Cannabidiol (CBD) is truly one of the most remarkable compounds in the natural world.
Published on January 14th, 2018 by Adam Drury in hightimes.com
What exactly is cannabidiol (CBD) and more importantly, what
does it do? Those questions and more are at the heart of this comprehensive
guide to one of the most fascinating and important compounds of the cannabis
plant. Cannabis plants are chemical powerhouses that produce more than 400
different compounds. Not all of those compounds are unique to marijuana, of
course, and appear in many other species of plants. That’s why marijuana can
smell like pine trees or taste like fresh lemons. But of those 400 compounds,
more than 60 of them are totally specific to the plant genus Cannabis.
Scientists call these special compounds “cannabinoids.” However, not all
cannabinoids are created equal. One of them, cannabidiol, or CBD, holds the key
to the wide variety of medicinal and therapeutic effects marijuana offers.
The more we learn about CBD, the more it seems poised to
revolutionize medicine as we know it. Find out why cannabidiol is so important
and why you should care about it, especially if you consume cannabis.
CBD 101: The Fundamentals of Cannabidiol
Perhaps the only thing more complex than the biochemistry of
cannabis is its pharmacology. The ways weed interacts with the human body are
exceedingly intricate. And the truth is we don’t know as much as we should
about those interactions—at least not yet.
Nevertheless, we do know some of the basics. So here’s your
fundamental fact sheet about Cannabidiol.
Cannabidiol is Not Psychoactive
One of the most crucially important qualities of CBD is its
lack of psycho-activity. In layperson’s terms, this means that cannabidiol
won’t get you high. Unlike THC, the cannabinoid with the legendary power of
producing euphoric sensations, Cannabidiol is inert.
So when taken on its own, users experience none of the
sensations of being stoned. And this is the single most important property of
the cannabinoid from the medical—and legal—perspective.
Cannabidiol is Legal Almost Everywhere
Because CBD doesn’t get you high, products that contain only
this cannabinoid can skirt the legal ban on marijuana.
Technically speaking, its THC—the cannabinoid that gets you
high—which is illicit. When you take a drug test, the aim is to detect THC in
your body, not “cannabis.” If you possessed weed without any THC in it,
technically you wouldn’t be in violation of the law. Because “weed” withoutTHC
has a different name: hemp. And the rules governing hemp are quite different
from the restrictions placed on cannabis.
In fact, every state that has yet to legalize marijuana for
medical use has some kind of law allowing people to obtain and use CBD-only (or
low-THC) products for medical or therapeutic purposes. And in most cases, that
means obtaining Cannabidiol from hemp, rather than cannabis flowers.
In places with legal medical marijuana programs, CBD products
are widely available and easy to find.
Cannabidiol Can Come From Hemp or Marijuana Plants
There are two main sources of CBD: hemp plants and marijuana.
Where a given product comes from depends on the legal status of marijuana in a
particular state.
If medical marijuana is illegal in a given state, THC levels
determine whether a CBD product is illicit or not. In most places, the limit is
extremely low. We’re talking under 1 percent THC, with some states opting for a
cap as low as 0.3 percent. In this case, the only source that would work is
hemp, and CBD products will, therefore, be hemp-derived.
In other places, limits can be higher. Delaware, for example,
allows CBD oil to contain up to 5 percent THC. But that’s still not enough to
get anyone very high.
Sourcing and legality questions aside, the general consensus
has it that CBD derived from marijuana is both more potent and more effective.
Many attribute this phenomenon to the “entourage effect,” or
the theory that one cannabinoid can do its job better when it works together
with its companion cannabinoids. Extracting Cannabidiol from cannabis flowers
helps keep these other cannabinoids intact, which is why people prefer it over
hemp-derived products.
In other words, the source matters. And the buds of the
cannabis plant have a richer and wider complement of cannabinoids compared to
hemp leaves. So while we’re on the topic, here’s a quick rundown of the best
CBD-only and CBD-dominant strains of cannabis out there.
Breeders Are Crafting Specialized CBD-Dominant Weed Strains
The demand for medical-grade cannabidiol has spurred breeders
and growers to pursue new strain genetics that promote cannabidiol production.
These strains don’t attempt to eliminate THC. Instead, they increase the ratio
of CBD to THC, allowing the effects of cannabidiol to shine through.
Katelyn
Faith: named after the 8-year-old for whom it was created, Katelyn Faith boasts
a 34-to-1 cannabidiol to THC ratio, making it one of the most CBD-rich strains
in the world.
Harlequin: A
legendary medical strain which weighs in at a 5:2 ratio.
ACDC:
This widely available strain consistently tops 19 percent cannabidiol.
Remedy:
As the name suggests, a potent healing strain with an impressive 15:1
cannabidiol ratio.
Cannatonic:
At a perfect 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC, this strain achieves an optimal ensemble
effect for medical patients also seeking the benefits of THC.
Charlotte’s
Web: Interestingly, this “strain” isn’t marijuana at all. Rather, it’s a
proprietary hemp plant that produces buds with just the cannabidiol
cannabinoid.
If you’re searching for a high-quality medical cannabis
strain that places the emphasis on cannabidiol, these six strains are an
excellent place to start.
What Does Cannabidiol Actually Do?
We’ve covered the details of what cannabidiol is, its basic
properties, and where it comes from. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to
what this powerful little compound can do.
For good reason, cannabidiol dominates the conversation about
the medical applications of cannabis. But that doesn’t mean CBD isn’t valuable
to recreational users. In fact, CBD has some special qualities that can make it
an important part of any recreational experience.
First, we’ll dive into the medical side of things. Then we’ll
take a look at the importance of cannabidiol for recreational users.
How Does Cannabidiol Interact With The Body?
All of the 60-plus cannabinoids unique to the plant genus
Cannabis interact with our bodies thanks to a network of neurons called the
endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system runs throughout your body. And
it’s loaded with receptors that bind to the cannabinoids you introduce to your
bloodstream when you consume weed.
And it’s the chemical interactions of those bonds that create
a wide and largely unknown series of responses in your body.
Without distorting the science too much, you could say that
human beings are “hard-wired” for weed. The endocannabinoid system runs deep
and touches all of the major systems of the body. And that’s why weed can do so
many things for us, from altering and regulating moods to stimulating appetites
and reducing pain.
And even though cannabidiol has no toxicity for
humans—meaning, it doesn’t make you intoxicated (i.e. high)—it is highly
reactive with the endocannabinoid system.
To put things as simply as possible, CBD makes things happen.
When it binds to the endocannabinoid system’s receptors, it stimulates all
kinds of changes in the body
Most of those changes are incredibly beneficial, and
researchers keep uncovering real and potential medical uses for them.
We won’t bog you down with the technical minutiae of each of
those changes. Instead, here’s a quick overview of the major studies and most
promising findings about the medical importance of CBD.
Here’s What CBD Can Really Do—And The Research Backing It Up
There’s no better way to gain an appreciation of just what
cannabidiol can do than taking a look at the exciting research behind it. This
overview lists the major medical benefits of CBD, then explains the key studies
backing them up.
CBD Can Stop Epileptic Seizures
One of the most important CBD studies ever published was a
path-breaking study into the efficacy of using CBD as a treatment for epilepsy.
In 2012, researchers with the British Epilepsy Association
published a paper called “Cannabidiol
exerts anticonvulsant effects in animal models of the temporal lobe and partial
seizures.” Their conclusion? “The evidence strongly supports CBD as a
therapeutic candidate for a diverse range of human epilepsies.”
CBD Can Treat Serious Neurological Diseases Like Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s
Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact
mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. We know it has
to do with a protein pathway, and that’s exactly the pathway this 2006 study
investigates.
Taking a look down to the molecular level, researchers
discovered that CBD can actually protect nerve cells from degenerative
diseases. Scientists call this CBD’s “neuroprotective effect,” and it’s one of
the most promising aspects of the cannabinoid.
CBD Can Relieve Pain
Medical cannabis is quickly becoming the go-to alternative to
dangerous and addictive prescription painkillers, like the opioids that are
causing an epidemic of overdose deaths
in the United States.
A lot of weed’s pain-killing power stems from its
psychoactive cannabinoid, THC. But cannabidiol is also a potent pain reliever.
2015 saw the most important study to uncover the pain-relieving effects of CBD.
In that study, researchers compared cannabidiol to morphine.
To their surprise, CBD worked well in combination with
morphine and counteracted the latter’s risky side effects. This means
cannabidiol can help treat acute pain conditions, along with more long-term
benefits.
CBD Can Fight Cancer
It sounds too good to be true. But indeed, pre-clinical
trials have shown that cannabidiol has a powerful anti-tumor effect.
The most important study to reveal these power-full tumor
inhibiting effects came out in 2015. In fact, this study looked at a range of
non-psychoactive cannabinoids, including, of course, cannabidiol.
In a landmark for medical cannabis research, this study
concluded that “CBD slows the progression of Many types if cancer, including
breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.”
How that works is pretty incredible. Cannabidiol actually
makes it harder for cancer cells to grow. In some cases, this causes an
increase in cancer cell death. No wonder stories abound about “miracle” CBD
cures that shrink tumors.
CBD Can Reduce Inflammation
Cannabis is widely-valued as a treatment for inflammation.
Credit goes to both THC and CBD in that regard, but cannabidiol has some
special anti-inflammatory properties of its own.
Specifically, cannabidiol binds with the endocannabinoid
system to produce a response that reduces nerve inflammation. This is another
of its “neuroprotective” qualities and a major reason why CBD is such an
effective treatment for neurological diseases.
CBD Can Treat Mood Disorders
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects nearly 8
percent of all American’s during their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as
men to suffer from it. Finding an affordable, safe, and reliable treatment for
PTSD would profoundly impact the lives of
millions of Americans every year.
To that end, a path breaking 2013 study found that
cannabidiol improved people’s abilities to forget their traumatic memories.
These findings are incredibly important and could be relevant for figuring out
how cannabidiol can treat other anxiety and stress disorders.
What Can CBD Do For Recreational Users?
The topic of treating stress and anxiety sets us up perfectly
to pivot to the importance of cannabidiol for recreational marijuana users.
One of the most awesome things about CBD for the recreational
crowd is its ability to act as a kind of counterweight to THC. The passive,
sustaining Yin to the active, creative Yang of THC if you will.
CBD Can Produce A Smoother, More Balanced High
When recreational users report a negative experience with
weed, the issue almost always has to do with feelings of paranoia and anxiety.
No doubt, any serious recreational user has been there. Today’s weed can
be incredibly potent in terms of THC.
And that’s not even mentioning concentrates.
High doses of THC can and do trigger negative mood
alterations. And some people are just more sensitive to THC than others. For
both people who accidentally got "too High," and those
hyper-sensitive to THC, cannabidiol can help pump the breaks by inhibiting some
of the toxicity of THC.
This is a really unique and little-understood mechanism
covered under the entourage effect. But if you take a close look at dispensary
products, you’ll see plenty of strains, edibles, and concentrates that include
a healthy dose of CBD in addition to high quantities of THC.
The reason for this is that cannabidiol works like an
antidote to THC. It counters some of the stronger, stress-inducing effects of
THC, leading to a smoother, more balanced high.
Hence, 1:1 strains or other products with a balanced blend of
THC and CBD are super-popular among recreational cannabis consumers.
The Most Popular CBD Products Available Today
CBD Oils
Today, the most popular way to purchase products and consume
cannabidiol is as an oil. Remember, though, that CBD oil can come from hemp or
from marijuana plants, and quality can vary dramatically.
Health and Beauty Products
Additionally, topical ointments, which allow CBD to be
absorbed through the skin, are also tremendously popular. Moisturizers infused
with CBD extracts are dominating the health and skin care markets for
therapeutic cannabis. As are other CBD-infused products like shampoos, facial
cleansers and even deodorant.
Vaporizers
Vaping CBD extracts in the form of wax concentrate is another
popular mode of consuming cannabidiol.
Edibles
And finally, there’s the old standbys: edibles and tinctures
for making CBD-infused foods and beverages.
The Future Of Cannabidiol: The Future Of Healing?
That’s the rundown of what cannabidiol is, what it can do for
you and the most popular ways to get your hands on it. As you can see, the
future holds in store some exciting things for CBD, thanks to its seemingly
bottomless promise as an effective and safe medicine.
Capable of fighting back against the most serious diseases,
while also gentle enough to be a part of a daily health regimen, cannabidiol is
truly one of the most remarkable compounds in the natural world.
And for this reason, cannabidiol (CBD) is driving innovation
in the cannabis industry. Who would have guessed that the part of the plant
that doesn’t get you high become such a major player in today’s cannabis
revolution?
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