I’ve been researching cannabidiol (CBD) oil lately after hearing amazing health benefits, and I’m floored by what I’m uncovering. Is this cannabinoid that’s been just out of our legal reach a miracle cure for cancer, epilepsy, anxiety, insomnia, and more?
Additionally I’ve been using the oil myself recently for anxiety and to lower blood pressure, and the positive effects have been nothing short of astounding.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol is one of the two main cannabinoids in marijuana (cannabis), and it has a non-psychoactive effect (read: it won’t get you high). Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds present in cannabis that act on cannabinoid receptors in cells that release and repress neurotransmitters in the brain. That’s right: we have cannabinoid receptors in our brain specifically designed to interact with cannabis molecules.CBD vs Hemp Oil
CBD and CBD oil come from hemp, but it’s not the hemp oil you see at the store. Hemp oil is made from hemp seeds or stalks, and proper CBD oil is made from hemp flowers and leaves. Hemp is naturally rich in CBD while marijuana plants are rich in THC.Medical cannabis has been selectively bred for varying amounts of THC, but hemp plants are primarily male and non-flowering, so they have a low THC content. Although marijuana is mostly illegal depending on where you live, CBD is more easily attainable and somewhat legal as long as the THC content is super low, under 0.3% I believe. The laws are still pretty murky, however.
True CBD oil is made by extracting the oil from hemp flowers and leaves using solvents, carbon, or carrier oils like olive oil. It’s then used as a tincture, in topical creams, edibles, or a liquid. CBD is also available in powderized form in capsules at higher doses. Delivery methods discussed in more detail below.
Hemp oil, which is typically produced from hemp stalks, seeds, and stems, contains low levels of CBD – typically less than 25 parts per million – while CBD oil can be up to 15 percent CBD. Because the plants are related, some unscrupulous sellers of hemp oil are trying to market it for its medicinal value, which is negligible, so be aware of this. (source) Remember that hemp oil comes from the seeds of the hemp plant, and CBD is extracted from the flowers. This site offers unbiased CBD reviews, but as of now I would only buy CBD oil through a dispensary.
What Does CBD Do?
Users report that CBD has a relaxing, sedative effect on the body without the fuzzy mind high of using cannabis (and no risk of using too much and freaking out). For me, it usually produces a deep and relaxing state of calm. Sometimes I don’t even notice anything until I realize how pleasant I’m feeling.The main uses for which I recommend CBD are to combat anxiety, insomnia, and pain and to lower blood pressure (note that if you have low blood pressure or are on blood pressure meds, you’ll need to monitor your pressure so it doesn’t drop too low). I would also highly recommend it for cancer and seizures. Its medicinal uses surpass those of any other cannabinoid, and it has been used for treating the following (source and source):
- reducing or preventing inflammation
- depression and anxiety disorders: PTSD, OCD panic attacks, social anxieties
- nausea
- diabetes
- hypertension
- alcoholism
- cancer
- schizophrenia
- rheumatoid & osteoarthritis
- epilepsy & seizures
- cardiovascular disease
- psychosis
- pain relief
Is CBD Oil Nature’s Miracle Cure?
You may have heard the story of Charlotte, the girl who was suffering up to 300 seizures per week at age 5 before her parents tried CBD oil after exhausting other treatment options. They were stunned when the seizures stopped almost completely, now occurring only 2-3 times monthly. Charlotte is now thriving. Scientists think the CBD quiets the excessive electrical and chemical activity in the brain that causes seizures.We know that CBD has very strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We also know that inflammation is a main cause of disease and pain, so CBD is really effective against inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, joint pain, and even IBS. It reportedly also has powerful pain reducing properties and could be used as a non-toxic and-non addictive alternative to opiate-based painkillers like vicodin.
Aside from seizures, I’ve been researching it and talking with folks who use it to combat anxiety, depression, and insomnia and have found that it’s very effective for all. In one case, the user (a male over age 70, the father of one of my clients) was able to drop all his blood pressure meds using CBD oil along with magnesium. In my case, during a particularly stressful time. my blood pressure dropped 20 points in 2 days of taking just 15mg of CBD. Amazing. I’d also recommend it as a general tonic to help the body adapt to stress because it reduces elevated cortisol. You can also use it for your dogs (I haven’t read anything about cats); I’ve heard of at least one case where it’s stopped seizures in an older dog.
Because of CBD’s positive effects in reducing cortisol, it has a beneficial effect on the endocrine system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which regulates your stress response. If you feel fried, wired, or unable to deal with life’s stressors, your HPA axis is likely dysregulated. CBD also reduces blood sugar levels. Check out the research here.
Initial studies on CBD and cancer are very promising. CBD may support apoptosis (programmed cell death that rids the body of old and damaged cells) and may also be effective against breast cancer by killing breast cancer cells.
How to Use CBD Oil
CBD is still classified as schedule 1 drug in the United States, and it’s not super easy to get the best quality CBD oil. As awareness is spreading, it’s getting easier. You want to be very careful about quality standards and extraction methods to ensure you are not getting an end product that has hexanes, mycotoxins, mold, pesticides, or other toxic solvents.I live in San Francisco where marijuana laws are fairly liberal, but I really don’t know the legal ins and outs of obtaining CBD oil in other states (aside from Colorado, Washington, and other states where it’s all legal!). In San Francisco, if you have any of the conditions I’ve mentioned, it’s easy to get a medical marijuana card which gives you access to high quality CBD oil in addition to medical marijuana.
I have used and recommend these CBD oils, but as far as I know you can only obtain them from a dispensary. This one has been recommended to me also, but I haven’t tried it yet. It actually does contain CBD in addition to hemp oil (many labels will say hemp oil only) and has stringent quality standards. There are a lot of pricey CBD oils out there, so check the dosages and manufacturing practice. You want to be able to easily take up to 30mg per dose, so if an entire bottle only provides 5mg, it may not be strong enough to work.
I recommend the oil because it’s the easiest way to start with a low dose and move up. You don’t know what your body needs and how you’ll react, so start on the lower end of the spectrum with a 5mg dose in a tincture (usually a few drops, depending) and work your way up. Remember, it’s not addictive and there’s no risk of overdose, but I have heard users report that too much can make you “fuzzy.” This will heavily depend on the CBD:THC ratio. The tinctures are at the lower end of price spectrum, less than $100 and averaging $60 or so. Because this is a new industry, demand hasn’t driven supply, so it’s still pretty pricey.
What Will CBD Do to Me?
If you’ve dosed correctly, you should notice reduction in your symptoms, whether that’s anxiety, pain, or insomnia. If you don’t feel any improvement, move your dose up day by day until you feel better. Note that you should use the oil consistently every day to get the best results. You can take as much as 100 mg or more (which, as far as I can tell, is impossible to find as a dosage in any quality CBD product unfortunately, though I HAVE seen these dosages in hemp oil), whatever works for you.If you need a higher dose, you may want to consider the powder form in capsules, but they’re more pricey. The caps usually start around 25mg per pill. Other methods of delivery include vaporizers where you get a liquid combustible form for very quick delivery into bloodstream via inhaling, like an e-cig (I haven’t researched the potential carcinogenic effects of this though). Apparently the topical creams work great for eczema and psoriasis.
The effects should last a couple of hours. If you’re using it for chronic anxiety, I’d recommend also using adrenal support and possibly some neurotransmitter support. The great thing about CBD is that unlike THC, it won’t disrupt and suppress your feel-good neurotransmitters.
In terms of potential bad side effects, I didn’t once come across anything negative about CBD oil in my extensive research. The only unfavorable review I saw was one person who claimed it didn’t work. That’s a much safer profile than many FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs.
We still don’t know all that much about CBD quite yet. The FDA has been testing a CBD-based drug for children with epilepsy, but there aren’t any other major clinical trials to date. There is tons of research on using cannabidiol for over 23 diseases and conditions from cancer to parkinson’s to hypertension, and you can check that out here.
Resources
Recent research on medical marijuanaHow to use CBD oilCBD explained
Hemp oil uses and benefits, good explanation of hemp oil vs CBD
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Glad to hear you’ve found relief with diet and THC!
I’m a 30 year old male who takes CBD oil for anxiety. It’s really helpful. However, I am a bit concerned about negative effects it may have on my hormone levels. I enjoy a high sex drive and no man boobs, and would like to keep it that way.
I was curious if you knew of any quality peer-reviewed evidence that sheds light on this topic. I’ve thus far been unable to find any.
Thank you
David
I am a college instructor. 51 year old male.
Thanks for the post! As someone with Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism, what are your thoughts on CBD oil and fertility/pregnancy?
Thanks,
JP
My mother soffers from maculopathy and I would like to buy a CBD oil for her because I read that could help. But I dont really know where to get a good and trustable one which has a good ammount of cannabinoid.
Thanks a lot!
I am interested in both hbp control and Hashimotos. Could you please comment on those for me. I am interested,
https://www.maryvancenc.com/hashimotos-causes-treatments/
I am 53 yr old woman. I lost my career and life to Fibromyalgia/CFS. I tried CBD Oil from a dispensary in my town for the very first time. The CBD oil was a 480 mg bottle of CBD only, no THC. I was careful to avoid having a panic attack with the THC. The seller said to take 1 full dropper (48 mg) per dose. I got very dizzy. The bottle says it has “terpenes” in it. I read up on Google and terpenes are like essential oils that give the pot plant aroma. Would those make me dizzy? Or is it the CBD oil? It really helped my pain but I got very dizzy and the dizziness made me nauseous.
Very informative article. We love how CBD is gaining more and more popularity as people turn away from traditional medicine and look for natural solutions. We would love to offer you a free bottle of one of our products to try. Please get in touch if interested!
been searching any alternative medicine that can help me then i came across this article that says marijuana can be used to treat
and prevent glaucoma. I’ve been planning to try this kind of strain here in https://blog.bonzaseeds.com/purple-sour-diesel/ but i have no idea where to start or buy. Can you
guys give me any tips or any ideas that can help? Thank you and God bless !!
but there seems to be an error in your information, it actually does NOT lower cortisol according to the very study you are citing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8257923
“…decrease [from placebo] in cortisol levels was significantly attenuated[!] after CBD..” – and also the numbers they give show that cbd does not lower cortisol.
i have seen the seemingly wrong information of cbd lowering cortisol many times now but i have yet to see a study which actually shows its power to lower cortisol.
I found your website and just purchased some CBD oil to lower my cortisol. However, I have to agree with Chris that the study you cited actually says it does not have that effect. It says that cortisol is lowered for the placebo group but that when CBD is introduced, that effect is “greatly attenuated” (meaning it does not have that effect). Could you please direct me to another study that shows that it does? Thank you,
Andrea
Ben Greenfield’s post links to many studies and is quite comprehensive: https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/supplements-articles/how-to-use-cbd-oil/
Appreciate Your Effort. Great Work Buddy
Has anyone else had this type of experience? Or even researched this topic? I have heard about people actually quitting by substituting it w/ bud. Interesting to me.
I’ve been having trouble myself trying to quit smoking cigars. I tried searching for other alternatives like vaping but after a month i came back to cigarettes. I was so desperate to quit and avoid nicotine but then i came across this article that says marijuana can help you quit smoking cigarettes and turns out, CBD can help after all.CBD can remove positively associated smoking memories from the brain, making it easier for the user to quit altogether. Can someone give me more information or any tips? Thanks
Thanks for sharing the wonderful article on CBD and its health benefits. I used to be very irritating because of insomnia. One of my friends recommended me about CBD Products. Then I started researching about CBD and came across an article https://cbdvapegenius.com/blog/what-is-cbd-cbd-in-depth-from-cbd-vape-genius/ which helped to understand CBD better and I ordered CBD Gummies. Taking a dose at night helped me to overcome the problem of insomnia. Now I wake up in the morning fresh and energetically. Apart from my story, let me tell you that I love your article and will share it with my friends. Thanks for sharing great information!
Nice article on CBD. I’ve been personally dealing with chronic back pain for the past 7 years and I ditched my regular meds and started taking CBD Oil when a far relative of mine recommended it to me. Since then I’ve never looked back. CBD has helped me give good relief from pain and helps me sleep better. Above all, it keeps me active in the gym. Just bookmarked your site. Keep rocking this kinda cool information
The point it, we don’t know, as vaping hasn’t been around long enough to study longterm effects.
Also, I cannot imagine that vaping would in any way improve asthma. You could probably get similar or better benefit from edibles if it’s truly the THC/CBD that’s improving your condition.
Actually, I’ve just read a great article about this topic. There’s a lots interesting facts and points as to “good use of marijuana”. For example, cannabinoids, which is contained in the plant of marijuana, tend to interact with various receptors in the brain and therefore have significant effects caused by the usage of brain boosters.
Read it yourself, if you want to learn more about this topic: https://tonusjournal.com/brain-health/marijuana-nootropics-effective-brain-booster/
Superb post. It’s great to see that CBD is emerging and rapidly conquering the market. Also, more and more people are getting to know about it’s benefits. Personally, I’m dealing with back pain problem and CBD has been helping me for the last 2 years. Helps me by keeping active and supporting my back all day long. Anyways, keep sharing this kinda stuff
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