Cannabidiol (CBD) is often a drug of controversy. It is extracted from the cannabis plant and has far fewer psychoactive properties than tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is another compound extracted from cannabis.
Depending on where you are in the world availability from health services may be limited and in some cases you may not be able to get it at all. As such, businesses such as thehempphilosophy.com have sprung up to fulfill demand.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits CBD brings.
Epilepsy
CBD has been shown to treat epileptic seizures. In fact, Epidiolex was granted approval by the Food and Drug istration (FDA) in 2018. The drug treats seizures resulting from two causes of epilepsy and contains CBD. They are:
- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
- Dravet syndrome
The drug has been effective for patients aged two years and up.
The FDA based its decision on three well-put-together studies clearly showing the effectiveness of CBD.
Opioid Addiction
Opioids have become an increasing problem in the United States and other countries around the world. Although illegal drugs like heroin are classed as an opioid most of the deaths came from prescribed drug misuse. Over 70,000 people died from an opioid overdose in 2019 in America alone.
Depending on the nature of the condition, CBD can be used to help relieve opioid addiction. In various clinical trials including those addicted to heroin, cravings, anxiety, elevated heart rates salivary cortisol levels were reduced. No serious side effects were present.
Other psychiatric and medical symptoms such as insomnia and pain from substance and medical drug misuse also subsided.
Treating PTSD
Several clinical trials have shown that CBD has successfully treated PTSD. Results varied but there were no substantial side effects, and counseling is still required to help relieve symptoms. THC in small doses seemed to help as well.
Some Success at Treating Anxiety and Depression
Several animal and human studies have shown there is some benefit from taking CBD to alleviate symptoms. Trials in humans used placebos and those that had the placebos did not see a reduction in symptoms.
Given the rise of mental health conditions in populations around the world, this could help millions possibly billions of people.
Pain Control
Some pain is unmanageable by conventional pharmaceutical drugs. Multiple sclerosis-related pain often falls into this category, and suffers are in a poor state and predicament. Canada in 2007 approved the use of Sativex with equal proportions of CBD and THC. This has provided some relief and the drug earned approval for patients with cancer pain where conventional meds couldn’t help.
Human trials have continued using CBD as pain relief. In almost every study, placebos have been used and in every case, the placebo patient felt no pain relief. This indicates that CBD is the active pain control ingredient.
Again, no side effects have been found from taking CBD for pain relief.
When we look at the benefits CBD provides and if you can’t get it via your healthcare services, it may well be worth taking the time to do a little research and order online. Always consult a medical professional first, and get a product with good reviews that specifically treats your condition.
You can discover more here.