CBD oil is one of the latest health crazes, showing up in readily available products from makeup to oil-filled capsules. It’s no wonder that this alleged wonder drug is garnering attention from the health food and natural healing crowd – it is purported to be effective in relieving symptoms like pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, and seizures.
Some believe it can even be helpful for treating acne. That raises some questions: What is CBD? Is it safe? Is it even effective?
What Is CBD?
CBD is also known as the compound cannabidiol, the second most prevalent compound found in the cannabis plant next to its more famous sister, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. However, unlike THC, CBD is not known for making people “high.” So, if you’re hesitant to take CBD as a supplement because you don’t want to be high, you can effectively set those worries aside.
Is It Safe?
There’s one catch, though. You must consider where your CBD oil is coming from before jumping onto the bandwagon. The Food and Drug Administration currently doesn’t regulate supplements containing CBD. So, as you can imagine, CBD-infused products and supplements are hitting the shelves by the hundreds.
It used to be that CBD oil was only technically legal in states that had legalized medical marijuana. In fact, CBD oil is all some states have legalized so far. Thanks to the recently passed Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, industrial hemp is now legal. Hemp is the source for most of the CBD oil that can be found on the open market.
However, another source for CBD is also the cannabis plant. Cultivators are breeding certain strains of cannabis that are higher in CBD than THC, but cannabis will always have small amounts of THC. Hemp, on the other hand, contains very little THC. High CBD strains of cannabis won’t necessarily make you high.
In fact, CBD does a pretty good job of counteracting the high that THC brings on. So, if you live in a medical or recreational state that allows for flower cannabis, break out that dry herb vaporizer and get a high-CBD strain.
Is CBD Effective?
CBD oils can be used in a variety of ways: it can be added to food, used as a topical ointment or cream, taken in pill form, taken straight from the dropper, or even vaporized in a vape pen.
It is important to note that while CBD is touted to treat many things, medical experts agree that there is more research that needs to be done as far as the efficacy of CBD for treating things like pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, and other ailments. However, much research has been done into using CBD to prevent seizures, proving the compound’s efficacy for that condition.
Before purchasing a CBD oil, do your research. Make sure that the company is reputable and that they can answer questions about the amount of CBD in their product and where the CBD is sourced. Remember, most CBD is found in the hemp plant, but some manufacturers are using CBD from the cannabis plant, which can contain THC.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that CBD oil may be effective in treating a multitude of conditions. However, more research needs to be done. As with any supplement, consult your doctor before adding CBD to your regime.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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