CBD has gradually become an essential ingredient in many health and wellness products. The compound has also found its way into sports & fitness supplements, beauty & skincare products, food & beverages, and even pet products.
But what is it about CBD that makes it such a coveted substance? Read below for a definitive answer to this question, with a special focus on the potential health benefits of CBD oil.
What Is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol. It’s a chemical that occurs naturally in the cannabis plant, commonly used in treating various ailments.
Cannabidiol occurs in all cannabis variants, including hemp and marijuana. However, most industrially-prepared CBD comes from hemp cultivars.
What Is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is simply an oil-based substance formulated with cannabidiol as a primary ingredient. These products are commonly confused with CBD tinctures.
While both substances contain cannabidiol as the main bioactive chemical, CBD oils are typically prepared using carrier oils, while CBD tinctures are manufactured using high-proof alcohol solutions. Commonly used carrier oils in CBD include coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, MCT oil, and hemp seed oil.
What Are The Health Benefits Of CBD Oil?
- CBD Oil May Treat Pain
Most cannabidiol-related publications you’ll come across recommend the substance for pain management. Like other cannabinoids (therapeutically beneficial compounds extracted from cannabis), CBD treats pain by reducing the excitability of nociceptors (pain-transmitting receptors).
Numerous studies have demonstrated cannabidiol’s efficacy against both acute and chronic pain. Examples of chronic pain conditions you can manage using the substance include arthritis pain, cancer pain, endometriosis pain, pancreatitis pain, and multiple sclerosis pain.
- CBD Oil May Attenuate Inflammation
Pain and inflammation are inseparable. That explains why many analgesic medications also tend to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
CBD oil soothes inflammation mainly by targeting chemicals that aid the body’s inflammatory responses. Some of these chemicals include chemokines and cytokines.
To make the most of cannabidiol oil’s anti-inflammatory benefits, it’s essential to select supplements intended for topical application. These range from CBD-enriched creams to salves, ointments, balms, sunscreens, and face masks, to mention but a few.
- CBD Oil May Relieve Anxiety
Cannabidiol contains powerful sedative properties. CBD can help quell anxiety and jitteriness, improving your focus on the tasks at hand. CBD oil relieves anxiety mainly through its positive interactions with the serotonin (5-HT) 1A receptor. When consumed, CBD increases the brain’s sensitivity to serotonin.
Numerous findings have established a nexus between mentally healthy individuals and high serotonin levels. The converse is true for people with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
The best part about cannabidiol oil for anxiety is that the compound can help with all significant anxiety disorders. They include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
- CBD Oil May Treat Nausea
Cannabis enjoys a strong reputation for its appetite-inducing properties. It turns out that various extracts from the plant, such as CBD oil, may also help treat nausea.
The exact way in which cannabidiol treats nausea remains unknown. However, marijuana doctors believe it has much to do with the compound’s positive effects on serotonin signaling.
CBD is so effective against nausea that the compound is widely used in oncology centers to treat emetic feelings induced by chemotherapy drugs. People battling other chronic conditions that produce nausea as a core symptom, such as HIV/AIDS, may also benefit immensely by incorporating cannabidiol oil into their lifestyle.
- CBD Oil May Calm Seizures
Seizures are the main symptom of epilepsy. However, these involuntary muscle contractions do not always accompany epileptic fits.
Whichever form or intensity of seizure attacks you’re grappling with, it’s reassuring to know that cannabidiol can make a difference in calming the condition. CBD oil minimizes seizure attacks by reducing the neuronal excitatory of receptors involved in stimulating involuntary muscle spasticity.
CBD oil boasts such powerful anti-seizure properties that an FDA-approved, CBD-based drug is used for treating Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS). LGS and DS are two rare but severe forms of epilepsy common in children from around 5 years.
- CBD Oil May Optimize Your Workouts
There’s a reason cannabidiol oil has become a common ingredient in sports and fitness supplements. That’s due to the compound’s ability to optimize workouts.
As already indicated, CBD oil packs both analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. That makes it a potential treatment for relieving workout-induced pain and inflammation.
Cannabidiol oil has demonstrated efficacy against the delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is a medical term for the searing pain and soreness experienced in the muscles and joints following strenuous physical activity.
- CBD Oil May Supercharge Your Sex Life
If you’re struggling with erectile dysfunction (ED), the chances are that you’re silently looking for a cure for this embarrassing condition. Well, you might want to look in the direction of cannabidiol oil.
CBD oil is a vasodilator. When the compound gets to the bloodstream, it widens narrowed blood vessels. This consequently increases the efficiency of blood circulation to all organs. Enhanced blood flow is essential in maintaining longer and stronger erections.
CBD’s anxiolytic properties may also boost your sexual experience by reducing performance anxiety. The substance clears your mind of all racing thoughts, helping you get into the zone.
- CBD Oil May Boost Your Sleep
When was the last time you had at least 7 hours of sleep consistently for several weeks? If it was long ago, you need to introduce cannabidiol oil into your bedtime routine.
CBD oil boosts sleep quality by blocking anxiety-induced REM sleep suppression. REM, short for rapid eye movement, is a sleep phase marked by intense physical agitation.
Cannabidiol oil may improve sleep quality by reducing REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). RBD is a severe sleep disorder characterized by the unconscious dramatization of one’s dreams.
Final Word
There’s no doubt that cannabidiol oil can provide several health benefits. However, it’s important to note that the efficacy of CBD oil mainly comes down to the doses consumed. The compound is generally counteractive if overdosed. As a new user, you’re better off starting with lower doses and then building momentum slowly.
Also, remember that cannabidiol laws vary from one jurisdiction to another. Therefore, check your local CBD laws before incorporating cannabidiol oil or other cannabis-based products into your health and wellness routine.
And needless to mention, talk to your doctor before using CBD oil. This is especially necessary if you’re already on other medications.
