Cannabidiol aka CBD, in a nutshell, is a chemical compound in the cannabis plant in large amounts. CBD is also a phytocannabinoid, one of the one hundred thirteen cannabidiols identified in cannabis plants and constitutes 40% of the plant extract. CBD is extracted from cannabis sativa, a plant with over eighty CBDs. It is found in all cannabis plants. It is not psychoactive.
Brief History of CBD
CBD compound was discovered first in the 1940s in the chemical synthesis of Cannabidiol in the laboratories of Roger Adams in the United States and Lord Todd in England. But long ago, William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician and medical researcher, had researchers thinking about cannabis’ potential medical uses. O’Shaughnessy described cannabis’s immediate effects and future medicinal uses in his study, focusing mainly on its anaesthetic properties. In 1946, Professor Raphael Mechoulam, the grandfather of cannabis research in general, and a research team led by him discovered the three-dimensional structure of CBD.
In the advancing years, English pharmacologists released the first CBD Oil. It is obtained from the bud, flower and leaf parts of the cannabis plant and is used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. In the 2000s, two farmers in North Dakota were granted licenses to grow cannabis. With the Agricultural Act of 2014, signed by US President Obama, research institutes were authorised to start testing cannabis farming programs. A later amendment to the Agricultural Act separated CBD from drugs banned by the Controlled Substances Act altogether. This means that CBD was prohibited with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs signed in New York on March 30, 1961, and could no longer be considered an illegal drug.
Does CBD make you high?
What is not known or misunderstood is that every compound from cannabis is a drug and makes you high. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and Cannabidiol (CBD), are the two primary chemical components of the cannabis plant. THC is a substance that is utilised. CBD, on the other hand, has medical use. Although CBD is derived from cannabis, it is not a narcotic and does not make the user high. Also, CBD is not intoxicating either. Research from 2016 involving thirty-one people found that while CBD had no negative impacts on heart rate, blood pressure, or cognitive function, active THC induced substantial physical and psychological effects, including elevated heart rate and pleasure. When the study’s adult participants characterised the benefits of CBD, some said they felt more energised and concentrated, while others said they felt peaceful and relaxed.
What are the most consumed CBD products and why?
CBD is used in the production of skin care products, tinctures and liquid medication derived from the dissolving impact of alcohol on one or more plants, topicals and medicines used to treat skin diseases, oils, and consumable things as jellybeans. CBD, a plant-based compound, is also used to produce various products. Still, CBD Oil is the CBD-containing product that is the most popular among people. Cannabis plants’ buds, flower, and leaf parts can be used to make CBD Oil, which is a type of product with medical use. To sum up, CBD Oil has no high effects, although it is made from the cannabis plant. Even it has been used for a long time for medical purposes due to its products, such as preventing inflammation and pain, solving sleep problems and reducing stress.
How does CBD help with diseases?
Research has shown that CBD can reduce chronic pain and inflammation by activating endocannabinoid receptors and interacting with neurotransmitters. It also emphasised how CBD affects the brain’s GABA and serotonin receptors to support sleep and relaxation. In addition, CBD is effective both in the treatment of cancer and in reducing the side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy. Although it is not widely used, studies show that CBD is very promising in cancer treatment. By blocking existing tumours, CBD can slow the growth of tumours as well as prevent their spread. However, this data is based on pancreatic and breast cancer experiments, and further research is needed.
What are the diseases CBD helps with?
A plant-based compound CBD is used in treating many illnesses since it does not have a narcotic effect. CBD; as well as helping to treat physical conditions such as pains, intestinal diseases, inflammations, nausea and migraine; It also helps treat mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, depression, MS, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, sleep disorders, and stress. CBD, which has no side effects, is also used in treating addiction, contrary to the misconception that it is addictive. Also, the US Food and Drug Administration, shortly FDA, finally authorised Epidiolex, the first oral CBD drug, in 2018 for treating seizures in epilepsy patients two years of age and older. Even as early as 1200 BC, CBD was used to manage complications during childbirth, contractions, dysentery, arthritis, rheumatism, and even insomnia. People used CBD mainly for its medicinal benefits, with primitive medicines using various parts of the cannabis plant.
Nevertheless, CBD is a widely used herbal dietary supplement heavily advertised with speculative claims of specific medicinal benefits. The first documented use of cannabis-derived medicine was in 2737 BC when Emperor Sheng Nung of China used hemp-infused tea to help with various ailments such as forgetfulness, malaria, rheumatism, and gout. It is believed that Queen Victoria of Great Britain used cannabis extracts with high CBD content to relieve menstrual cramps during her reign that ended in 1901.
How do you actually use CBD to treat diseases?
The dosage of CBD is unknown. The ideal dosage is determined by the user’s body type, tolerance to CBD, and degree of pain or discomfort, among other factors. It’s also crucial to consider the CBD percentage and the kind of CBD product. The best dose for an individual user should be determined by experience. Numerous studies have shown that CBD is relatively safe and has therapeutic effects on our bodies. Studies in humans and animals have highlighted that CBD gives different responses in the body at varying doses. Most human studies have used twenty to one thousand five hundred milligrams daily.
Why use CBD to treat diseases over pharmaceuticals?
One of the most critical factors in using CBD as a substitute for drugs is that CBD is a purely herbal compound. Of course, not being addicted is a significant factor. In the last few years, extensive research has been done to explore the potential of CBD for health management, and its use has grown at an astonishing rate. Currently, around one and a half million people use cannabis in the United Kingdom, which continues to rise.
References
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462019000100009&tlng=en
