5 Health Benefits of CBD

With More and more CBD health benefits being discovered by researchers and people around the globe, Can you afford to ignore this revolutionary yet ancient treatment? When it comes to CBD (cannabidiol) it seems you can find an endless range of CBD oils, skin creams containing CBD, and CBD vape pens. There are even types of sweets, snacks and other edibles made with CBD. When you consume products that contain CBD, you won’t get “high” or “stoned”, but you could experience some significant health improvements. CBD is the main cannabinoid in non-intoxicating strains of hemp. After years of being very much underappreciated, an increasing amount of research on the health benefits of CBD has now started coming to light. With benefits for anxiety, sleep, pain, mood, cancer symptoms and more, we can see why there has been a recent explosion in the number of CBD products being produced and artisanally formulated. Below are 5 benefits of CBD that might encourage you to try this natural wellness product:

1. CBD Benefits for Pain Relief

Apart from cancer, chronic pain may have other causes including muscle, nerve or ligament damage. It affects around one in five people, and can be severely disabling. Sadly, the opioid drugs commonly used to treat chronic pain cause devastation of their own, with thousands of people dying every year from overdose. CBD may fortunately bring relief without causing dependence and hypersensitivity to pain. It reduces pain perception and inflammation, a common cause of pain during and after illness or injury. A clinical trial where most volunteers had either multiple sclerosis or a spinal cord injury not only demonstrated pain relief, but also possible improve muscle spasms and bladder control. A larger study tested a high-CBD, whole hemp extract on 97 people with chronic pain. Within eight weeks, 50 were able to reduce their opioid dose. Two of them got off the drugs entirely.

2. CBD Health Benefits for Anxiety Relief

CBD oil may help to relieve anxiety at the right dosage. One study on anxiety related to public speaking, for example, compared three doses of CBD – 100mg, 300mg and 900mg – to a placebo and the prescription drug clonazepam. Besides testing whether or not CBD worked, they set out to confirm if the U-shaped effect curve seen in other research could be repeated. This is essentially a Goldilocks-like effect, where you need just the right dose to get the best benefits of CBD for anxiety. It turned out that the 300mg dose of CBD was the most effective in soothing post-test stress and anxiety. What’s more, it blunted the increase in heart rate and stress during their speeches. It also didn’t have the sedative properties clonazepam showed. CBD’s “Goldilocks” effect may be caused by CBD Health benefits ability to act on serotonin receptors being overshadowed by the stimulating quality it has at higher doses. With a general calming effect being notable, daily consumption of CBD could start to significantly reduce your anxiety. Check out these creative ways to consume CBD oil, including adding a drop or two of CBD oil to your morning smoothie. Anxiety relief is one of the top benefits of CBD use reported by many anxiety sufferers.

3. May alleviate certain cancer-related symptoms

Cancer is a tragically common disease category in the world today. The damaging effects that the disease has on our health – including both quality of life and longevity – mean that even remedies that relieve symptoms are very much welcome. A German review of CBD research describes the cannabinoid as effective in reducing pain, anxiety, insomnia and depression. These CBD Health benefits alone can mean everything to someone because many describe cancer-related pain and depression as worse than the disease itself. Even better, some case reports show patients’ tumours shrinking after beginning to take CBD. A study on 119 people in the journal Schmerz [pain] also found that 10% became tumour-free, while another 38% had stable disease. Of course, we shouldn’t rely on CBD or other cannabis products alone to protect us from cancer. Prevention is the best first line of defence, with or without lemon-flavoured CBD gummies.

4.CBD Health Benefits for Treatment of Insomnia

Insomnia is one of the most common reasons why people take cannabinoid products, including CBD oil. If you’ve tried CBD oil before, you may have enjoyed one of the best night’s sleep you have had in a long time. This is because CBD can improve slow-wave sleep, one of the deep, restorative levels of sleep. The study on autism also explains that CBD health benefits can also increase GABA in people without autism, which may improve sleep quality. The CBD health benefits for sleep may even hold up for people with mental health or developmental issues. A case series of over 100 people found a significant improvement in insomnia and anxiety scores over three months, with stronger gains seen in anxiety. Patients primarily complaining of trouble sleeping saw their average insomnia scores fall from 13.08 to 9.33, an almost 29% drop. As anxiety scores improved much more, these results are promising if you’re kept awake at night by constant ruminating and worrying.

5. May benefit heart health

Some research has linked CBD health benefits with several benefits for the heart and circulatory system, including the ability to lower high blood pressure. High blood pressure is linked to higher risks of a number of health conditions, including stroke, heart attack, and metabolic syndrome (24Trusted Source). Studies indicate that CBD may be beneficial for people with high blood pressure. In a small study, 9 healthy men were treated with 600 mg of CBD oil. The CBD treatment reduced resting blood pressure compared with a placebo (25Trusted Source). In the same study, the men also took part in stress tests that normally increase blood pressure. Interestingly, the single dose of CBD led the men to experience a smaller blood pressure increase than normal in response to these tests (25Trusted Source). Another study that included 26 healthy men found that treatment with 600 mg of CBD for 7 days led to significant reductions in blood pressure in the short term compared with a placebo group. However, the effect was lost after 7 days (26Trusted Source). The CBD group maintained lower blood pressure levels in response to stress compared with the placebo group after repeated doses over time. The researchers also found that the CBD group had reduced arterial stiffness and improved blood flow through their arteries after repeated CBD dosing compared to the placebo group (26Trusted Source). Overall, these findings of CBD Health benefits are encouraging, but we need more studies of the potential benefits of CBD treatment on heart health.