What is CBD and it’s Benefits

No matter which part of the world you belong to, it’s impossible that you have not heard about CBD. This phytocannabinoid has become a popular fixture in the cabinets and shelves of many popular medicinal shops and convenient stores.

However as CBD comes in a wide variety of products such as hemp derived CBD or Cannabis derived CBD, this can be very overwhelming for newbies or layman. So if you are also one of the curious and confused CBD users no need to fret. Keep reading this blog to know everything about CBD and different types of CBD based on their source.

Cannabis recap

Before we dive deep into CBD you must know little bit background of the famous Cannabis plant and its classification. So here we go!

Cannabis is a genus containing recreational, medicinal and fiber plants. It is further divided into Cannabis Sativa is Cannabis Indica species. It is generally believed that hemp and marijuana are different plants or species but in fact Cannabis sativa is commonly known as hemp or marijuana plant. Which means that hemp and marijuana are the names of the same plant species cannabis sativa. Science does not differentiate hemp and marijuana but the law considers them different. Legally the main difference between both hemp and marijuana is the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC; the main psychoactive cannabinoid of Cannabis that produces high in the user.

Hemp and marijuana

Hemp is a Cannabis plant that only contains 0.3 % of intoxicating THC by dry weight. Hemp is a very good source of CBD because it contains very little amount of THC and you are not likely to get high after using it.

On the other hand marijuana can get you high because it contains high levels of THC. CBD can be easily extracted from both hemp and marijuana. But is there any difference between CBD obtained from Cannabis or hemp let’s take a look at it.

What is CBD?

CBD also called Cannabidiol, is one of the most popular phytocannabinoids extracted from Cannabis/hemp plant. Although it is obtained from Cannabis plant it is completely legal to use as long as it does not contain high concentration of THC. It can be consumed in a variety of products such as oil edibles, sublinguals, topicals and vape products. Different research studies as well as its supporters believe that CBD has the following therapeutic properties:

• Anti-anxiety
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antioxidant
• Anti-psychotic
• Antibacterial

Due to these therapeutic properties scientists believe that it can be helpful in managing different health concerns such as pain, inflammation, IBD, autoimmune diseases, anxiety, depression and skin problems.

Hemp derived CBD

These CBD products are produced or extracted from hemp plant that is primarily grown for its seeds and fiber. It is different from Cannabis or marijuana plant because of its sparse foliage and skinny appearance. Hemp – industrial hemp- only contain less than 0.3 % THC as outlined by Farm Bill passed in 2018.

Cannabis derived CBD

These products are made by extracting CBD from Cannabis plants with lush thick foliage and flowers. It is usually grown for its intoxicating properties due to high concentrations of THC in it. THC is one of the most abundantly appearing cannabinoid in the Cannabis plant but several strains also offer rich concentrations of CBD.

The entourage effect

No matter what the source of CBD is on the molecular level it is always identical and offers same medicinal properties. However CBD products come in different varieties depending upon the purity of CBD and presence or absence of other beneficial cannabinoids.

• CBD isolate, full spectrum, broad spectrum

You may come across full spectrum or broad spectrum CBD or CBD isolate. CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD without any cannabinoids, terpenes, or fatty acids. It only gives the users benefits of CBD. Whereas CBD full spectrum and broad spectrum are different.

Broad-spectrum products contain all the cannabinoids terpenes fatty acids and everything that Cannabis plant has except THC. On the contrary full spectrum CBD contains every compound of Cannabis plant including cannabinoids, terpenes, fatty acids, flavonoids and even THC.

• benefits of entourage effect

Although there are restrictions on using THC, scientists believe that can also provide some few medicinal properties especially if it is used in the presence of other cannabinoids such as CBC CBD, CBG, CBN to name a few.

Different cannabinoids of Cannabis offer different therapeutic properties. Scientists have recently found that if all these cannabinoids work together in a body they can provide greater benefit to the user by enhancing the therapeutic potential of each other. This phenomena or combined effect is called the entourage effect.

Moreover different trustworthy health sources and professionals claim that entourage rage effect may also help in increasing the efficacy of CBD. For example a meta-analysis paper published in 2018 show that patient suffering from epilepsy responded better to CBD rich extracts containing different phytonutrients and cannabinoids.

Benefits of hemp derived CBD

If you are using pure CBD or CBD isolate obtained from any source –hemp or cannabis- it can provide the following benefits.

Various small research studies indicate that CBD can help manage:

• Pain
• Inflammation
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Psoriasis
• Eczema

However the person may also experience various side effects such as red eyes, dry mouth or increase in liver enzymes.

Benefits of cannabis derived CBD

As already discussed, if you use full spectrum CBD products obtained from cannabis plant you can feel pronounced therapeutic benefits (Entourage effect) of all the cannabinoids. Due to the presence of different cannabinoids the user may feel holistic benefits. For example studies indicate that different following components can offer different health benefits:

• THC can provide anti-nausea; anti-inflammatory and pain-relif benefits.
• Terpenes such as Beta-caryophyllene can give antianxiety, pain-relieving and Limonene can offer antioxidant and antitumor benefits.
• Cannabinoids such as CBC and CBG can offer pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory benefits.

CBD dose and supplementation

CBD can be supplemented in various forms depending on how well you can tolerate the weedy taste or how quickly you need to enjoy the results. You can use flavored edibles such as brownies or gummies if you don’t like the taste of cannabis. If you need to feel instant effects of CBD tinctures used sublingually or vape products will do the job.

However, it is strictly advised to consult with your physician before starting any form of CBD (hemp derived CBD or cannabis derived CBD). Always remember to start with low dose and observe how the body reacts before increasing the dose.