Cannabidiol(CBD) Blog

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CBD as a Painkiller

From ancient times Cannabis has been cultivated. Mystics believed it had medicinal properties and also it was used for recreation. The second part is true even today. Cannabis or as it is commonly known as, Marijuana, has found its way into the daily lives of people majority of whom use it to release stress or for recreational purposes.

But those are not the only uses of Marijuana. Cannabis has many chemicals out of which only 113 have been discovered to date. Out of those 113 components, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol) form the majority.

These two components work by stimulating receptors of Endocannabinoid system. These receptors are termed as CB1 and CB2. While the CB1receptor responds only to THC, the CB2 receptor responds to CBD. THC is the component of Cannabis that gives you the feeling of being “high”. It also responsible for the addictiveness of Cannabis. CBD, however, is very different. It is non-psychoactive (meaning it will not give the feeling of being “high”) and non-addictive.

CBD has many medicinal benefits. It is used to cure autism, multiple sclerosis, Social Anxiety Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome and has even shown promising results in combating Cancer.

As a matter of fact, it can help alleviate joint pains and neuropathic pains. Chemotherapy for Cancer can lead to nausea, vomiting, and pains all over the body. CBD has shown remarkable results in treating these ailments as well.

CBD can provide relief to people who regularly take dangerous addictive drugs to deal with chronic pain.  A study conducted over a span of over 20 years from the 1980s to 2007 concluded that Cannabidiol can effectively be used to combat pain without any side-effects.

CBD has anti-inflammatory properties. It can also help boost your immune system. The CB2 receptors which respond to CBD are responsible for the pain-relieving effects of CBD. CBD can treat the pains arising out of MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and has the capability of treating insomnia.

Arthritis is a chronic disorder that causes inflammation of joints all over the body. This, in turn, causes immense pain to the patient. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a specific type of arthritis that is dreaded because of its devastating effect. The medication of this type of arthritis is costly. There are many who cannot afford the pain medication. For them, CBD comes as a Ray of Hope.

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, CBD can tackle the pain arising out of arthritis. It is important to mention in this regard that THC can also ameliorate the pain but it becomes addictive and has many other associated side-effects. CBD is free of those defects.

Study on mice who had severe Arthritis was conducted. The subjects were given regulated doses of CBD. It was observed that the inflammation and overall pain decreased substantially in the subjects. Similar results were observed in the controlled studies of many patients.

International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) is not a very well-known organization particularly because it tends to avoid media spotlight. It convenes an annual meeting in which researchers from all over the world pour in their collective genius and try to remove the shroud of infamy over Cannabis by discovering its many potential benefits.

Mark Ware, a pain specialist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, who was present at one such convention notes that it is difficult for many to take CBD as a serious option because of its illegal status. Mark specializes in analgesic properties of Cannabis.

Nevertheless, CBD has been proven to act as an effective painkiller. Its properties and the absence of any side-effects make it an ideal candidate for the treatment of pain arising out of Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Chemotherapy and various Neuropathic pains. It can change the lives of its user for the better.  

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CBD and Epilepsy

Cannabis contains 113 known components out of which only two are present in major quantities. These two are Cannabidiol or CBD and THC. THC is responsible for the addictive and psychoactive nature of Marijuana. CBD, however, is far from THC. It is not addictive, it does not get you high and it has the ability to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders including, but not limited to, Anxiety, Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer and even Epilepsy.

Those who are familiar with/ have suffered or are suffering from Epilepsy know how dangerous it can be. The unprovoked sudden onset of Seizures in the middle of a busy road or stairs can be fatal. Occurrences of Epileptic seizures called Episodes are random. Some studies have shown that there may exist a certain trigger which may bring the sudden onset but it is quite difficult for a person suffering from Epilepsy to accurately locate the trigger.

Epilepsy can occur at any stage of life. It may be result or stroke, brain injury or just genetic. Regardless, there is no perfect cure for this disease. The neurological disorder does not discriminate. It can happen to any gender and ethnicity and can happen without any prior warning. Study shows that more than 5 million people suffer from this disorder.

CBD or Cannabidiol can help and so does cannabis which you can usually buy from a good online dispensary in Canada. 

CBD shows promising result in animal models where it reduced the number of seizure events occurring in the subject. CBD acted as an acute anticonvulsant in those animal models. CBD has neuroprotective as well as anti-inflammatory effects. Clinical trials conducted to find out the effects of CBD-based treatments and their side-effects have shown significant positive results.

In another controlled study of human subjects, the subjects given CBD were found to have a lower number of epileptic episodes than those who were given placebo or another drug. The use of higher ratio of CBD: Δ9-THC has yielded positive results. Studies conducted on more than 300 patients who had this neurological disorder suggested that CBD treatment for Epilepsy is a viable option.

CBD even treats Schizophrenia.

CBD acted as an inhibitor of epileptic seizures in Maximum Electric Shock Models (MES). It showed similarly promising results in magnesium-free and audiogenic models. Those familiar with epilepsy know that LGS (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) is a devastating form of epilepsy that occurs in children. Dravet syndrome (DS) is another such horrendous form of epilepsy.

In a recent survey, out of 19 parents out of whom 12 had wards suffering from severe epilepsy (DS) was conducted. 5 parents reported that CBD treatment had actually worked and the frequency of seizures in their children had decreased substantially. Parents whose child suffered from LGS also reported that CBD had caused a decrease in epileptic seizures.

The report of the survey stated that the children who had been administered CBD not only had decreased frequency but also had increased awareness and did not suffer from any form of fatigue.

Cannabidiol has many potential benefits. Epilepsy is just one such neurological disorder that CBD treats. The results in animal models and reports and conclusions of different surveys and preclinical trials suggest that CBD can be used to Epilepsy without any unwanted side-effects. This gives CBD an advantage over the conventional means of treatments prevalent today.