ABOUT CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD) research is constantly showing how useful CBD is with regard to health and wellness. You’ll be amazed at what CBD (and CBG) can do! Check out some of these links below (beware – CBD research is the only thing addictive about CBD!)
CBD has clinically been shown to have tremendous promise for addressing a wide range of health issues. Typically extracted from hemp, which is part of the cannabis family, it’s known for being non-psychoactive (does not produce an intoxicating “high”). Medical studies also state that CBD has a side-effect profile that is better than many prescribed medications.
Scientific reports state that CBD is one of the many special plant molecules in cannabis which are called cannabinoids. Several cannabinoids are known to have antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, and some are known to support the reduction of inflammation, reduce discomfort, increase mental focus, and support relief from serious conditions such as epilepsy. CBD is a cannabinoid that supports the endocannabiniod system (ECS) which is key in the functioning of all the nerves throughout our body. Our nerves play a major role in brain activity, digestion, mood stability, pain management, and our daily balance of sleep patterns and focus. Families are increasingly sharing positive experiences that confirm these scientific reports.
CBD has been credited with relieving numerous medical conditions, such as epilepsy, anxiety, inflammation, insomnia, and pain. There are more and more studies of the benefits and safety of CBD emerging every month. Here are nine medical conditions where CBD may be, or, has already proven to be, beneficial:
1. Epilepsy
In June 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex (a plant-based formulation of CBD) to treat seizures for people 2 years of age and older with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which are two rare forms of epilepsy. CBD has also been investigated for use in other forms of treatment-resistant epilepsy, usually in addition to conventional epilepsy medications. Results varied, but several trials showed CBD significantly reduced seizure frequency by almost 44% in most people. CBD can interact with other medications used for epilepsy and some serious side effects have been reported, notably, a decrease in liver function when given to people already taking valproate.
Conclusion: CBD is beneficial for treating certain types of epilepsy.
2. Pain
Animal studies have shown that CBD has anti-inflammatory effects and works on the endocannabinoid and pain-sensing systems to relieve pain. Unfortunately, few human trials investigating the use of CBD as a single agent to relieve pain exist, with most trials using a combination of CBD and THC to relieve pain. Notably, Health Canada has approved a combination medication that contains both THC and CBD in a 1:1 ratio for the relief of central nerve-related pain in multiple sclerosis, and cancer pain that is unresponsive to optimized opioid therapy.
An observational study of CBD treatment reported an improvement in self-reported quality of life measures for people with non-cancer-related pain but there was no statistically significant improvement in those with cancer-related pain or with neurological symptoms.
A case series of 47 people with multiple sclerosis reported improvements in pain, walking, and muscle spasms with a combination of CBD and THC.
Animal studies have shown that CBD has a positive effect on serotonin levels in the brain, and serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are thought to play a key role in mood as well as pain.11
Other research (both animal and human) has shown that CBD has anti-inflammatory effects, and it may relieve pain by this mechanism.
CBD can interact with other medications used to treat heart conditions or immunosuppressants so you should always talk with your doctor before taking CBD.
Conclusion: CBD may be beneficial at relieving pain but no high-quality human studies prove this.
3. Arthritis
Animal studies showed that topical CBD applications relieve pain and inflammation associated with arthritis with few side effects. The topical application of CBD is beneficial because CBD is poorly absorbed when taken by mouth and can cause gastrointestinal side effects. 6
Conclusion: Topical CBD may be beneficial at relieving arthritis but no high-quality human studies prove this.
4. Anxiety
Pretreatment with 300mg CBD significantly relieved anxiety in 57 healthy males who undertook a simulated public speaking test. However, dosages of 150mg CBD and 600mg CBD did not make any difference to the men’s anxiety levels.7
Beneficial effects on anxiety after taking CBD were reported in an observational study where 21 patients out of 400 had anxiety. 8
Anxiety scores decreased in a large case series of 72 patients, with 57 patients (79.2%) reporting decreased scores within the first month after CBD treatment.
Conclusion: CBD may relieve anxiety before events such as public speaking but it is not known what the optimal dose is.
5. Depression
Animal studies have shown some effect of CBD at relieving depression, possibly related to its strong anti-stress effect after either acute or repeated administration.
Animal studies have shown that CBD has a positive effect on serotonin levels in the brain, and serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are thought to play a key role in mood as well as pain.11
Conclusion: CBD may help with depression but more trials are needed.
6. Sleep disorders
31% of people taking CBD for other conditions such as anxiety or non-cancer-related pain reported improved sleep with CBD.
In a large case series of 72 people, 48 patients (66.7%) reported an improvement in sleep scores within the first month, but these fluctuated over time.
Other trials of 300 mg of CBD in people with anxiety or depression showed that CBD appeared to preserve sleep architecture, meaning it was unlikely to have any negative effects on sleep quality.
Conclusion: CBD does not appear to interfere with sleep and may help people sleep better.
7. Acne
A laboratory study found that CBD prevented human sebocytes from creating too much sebum in addition to having an anti-inflammatory effect, preventing inflammatory cytokines from activating. Because excessive sebum and inflammation are characteristic of acne, topical CBD could be an effective treatment for acne and may prevent or reduce future breakouts.
Conclusion: Topical CBD may help relieve inflammation and excessive sebum production associated with acne but more trials are needed.
8. Parkinson’s Disease
Several smalls studies have investigated using CBD to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, with mostly encouraging results. For most studies, there were no differences across groups with regards to movement-related outcomes; however, groups treated with CBD 300 mg/day had a significantly improved well-being and quality of life as measured by the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire [PDQ-39]).
Conclusion: CBD shows promise for improving the quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease but larger trials are needed.
9. Nausea and vomiting
Most studies investigating if CBD is beneficial at relieving nausea or vomiting, have used a combination of CBD and THC, rather than just CBD alone. A 2016 review found the combination to be either more effective or as effective as a placebo.
More recent research points to THC being more effective at reducing nausea and vomiting than CBD.
Conclusion: CBD is unlikely to be effective by itself for nausea and vomiting. The combination of THC and CBD does seem to be effective for nausea and vomiting.
Other conditions
Many other studies, both on animals and humans, have overwhelmingly concluded that CBD has immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties which may make it a good choice for some autoimmune conditions or inflammation-related complaints.
In addition, more trials are needed to investigate its use for numerous other conditions, such as muscle-spasticity in multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, substance-abuse treatment, and diabetes protection.
Side effects of CBD may include nausea, tiredness, and irritability, and it may interact with some medications, such as warfarin.
References
Grinspoon P. Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t. Aug 24th, 2018. Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476
Silvestro S, Mammana S, Cavalli E, Bramanti P, Mazzon E. Use of Cannabidiol in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Efficacy and Security in Clinical Trials. Molecules. 2019;24(8):1459. Published 2019 Apr 12. DOI:10.3390/molecules24081459
Hammell DC, Zhang LP, Ma F, et al. Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviors in a rat model of arthritis. Eur J Pain. 2016;20(6):936-948. DOI:10.1002/ejp.818
Linares IM, Zuardi AW, Pereira LC, Queiroz RH, Mechoulam R, Guimarães FS, Crippa JA. Cannabidiol presents an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve in a simulated public speaking test. Braz J Psychiatry. 2019 Jan-Feb;41(1):9-14. DOI: 10.1590/1516-4446-2017-0015.
Epub 2018 Oct 11. PMID: 30328956; PMCID: PMC6781714.
Gulbransen G, Xu W, Arroll B. Cannabidiol prescription in clinical practice: an audit on the first 400 patients in New Zealand. BJGP Open. 2020;4(1):bjgpopen20X101010. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.3399/bjgpopen20X101010
Shannon S, Lewis N, Lee H, Hughes S. Cannabidiol in anxiety and sleep: a large case series. Perm J. 2019;23:18–41. DOI: 10.7812/TPP/18-041
Crippa JA, Guimarães FS, Campos AC, Zuardi AW. Translational Investigation of the Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD): Toward a New Age. Front Immunol. 2018;9:2009. Published 2018 Sep 21. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02009
De Gregorio D, McLaughlin RJ, Posa L, et al. Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic pain. Pain. 2019;160(1):136-150. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001386
Oláh A, Tóth BI, Borbíró I, et al. Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(9):3713-3724. doi:10.1172/JCI64628
Oláh A, Markovics A, Szabó-Papp J, Szabó PT, Stott C, Zouboulis CC, Bíró T. Differential effectiveness of selected non-psychotropic phytocannabinoids on human sebocyte functions implicates their introduction in dry/seborrhoeic skin and acne treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2016 Sep;25(9):701-7. doi: 10.1111/exd.13042. Epub 2016 Jun 15. PMID: 27094344.
Rock EM, Sticht MA, Limebeer CL, Parker LA. Cannabinoid Regulation of Acute and Anticipatory Nausea. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2016;1(1):113-121. Published 2016 Apr 1. doi:10.1089/can.2016.0006
Russo M, Calabrò RS, Naro A, Sessa E, Rifici C, D’Aleo G, Leo A, De Luca R, Quartarone A, Bramanti P. Sativex in the management of multiple sclerosis-related spasticity: role of the corticospinal modulation. Neural Plast. 2015;2015:656582. doi: 10.1155/2015/656582. Epub 2015 Jan 29. PMID: 25699191; PMCID: PMC4325203.
James M. Nichols and Barbara L.F. Kaplan.Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.Mar 2020.12-31.http://doi.org/10.1089/can.2018.007
Rieder CR. Cannabidiol in Parkinson’s disease. Braz J Psychiatry. 2020;42(2):126-127. doi:10.1590/1516-4446-2019-0810