9 Benefits of Cannabidiol CBD for Pain and Mental Illness!

Only recently, marijuana or cannabidiol and chemically related compounds have once again been considered of therapeutic value.

“A prominent compound found in marijuana or cannabis, CBD, or cannabidiol, has been shown to treat numerous diseases”.

Researchers believe that in view of the very low toxicity and generally benign side effects of CBD, neglecting or denying the benefits of cannabidiol and its clinical potential is simply unacceptable. The use of medical marijuana remains an emotionally and politically charged issue. Although cannabis oil preparations have been used in medicine for millennia, concern about the dangers of abuse led to the prohibition of the medicinal use of marijuana in the 1930s.

What is Cannabidiol?

CBD is one of the more than 60 compounds found in cannabis that belong to a class of ingredients called cannabinoids. Until recently, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) received most of the attention because it is the cannabis ingredient that produces effects that alter the minds of consumers, but CBD is also present in high concentrations, and the world of medicine you are realizing that your list of medical benefits continues to grow. Cannabidiol is the main non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa. According to a 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the benefits of CBD include acting in some experimental models as an anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, antiemetic, anxiolytic and antipsychotic agent, and therefore a potential medication for treatment. Of neuroinflammation, epilepsy, oxidative lesions,  vomiting and nausea, anxiety and schizophrenia. Research is beginning to show that CBD is different from other well studied cannabinoids. All cannabinoids act as ligands, which means they adhere to the binding site of a protein and have the ability to modulate the behavior of a receptor.

CB1 receptors are widely distributed, but they are particularly abundant in areas of the brain, including those related to movement, coordination, pain and sensory perception, emotion, memory, cognition, and autonomic and endocrine functions. CB2 receptors are found mainly in the immune system and appear to reduce inflammation and certain types of pain. Although all cannabinoids have similar structures, they show a wide range of actions in each of the different receptors. However, scientists are discovering that CBD has very little effect on CB1 and CB2 receptors, which probably explains why it has no disturbing effects on the mind, unlike THC, which positively regulates the CB1 receptor. That is why the majority of marijuana grown for recreational purposes is typically very low in CBD and high in THC.

8 Proven Benefits of Cannabidiol:

1. Relieves Pain and Inflammation:

• Among the common benefits of cannabidiol, natural pain relief tops the list for many.

• Tests indicate that cannabinoids may be useful in pain modulation by inhibiting neuronal transmission in pain pathways.

• A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine found that CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain in rodents without causing tolerance to analgesics.

• The researchers suggest that CBD and other non-psychoactive components of marijuana could represent a new class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic pain.

• According to a meta-analysis conducted in Canada in 2007, the combination of CBD and THC oral spray proved to be effective in treating neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis, which can be debilitating for between 50 and 70 percent of patients with MS.

2.  It has Antipsychotic Effects:

• Research shows that the benefits of cannabidiol include the production of antipsychotic effects.

• It seems to have a pharmacological profile similar to that of atypical antipsychotic drugs observed through behavioral and neurochemical techniques in animal studies.

• In addition, studies show that CBD prevents experimental psychosis in humans and is effective in open case reports and clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia, with a remarkable safety profile.

3. Reduce Anxiety:

• Studies using animal models of anxiety and in which healthy volunteers participate clearly suggest an anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol.

• Cannabidiol has been shown to reduce anxiety in patients with social anxiety disorder and researchers suggest that it may also be effective for panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

• A 2011 study aimed to compare the effects of a mock oratory test in healthy control patients and native patients treated with social anxiety disorder.

• A total of 24 patients without treatment with social anxiety disorder were given CBD or placebo 1.5 hours before the test.

• The researchers found that pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in speech performance, and significantly reduced alertness in anticipation of speech.

• The placebo group presented greater anxiety, cognitive impairment and malaise.

4.  Help Fight Cancer:

Several scientific reports show that the benefits of cannabidiol include the possession of antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects that inhibit the migration, adhesion and invasion of cancer cells.

• A study published in 2006 in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics found for the first time that CBD potently and selectively inhibited the growth of different breast tumor cell lines and exhibited significantly less potency in non-cancerous cells.

• In 2011, the researchers added light on the cellular mechanism through which cannabidiol induces cell death in breast cancer cells.

• They demonstrated that cannabidiol induced a concentration-dependent cell death of both estrogen-positive cells and breast cancer cells with estrogen-negative receptors.

• They also found that effective concentrations of CBD in tumor cells have little effect on non-tumor mammary cells.

• CBD behaves as a non-toxic compound and studies show that doses of 700 milligrams per day for 6 weeks showed no manifest toxicity in humans, suggesting that it can be used for prolonged treatment.

• Research not only shows that the benefits of CBD include being effective in the fight against breast cancer cells, the data also suggests that it can be used to inhibit the invasion of lung and colon cancer, in addition to having properties Antitumor drugs in gliomas and has been used to treat leukemia.

5. Relieve Nausea:

• Cannabis has been used for centuries to suppress nausea and vomiting.

• Research has revealed that among more than 80 cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana, both THC intoxicant and CBD non-intoxicant help eliminate nausea and vomiting in animal studies.

• A 2012 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology found that the benefits of CBD include the possession of anti nausea and antiemetic effects when administered to rats.

• The researchers found that cannabidiol acts dipphatically, which means that in low doses it suppresses vomiting induced by toxins, but in high doses it increases nausea or has no effect.

6.  Can Treat Seizures and Other Neurological Disorders:

• A survey conducted in 2014 by researchers at Stanford University was presented to parents who belong to a Facebook group dedicated to sharing information about the use of cannabis enriched with cannabidiol to treat their children’s seizures.

• Nineteen responses met the inclusion criteria for the study: a diagnosis of epilepsy and the current use of cannabis enriched with CBD.

• The average number of antiepileptic drugs tested before using cannabis from the CBD was 12.

• Sixteen (84 percent) of the 19 parents reported a reduction in the frequency of seizures of their children while taking CBD cannabis.

• Of these, two (11 percent) reported complete seizure freedom, eight (42 percent) reported a greater than 80 percent reduction in seizure frequency, and six (32 percent) reported a 25- 60 percent in seizures.

• Other beneficial effects included an increase in mental lucidity, a better mood and a better sleep; while side effects included drowsiness and fatigue.

• Later in 2014, researchers reported the preliminary results of a study that involved children with treatment-resistant epilepsies in an “compassionate use program” of expanded access.

• Patients received a 98 percent purified CBD oil-based extract called Epidiolex, which is manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals.

• After three months of treatment, 39 percent of the 23 patients had a more than 50 percent reduction in seizures, with an average reduction of 32 percent.

• These preliminary results support animal studies and survey reports that CBD can be a promising treatment for treatment-resistant epilepsy and that it is generally well tolerated in doses of up to 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

7. Decreases the Incidence of Diabetes:

• A 2006 study found that CBD treatment significantly reduced the incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice from an incidence of 86 percent in untreated mice to a 30 percent incidence in mice treated with CBD.

• The benefits of CBD also showed a significant reduction in plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines.

• A histological examination of the pancreatic islets of the mice treated with CBD revealed a significant reduction in insulitis.

• In 2013, the American Journal of Medicine published a study that highlighted the impact of marijuana use on glucose, insulin and insulin resistance among American adults.

• The study involved 4,657 adult men and women from the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2005 to 2010.

• Of the participants, 579 were current marijuana users and 1,975 were former consumers.

• The researchers found that current marijuana use was related to a 16 percent reduction in fasting insulin levels.

• They also found significant associations between the use of marijuana and smaller waist circumferences, a factor related to the onset of diabetes symptoms.

8. Promotes Cardiovascular Health:

• A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that CBD protects against vascular damage caused by a high level of glucose in the environment, inflammation or induction of type 2 diabetes in animal models; In addition, CBD was shown to reduce vascular hyperpermeability (which causes intestinal leakage) associated with such environments.

• CBD and THC are the two main compounds in the marijuana plant and are the only two cannabinoids that have been well characterized to date. Many strains of marijuana are known to have abundant levels of THC and high strains of CBD are less common; However, the medical community is paying more attention to the therapeutic effects of CBD, which is beginning to change.

• Both compounds have important health benefits: THC has antispasmodic, analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-tremoral, anti-inflammatory, appetite stimulant and antiemetic properties, and CBD has anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antipsychotic, antioxidant, neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects.

• The clinical use of THC is often limited by its unwanted psychoactive side effects and, for this reason, interest in non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids, such as CBD, has increased substantially in recent years.

• Another important difference between THC and CBD is that marijuana with high levels of THC is commonly used for its sleep-inducing effects, while CBD seems to promote wakefulness.

How to Legally Acquire the CBD?

At the federal level, CBD is classified as a List 1 drug in the United States because it is one of the many cannabinoids present in marijuana. Being labeled as a List 1 drug means you have a high potential for abuse and create severe psychological or physical dependence; therefore, the use of these medications for medical use is not allowed. Medical research can and is being done with List 1 substances, including CBD and other active ingredients in marijuana, but there are strict regulations and administrative obstacles associated with this status. According to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the DEA is currently conducting a scientific review of the CBD to elucidate its pharmacology and responsibility for abuse and identify gaps in published literature. In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 215, allowing the use of medical marijuana. Since then, 27 more states, in addition to the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, have enacted similar laws that allow comprehensive public programs of medical marijuana and cannabis.

More recently, 17 states have approved the use of products with low THC content and high CBD content for medical reasons in limited situations. Each state has specific requirements and conditions that must be followed to legally use the CBD, such as patient registration requirements and product definitions that are allowed. The 17 states that allow limited access to marijuana products low in THC and high in CBD include:

• Alabama

• Florida

• Georgia

• Iowa

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Mississippi

• Missouri

• North Carolina

• Oklahoma

• South Carolina

• ennessee

• Texas

• Utah

• Virginia

• Wisconsin

• Wyoming

• Idaho (vetoed by the governor in 2015)

Precautions:

Although research on the medicinal use of cannabis is intense, several studies indicate that recreational use of cannabis can have persistent adverse effects on mental health. According to a 2013 report published in Frontiers of Psychiatry, depending on the frequency with which it is consumed, the age of onset, the potency of cannabis consumed and the individual sensitivity of the person, recreational cannabis use can cause disorders Permanent psychological. Most recreational consumers will never face such a persistent mental illness, but in some individuals cannabis use produces undesirable effects, such as cognitive impairment, anxiety, paranoia and an increased risk of developing chronic psychosis or drug addiction.

Some studies show that CBD can counteract these adverse effects, but more research is needed, since most of this research is done on animals or based on anecdotal reports. Little research has focused on the safety and side effects of CBD in humans; However, clinical trials indicate that only a few side effects, usually mild, have been observed after CBD administration and CBD tolerance does not appear to occur.

Final Thoughts:

CBD is one of the more than 60 compounds found in cannabis that belong to a class of ingredients called cannabinoids; It is the main non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa. Many strains of marijuana are known to have abundant levels of THC and high strains of CBD are less common; However, the medical community is paying more attention to the therapeutic effects of CBD, which is beginning to change.

17 states have approved the use of products with low THC content and high CBD content for medical reasons in limited situations. Each state has specific requirements and conditions that must be followed to legally use the CBD, such as patient registration requirements and product definitions that are allowed.