Hemp CBD: The Benefits of Cannabis Without the High
Numerous people investigating the health and wellness potential of CBD are intrigued by what they soon discover, reports of multiple health benefits, access to thousands of user testimonials, and enough scientific evidence to support those many claims.
When many of those same people, those curious about what CBD could do for them, discover that CBD is extracted from cannabis plants, their enthusiasm quickly fades. In spite of the health potential, some people abandon their investigation because of the negative connotations associated with cannabis use.
It’s important that those intrigued by the health potential of CBD understand that there are two potential sources of cannabis oil: hemp, and marijuana. Yes, you will get high from marijuana use, but not from industrial hemp. While hemp won’t make you high, hemp CBD could have a significant impact on the way you feel.
The Potential to Influence Key Receptors
The reason CBD could influence the way you feel is determined by the way certain plant elements interact with key receptors throughout your body.
Not that long ago, researchers identified a previously undiscovered system of messengers and receptors that regulate nearly every essential bodily function. They named this system the endocannabinoid system for the plant species that led them to its discovery, cannabis.
The messengers of this essential system are called cannabinoids. Your body makes two; they are your endocannabinoids. Your endocannabinoid messengers interact with their corresponding endocannabinoid receptors to initiate a response. The response is determined by the chemical composition of the message.
During their investigations, researchers also discovered that the plant-based cannabinoids in cannabis, particularly CBD, mimic the functions of your internally created messengers and influence receptors. This was a significant discovery. The balance of this system is so essential to survival that many researchers believe imbalances cause illness and disease.
Clarifying the Distinctions Between the Cannabis Cousins
It appears that the plant-based cannabinoids in cannabis can restore balance to this vital communication network. Our bodies seem to have evolved with a natural affinity for cannabis.
CBD is the scientific abbreviation for the most prevalent plant-based cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, cannabidiol. There are two potential sources of cannabidiol: marijuana plants and hemp plants. While similar in many ways, hemp and marijuana are not the same. Both plants support the functions of the endocannabinoid system, but marijuana contains a significant amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabinoid that causes intoxication. Hemp does not. Consider the following comparison:
Marijuana Extract
The oil extracted from marijuana commonly contains 5-30 percent THC. Because of the intoxicating effects of THC, marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. The legality of marijuana varies by state and most often requires a prescription for legal use.
Hemp Extract
The oil extracted from the stalks and stems of the hemp plant contains an inconsequential amount of THC. To be legally classified as hemp, the plant must contain 0.3 percent THC or less. The trace amounts of THC in hemp extract are not enough to cause intoxication, even if consumed in large quantities.
Because hemp CBD cannot cause intoxication, hemp-derived products are available to anyone interested in the health and wellness potential of cannabis, without a prescription. Anyone concerned about the trace amounts of THC has the option of using a purified form of hemp extract, CBD isolate. CBD isolates are THC-free.
Hemp CBD Could Influence Health & Wellness
While hemp CBD will not cause you to feel high; it does interact with the regulatory system that influences every function in your body. The effects of hemp CBD on your endocannabinoid system could influence the way you feel. Research shows that CBD has analgesic, anxiolytic, antiemetic, and antipsychotic properties. The way hemp could make you feel depends on your needs.
You Could Feel Less Anxious or More Relaxed
Supporting the functions of your endocannabinoid system with hemp CBD could result in feeling less anxious. It’s your endocannabinoid system that regulates your moods and emotions. In addition to influencing the receptors of your endocannabinoid system. CBD is also shown to interact with serotonin receptors. Decreased serotonin levels can cause anxiety, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. CBD acts similarly to the anxiolytic and antidepressant medications commonly prescribed to treat anxiety symptoms.
You Might Feel More Rested
Your endocannabinoid system also regulates your sleep cycles and your capacity for rem sleep. Many people are using hemp CBD to help them fall asleep faster, sleep better, and wake up feeling refreshed. CBD influences your ability to fall asleep in several ways. CBD has the potential to:
- Influence your circadian regulators, the internal clock that influences your sleep cycles
- Reduce the frequency or severity of nocturnal leg cramps (antispasmodic)
- Calm the stress and anxiety that can keep your brain functioning in overdrive (anxiolytic)
- Alleviate the pain that prevents you from sleeping (analgesic)
You Could Feel Less Pain
Your body makes a pain-relieving endocannabinoid called anandamide. CBD encourages the production of anandamide and helps keep this pain-fighting cannabinoid from breaking down too quickly. Research shows that when you have more anandamide in your bloodstream, you feel less pain. The anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, and analgesic properties give CBD the potential to ease pain and discomfort. People are using CBD for many acute and chronic pain conditions, including:
- Neuropathic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraine
- Arthritis pain and inflammation
- Neck and back pain
- Tired aching muscles
Many researchers now believe that several difficult-to-treat conditions including migraine, fibromyalgia, IBS, and several neurodegenerative conditions are caused by endocannabinoid deficiencies. Many people living with these chronic health conditions claim symptomatic relief from supplementing endocannabinoid system function with hemp CBD.
You Could Feel Less Nauseous
Nausea has many potential causes. The antiemetic (anti-nausea) effects of CBD are believed to minimize symptoms by interacting with serotonin receptors. Hemp CBD has the potential to be as effective as many prescription anti-nausea medications. The antiemetic properties make CBD a potentially beneficial option for those troubled by digestive disturbances, withdrawal symptoms, motion sickness, or the side effects of cancer treatments.
Overall Health & Wellness Potential of Hemp CBD
Supporting the essential functions of your endocannabinoid system could have a significant impact on your overall health, well being, and quality of life. Not only does hemp CBD have the potential to provide symptomatic relief, but many people are also using CBD for overall health and wellness. Hemp CBD also has the potential to:
- Enhance memory and learning processes
- Improve stress responses
- Impact blood sugar regulation
- Minimize the accumulation of excess body fat
- Reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure
- Influence thermoregulation and metabolism
The evidence supporting the benefits of hemp CBD is based on the results of laboratory results, animal testing, and user testimonials. Hemp CBD is not considered a medical treatment or a cure for any known health disorder. Hemp CBD is a dietary supplement.
If you are under the care of a physician or take medication, please consult with your health care provider before adding a dietary supplement to your current treatment plan.
For hemp products in La Crosse, WI, visit CannaBiz Depot. At CannaBiz Depot, we offer a quality selection of hemp CBD products, including CBD topicals, tinctures, edibles, and CBD vape products from Lazarus Naturals, CBDistillery, and our private-label CannaBiz Depot branded products. All CBD products at CannaBiz Depot are third-party tested and verified to ensure the purity and potency of every hemp oil product we offer.
CannaBiz Depot also carries a varied assortment of hemp foods and beverages, bath and beauty products, clothing and accessories, and hemp-sourced pet products. Every product offered at CannaBiz Depot is made with some form of industrial hemp, a renewable, eco-friendly resource.
Additional Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21307846
https://draxe.com/cbd-benefits/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/what-are-the-effects-of-cbd