While the possibility of CBD effects are something we cannot promote directly, due to UK law, we can discuss what CBD oil does, from a scientific perspective.
CBD products are gaining popularity at a startling rate, meaning the chances are you hear these three letters frequently. It may be in news stories or scientific studies, or just through anecdotal evidence from friends and loved ones, but it’s likely that you’ve heard of it (which is probably why you’re here!).
So the first question you probably have is “What is CBD oil?” and that will probably be followed up by “What does CBD oil do, exactly?”.
We’re here to answer both of these questions for you. Now, there is about to be some science, but don’t worry, we won’t drown you in technical terminology (which is definitely because we’re being courteous, and not because we don’t understand the big long science words we’d have to use).
What is CBD?
Let’s start with the basics and build from there. CBD is the shortened term for Cannabidiol, which is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis flower (CBD is also much easier to write).
CBD is not to be confused with THC, which is probably the best-known part of the cannabis flower and is the part that produces the ‘high’.
CBD does not produce a high and is, therefore, more widely legal in both the UK and the USA. In both countries, CBD products are legal to buy as long as they are taken from regulated plants and contain less than 0.2% THC.
It is for this reason that substantial research has been undertaken into the possible health benefits of CBD. Again, we cannot speak directly in any promotional way of these benefits due to laws in the UK. But we can’t stop you from Googling it, and we can say that in November 2018, the UK Government legalised the prescription of CBD products for certain medical conditions, which means something, but it’s up to you to decide what that is.
How Does CBD Work?
This is the part where we try and avoid boring you with a long-winded scientific explanation, be sure to let us know how we did in the comments!
So, here’s the interesting thing, cannabinoids actually exist naturally in the human body. While cannabinoids derived from plants, such as CBD, are known as phytocannabinoids, the naturally occurring cannabinoids that are in your body already are called endocannabinoids.
The endocannabinoid system is composed of endocannabinoids (makes sense so far, right?) which exist throughout the central nervous system, including in the brain.
This system is involved in the regulation of various processes within the body, from fertility, to appetite, to pain reception, to memory.
The endocannabinoid system is also the one that reacts with cannabis within your system, it is the reason THC makes you high, and may be the reason why CBD reduces pain, or helps with medical ailments, if that is indeed what it does, and we are certainly not telling you that is what it does, but if it did, that would be why it did.
The Effects of CBD
Again, we’re sticking to the science here, research points to numerous possible medical benefits from CBD, but for now, we will stick to what we know for sure.
So, what has been proven is that, to some degree, CBD can reduce the reactions in the brain that are related to anxiety, creating a calm feeling, very different from the high created by consuming THC.
Basically, CBD can mimic the effects of endocannabinoids, therefore augmenting, or increasing these effects.
This means that the effects of naturally occurring cannabinoids which control mood, can, in theory, be enhanced by CBD.
The other thing we know, is that the majority of pathological conditions are caused by some degree of dysregulation within the endocannabinoid system, so something that could help to regulate that in some way, could perhaps be very useful in the treatment of some conditions.
There are numerous online sources which can provide more information on this, and between those, and the information given here, we trust you to draw your own conclusions, we’re certainly not going to tell you what to think or believe.
So here we are, we got to the end, we tried not to get too drowned in the science, but that is what CBD is, and, perhaps, why it could just be incredibly important.
Feel free to drop any questions or comments you have about what CBD oil does below. We’d be delighted to discuss it with you.