Here’s why CBD could help you

The benefits of cannabis have always been somewhat unclear. There are many people who rave about the plant, arguing that it has a ton of medical uses, and that it can also be a great mood enhancer when used recreationally with friends. However, there are plenty of cannabis critics as well, who point to evidence that the herb – and especially the stronger strains of today – increases the risk of mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia and psychosis.

But what many don’t realise is that cannabis comes in many different varieties, and that there is a growing range of products that are non-psychoactive. These hold no interest to recreational users because they are unable to get ‘high’ from taking them. Yet those who want to receive just the medicinal properties of marijuana are flocking to these products, which are made with cannabidiol (CBD). But what is CBD?

What is CBD?

CBD is a chemical that is found naturally in hemp and cannabis. The chemical is part of a class of compounds that we call cannabinoids. CBD and other cannabinoids are astoundingly rare, and they are what makes cannabis such a unique substance. However, what makes CBD really interesting is that this uncommon compound has an absolutely vital on the body, promoting good health in the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is one of many which affect how we feel mentally and physically, but our understanding of it is limited – the ECS was only discovered in the final decade of the 20^th century. The slow development of cannabinoid science has undoubtedly been caused by the prohibition of cannabis in the United States and around the world.

CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, and users can take as much of it as they want, without having to fear becoming dependent on it, or getting any kind of ‘high’. The safety and more predictable nature of CBD in comparison to normal cannabis explains why wholesale CBD products are so popular with people who have no prior experience with cannabis-derived products. In 2018, a study was published which showed that nearly half of CBD users were not regular marijuana users.

The benefits of CBD

CBD can be great, whether you have an actual condition that you need to treat, but also as a supplement that can significantly improve your health. The latter is done through ECS regulation, which helps to temper inflammation levels, promote good reproductive, bone and neurological health, and more. Now let’s turn our focus to the specifics of CBD’s therapeutic properties.

CBD for mental health

The demand for new anti-psychotic treatments has never been higher, although so far, researchers have struggled to develop drugs which don’t come with several side effects. There is immense promise that CBD may buck the trend, working to alleviate the worst of psychosis and schizophrenia, without any serious short or long-term downsides.

The hope is that CBD can treat these illnesses by affecting the CB1 receptor as an antagonist. The CB1 receptor is a key receptor in the ECS, and holds huge influence in the central nervous system. Studies have found that CBD exhibits an anti-psychotic effect by reducing activity at this receptor. Given that cannabis strains with larger concentrations of CBD tend to reduce the psychoactive potency of a strain, it is logical that the cannabinoid may hold medicinal value for psychotic disorders.

The mood-enhancing and neuroprotective qualities of CBD could be essential for managing depression. Research on rodents already indicates that the compound can have fast-acting and long-lasting benefits for the disorder, relative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs – SSRIs are typically the first port-of-call for treating depression.

Combatting inflammation and autoimmune disease

Scientists are finally starting to recognize just how many conditions are the result of excessive inflammation, and in CBD, they may just have the correct tool to combat the problem. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the connection between the immune system and the ECS effectively means that CBD can be used to regulate immune system response – this done by initially regulating the ECS, which then ensures the right signals are transmitted to the immune system. CBD edibles wholesale can therefore be used to relieve the pain from Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory illnesses.

Secondly, CBD helps to repair “leaky” gut lining, which looks to be crucial for treating autoimmune diseases. New evidence indicates that a “leaky” gut causes inflammation everywhere, because toxins and bacteria flood the body. Stopping this spread keeps these nasties inside of the gut, and seems to provide relief from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, systemic lupus, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and more.