthermore, CBD has antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties; furthermore it can prevent cell growth through inducing autophagy and encouraging apoptosis.
Cannabigivarin, another natural phytocannabinoid with anti-inflammatory activity, has low affinity for CB1 and CB2 receptors while selectively desensitizing TRPV1 receptors. Furthermore, cannabigivarin protects cells against oxidative stress by increasing antioxidant activity while simultaneously blocking pro-oxidant pathways; additionally it may promote intercellular adhesion molecule 1 expression and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 expression.
Anti-psychotic
Animal and clinical studies indicate that an imbalance of the endogenous cannabinoid system may contribute to schizophrenia. Elevated levels of anandamide have been found to correlate with psychotic symptoms among schizophrenia patients; cannabidiol (a non-psychoactive cannabinoid) has been found to prevent degradation of anandamide in rodents while having antipsychotic properties in two behavioral tests performed on rhesus monkeys: visuospatial Paired Associates Learning task (vsPAL) and Self-Ordered Spatial Search task (SOSST).
These findings indicate that CBD may possess various central actions which contribute to its antipsychotic activity. Furthermore, a recent clinical trial concluded that cannabidiol was as effective as amisulpride for treating psychotic symptoms; however, the study was small-scale and did not utilize placebo controls.
Anti-cancer
Cannabis sativa boasts many therapeutic properties. Its phytocannabinoids – specifically CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – have shown anti-cancer benefits in pre-clinical studies, while THC may cause cognitive impairment or be psychoactive; CBD on the other hand has no such side effects and no potential for abuse – meaning it can help alleviate some symptoms associated with cancer treatment, including pain relief, nausea/vomiting relief, poor sleep quality and neuropathy.
CBD interacts with several cannabinoid receptors, including CB1 and CB2 receptors, to alter cell functions. According to one study, CBD induced apoptosis in leukemic cells and enhanced chemotherapy drug cytotoxicity when combined with them; additionally it suppressed extracellular microvesicles release that contribute to drug resistance.
Anti-anxiety
CBD, a component of Cannabis sativa, has long been recognized for its wide-ranging pharmacological effects as an anxiolytic. Both preclinical and human experimental studies demonstrate this impact – it reduces anxiety-related behavior, autonomic arousal levels and expression. Furthermore, studies demonstrate CBD’s anxiolytic-like qualities include enhanced fear extinction techniques such as reconsolidation blockade as well as protection from long-term anxiogenic stress responses.
While various medications are available to treat anxiety, they often come with harmful side effects. THC in particular has been shown to worsen long-term anxiety by increasing paranoia and impairing cognition; however, research has demonstrated that adding CBD can significantly decrease their anxiety-inducing effects; in one study where participants received CBD prior to undertaking public speaking tests the results demonstrated it significantly reduced levels of anxiety.
