CBD Oil – What is it, What it’s for, and How to Make it
Since cannabis has been increasingly legalized throughout the world, the scientific community (and the public!) just can’t seem to get enough. For many, it isn’t the high they’re after, but the life-saving medicine the plant has to offer. One of the most potent ways to get all the good–without the bad–is by taking CBD hemp oil or CBD cannabis oil.
What is CBD Oil?
Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is made from strains of cannabis that contain low levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is what makes marijuana psychoactive. CBD oil is high in cannabinoids, a group of phytochemicals found in cannabis plants.
Cannabis has been used all over the world for millennia to treat various illness and disease. The Western scientific significance of cannabinoids for human health has become more well-known in recent years, however, now that the stigma surrounding marijuana and its family is lifting.
Other plants commonly used to promote human health contain these substances. Plus, the human body creates its own cannabinoids and contains millions of cannabinoid receptors, mostly in the brain, central nervous system, and immune system.
Cannabinoids play a fundamental role in the body since the endocannabinoid system regulates homeostasis, or general state of balance. Thus, it impacts and regulates mood, sleep, appetite, hormone regulation, and pain and immune response.
With current research into CBD and its effects on the body, science has begun to discover all the ways in which these phytochemicals interact to fix our many ills.
CBD Oil Uses
Here are 13 reasons to give CBD oil a try!
1. CBD Oil for Cancer
The number of scientific studies on the effects of cannabinoids on cancer is growing. Thus far, studies have been limited because cannabis is still illegal in many countries.
Nevertheless, people who have taken their health into their own hands to use cannabis in treating their cancers have, in many cases, been completely cured of it.
In every one of the clinical studies now published, cannabis has been found to kill cancer cells. (3) Even the National Cancer Institute in the United States now admits that cannabis is powerfully effective in the treatment of cancer.
2. CBD Oil for Autism
CBD hemp oil is particularly effective in treating neurological disorders. With the incidence of autism spectrum disorders increasing at a frightening rate, the medical community is scrambling for treatments.
As mentioned, cannabinoid receptors in the body mainly exist in the central nervous system. Endocannabinosignalinging in the brain does not occur normally in people with autism. (4)
The use of CBD oil restores cannabinoid balance and enables appropriate neurological communication, removing the cause and symptoms of autism.
3. Cannabis Oil for ADHD
Similar to autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) results from impairment of neurotransmitters.
Cannabis raises the level of dopamine in the brain. This is one of the pleasure hormones that promotes positive emotion. The same effect is the aim of ADHD drugs like Aderall and Ritallin.
The difference is that the pharmaceuticals stimulate dopamine production and then bind to it, affecting how it behaves and is metabolized.
Because cannabinoids work in the brain and regulate hormones, they release dopamine and the stimulating effect follows its natural course.
4. CBD Oil for Seizures
Used in children with epilepsy, cannabis stops seizures, preventing permanent damage and allowing them to live a normal life. Furthermore, 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to conventional treatment, resulting in high mortality rates.
A 2015 study found that cannabidiol was extremely effective in reducing seizures in those for whom conventional treatment was ineffective. (7)
According to a more recent study: “Most of the children (66/74, 89%) reported reduction in seizure frequency: 13 (18%) reported 75-100% reduction, 25 (34%) reported 50-75% reduction, 9 (12%) reported 25-50% reduction, and 19 (26%) reported <25% reduction.
Five (7%) patients reported aggravation of seizures which led to CBD withdrawal. In addition, we observed improvement in behavior and alertness, language, communication, motor skills and sleep.” (8)
This is partly because CBD inhibits glutamate release; this amino acid plays an active role in the genesis of epileptic seizures.
5. Cannabis and Anxiety
A unique study at Vanderbilt University in 2014 discovered for the first time that endocannabinoid receptors exist in the amygdala sections of the brain. The amygdala is responsible for experiencing emotion. (10) This explains why cannabinoids affect emotion.
The experience of an individual varies and is dependent on several factors, including environment and unique personal chemistry.
Cannabinoids affect certain emotions more than others, specifically fear, stress, and anxiety.
In many people, emotional regulation by the brain’s receptors induced by cannabis results in a calming effect with the consequential reduction in anxiety.
6. Marijuana Oil for Crohn’s Disease
Because CBD interacts with endocannabinoids in the immune system, it is very effective in treating Crohn’s and other immunoinflammatory diseases. Cannabis reduces pain, relieves diarrhea, relaxes gastrointestinal spasms, and decreases inflammation.
One study published in the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal in 2013 found that in half of the subjects of the study, marijuana put their Crohn’s disease into complete remission, improved appetite and sleep, and showed no adverse side effects.
7. CBD Oil For Alzheimer’s
Again due to the endocannibinoid receptors in the brain, CBD oil provides protective effects on neurological function. In addition, it removes the protein in the brain that plaque and reduces neuron inflammation—precursors to Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. (13)
8. Cannabis Oil for Liver Health
Fatty liver and cirrhosis are degenerative diseases of the liver. Cannabinoid receptors exist in liver tissue. Cannabis oil prevents liver cell oxidation, a key factor in the deterioration of the liver.
Secondly, after liver surgery (including transplantation), a common complication is not attaining a steady oxygen supply to the organ for healing, causing tissue damage.
Cannabinoids moderate oxygen transfer, promoting energy storage and reducing energy demand, thereby reducing the risk of damage. Lastly, CBD reduces insulin resistance, with implications for the management of diabetes. (14)
9. CBD Oil For Colitis
Similar to Crohn’s disease, colitis is a chronic immunoinflammatory condition of the colon. The lining of colon deteriorates and its contents leak, presenting a septic condition.
Thankfully, cannabinoids affect the cells of the lining, making them bond tighter together to restore integrity and healing the lesions. (15) Moreover, CBD reduces inflammation and eases pain of colitis and other inflammatory bowel disease. (16)
10. Cannabis Oil for Insomnia
While everyone is different and response to any particular solution depends on the individual, CBD oil can help induce sleep for people with insomnia.
“…studies in 2000 subjects with 1000 patient years of exposure demonstrate marked improvement in subjective sleep parameters in patients with a wide variety of pain conditions including multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathic pain, intractable cancer pain, and rheumatoid arthritis, with an acceptable adverse event profile…40-50% of subjects attained good or very good sleep quality, a key source of disability in chronic pain syndromes that may contribute to patients’ quality of life,” wrote a study published in Chemistry & Biodiversity. (17)
11. Cannabis Oil for Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating disease of the brain and how it communicates with the rest of the body. Symptoms include pain, spasticity, muscle stiffness, and decreased mobility. CBD can reduce pain and improve spasticity and stiffness.
As we’ve seen in the context of Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and other neurological disease, CBD oil may have a protective effect, reducing inflammation and allowing neurotransmitters to communicate normally.
Previous trials found mixed results and research is on-going in this area. (19, 20)
12. CBD Oil for Nausea
There are many causes of nausea and it is usually a passing situation. The nausea that accompanies other illnesses, however, is often chronic. Chemotherapy in particular often causes patient nausea and vomiting. CBD eases nausea and suppresses vomiting. (21)
13. CBD Oil for Chronic Pain
“Chronic pain represents an emerging public health issue of massive proportions,” wrote 2008 article published in Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, and rightly so. (22)
Pharmaceutical remedies for pain pose inherent risks of addiction, overdose, and adverse side effects.
A by-product of many physical maladies is chronic pain: fibromyalgia, cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and more. The quest for natural remedies for pain has shifted into top gear for alternatives to synthetic drugs.
Cannabidiol is an anti-inflammatory, non-euphoric, non-addictive, non-toxic analgesic from which use no one has ever died. In fact, in those states where medical marijuana is legal, painkiller overdoses have dropped twenty-five percent. (23)
CBD safety has been established by thousands of clinical trials and by the use of ordinary people in the treatment of pain.
There is evidence that the root cause of some conditions of chronic pain is endocannabinoid deficiency. This explains why CBD is so effective in treating pain—it gives the body what it’s lacking.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers!
Does CBD oil get you high?
No. Cannabidiol comes from hemp and other low-THC strains of cannabis. No matter how you take the oil —topically or internally—you will not get stoned.
Will I flunk a drug test if I medicate with CBD-rich cannabis?
“The urine drug screen for THC-COOH is known to have very little cross-reactivity to other cannabinoids that are not psychoactive, such as CBD…individuals using unusually large doses of a cannabinoid-rich hemp oil product (above 1000-2000 mg of hemp oil daily) could theoretically test positive during the initial urinary screen. Although very rare, the urine screen in these cases would likely represent a “false positive” due to other non-THC metabolites or compounds, which may cross-react with the immunoassay…a confirmatory GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) test is performed to verify the positive urine screen. When this is the case, the confirmatory GC/MS test would be negative, since CBD and other cannabinoids will not be detected by the more accurate (and specific) GC/MS screen,” write cannabis authority Leafly. (24)
Keep in mind that hemp and other low-THC strains contains anywhere from 1/10th to 1/300th of the THC concentration found in marijuana.
Can I make my own CBD oil?
Yes! It’s not difficult to make your own CBD oil, nor does it require a lot of ingredients. Click here for a simple recipe.
How do I know what dose of CBD I should take?
Every person is unique and your sensitivity to CBD will be different from someone else’s. Project CBD is a California non-profit organization “dedicated to promoting and publicizing research into the medical uses of cannabidiol (CBD) and other components of the cannabis plant. We provide educational services for physicians, patients, industry professionals, and the general public.” Project CBD has published an explanatory outline on its website: Cannabis Dosing.
Is CBD legal?
In the United States, all cannabinoids are lumped together under Schedule 1 of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of controlled and hazardous drugs (along with heroin and LSD, among others). CBD oil is only legal in a few states. Fortunately, that number is growing. (25) CBD oil is also legal in Canada and other countries. A quick internet search will confirm whether or not it is legal to buy or produce where you live.
It’s about time that the world’s medical communities recognize the remarkable and amazing medicinal value of cannabinoids and CBD oil benefits. The authors of one study were bold enough to state: “In view of the very low toxicity and the generally benign side effects of this group of compounds [cannabinoids], neglecting or denying their clinical potential is unacceptable.” (26)
Above is only a selection of all the many CBD oil uses to treat and even cure human illness and disease. With very little risk and potentially huge gain, the possibilities for CBD seem almost limitless.