There remains a little confusion regarding CBD use for health and wellness, mostly because of the drug’s prior classification as an illicit substance.
CBD is the handy acronym for the Cannabidiol extract from the cannabis or hemp plant. Not all CBD contains THC in high enough levels to create the psychoactive high that is commonly achieved from the use of marijuana. Only CBD derived from the Cannabis plant’s flowers contain THC in concentrations between 10% to 30%, which is enough to cause the “high” typically associated with smoking or other forms of ingesting Marijuana.
Cannabis is legal for recreational usage in only a few states in the US, but many more states have legalized its usage for medical purposes only. CBD use made legal nationally by US law passed in 2008 is derived from the hemp plant which contains about 0.3% THC and does not cause a psychoactive high.
Are there legitimate medical and wellness uses for CBD?
In the US, CBD has been FDA approved for children with certain seizure disorders and is available by prescription only. This FDA-approved product has a standardized unadulterated concentration formula and contains less than 0.1% THC. The FDA is currently investigating further uses for CBD for treatment and relief related to various maladies, but as yet none has been tested enough to be proven as effective for such use.
Medical marijuana has been legalized by many states (over 30) for the treatment of a wide spectrum of ailments when prescribed by a physician. These ailments include Alzheimer’s disease, appetite loss, cancer, Crohn’s disease, immune system disorders, epilepsy, glaucoma, certain mental health conditions, nausea, and pain. A a limited amount of research suggests cannabinoids may reduce anxiety and inflammation, control nausea related to chemotherapy, and even kill cancer cells. These are ongoing research projects with no clinical proof yet for the validity of these claimed benefits.
You will find an overwhelming number of positive reviews for low concentration (0.3% THC) products. The problem is that there have not been enough medical studies done yet to provide any kind of clear guidance related to beneficial medical uses. Currently, most studies that have been done have been focused on help with anxiety and sleep. One such study as reported in January 2019 by the Permanente Journal found that there were reduced anxieties and better sleep quality over several months in subjects that took 25 mg of CBD for a month.
Safety concerns
There have been safety concerns as iterated by many experts related to the interactions of CBD with other medications that a person may be taking, which could cause harmful effects. As yet these interactions have not been studied to a significant extent and people taking other medications should be aware of the possible consequences. Another concern is the safety of many of these products is that there is no way to know what is contained in a product, whether it is safe from contaminants or even whether other substances have been added to the product.
If you are looking to buy a safe, good quality CBD product, you must look for organic full-spectrum CBD oil rather than other products which may be CBD isolates that are inherently less beneficial and of lower quality.
Currently, the bottom line is that if you are going to test the use of CBD products for your well-being that you should be sure to purchase your product from well-known, reputable sources that offer a high-quality CBD lotion, CBD tincture, and/or CBD bar product nationwide.
Great promise
Overall, CBD products show great promise as medicinal aids for some ailments. But due to their controversial use and the heavy political ramifications of legalizing their use, progress has been slow. The research on CBD is still in its infancy, so it’s hard to point to solid studies that prove the health benefits of CBD. We can take an educated guess that CBD is very useful for the treatment of some specific ailments as outlined above, but it’s not a miracle cure for all diseases under the sun.
Research into the use of CBD products should be accelerated so we can know for sure the tangible benefits. At the very least, CBD has lost its reputation as an illicit drug and we’re now able to examine its properties and usefulness in more rigorous studies.
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