CBD oils account for 40 per cent of all extracts from the cannabis plants. However, it does not cause a psychotropic effect as it lacks the THC compound that gives users a ‘high’ feeling. A long list of medical studies and tirals have revealed its health benefits, including treating anxiety, inflammation, sleeping disorders, pain relief, arthritis and supporting a healthy heart through blood pressure regulation.
According to the Harvard Medical School, CBD is primarily used in treating childhood epilepsy syndromes such as the Dravet and Lennox-Gaustaut1. In regards to CBD oil and inflammation, CBD has been predominantly known to relieve inflammation in the heart to treat conditions such as myocarditis2 which if left untreated, cause stroke and brain damage. CBD has become extremely popular in the treatment of certain ailments because it is natural and unrefined. When compared to other pharmaceutical drugs that are manufactured in laboratories, CBD oils are more popular and have fewer side effects.
Related article: CBD Oil side-effects
CBD oil for inflammation has, therefore, gained a lot in terms carving its own share of the market because many people are growing increasingly aware of the side effects caused by drugs that are made in laboratories. Therefore, they prefer their organic counterparts that are known to have less severe side effects3 such as CBD oil.
What is Inflammation?
To understand how CBD oil for different types of inflammation is effective, it is important to understand what inflammation is, factors that contribute to inflammation, and its symptoms. Inflammation is usually brought about by the immune system’s response to the onset of an infection or a reaction to injury. It is basically how the body tells the immune system to start the process of healing and repairing of damaged body tissue.
The body also uses inflammation as a way to defend itself from invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Inflammation becomes a cause for concern if it goes on for a long time in places that are not needed.
Research on CBD oil and inflammation has yielded great results with people who are suffering from inflammation and pain45. Many of these people have been able to substitute drugs that were previously habit-forming and exhibited side effects with the all-natural CBD oils. Apart from fighting the actual inflammation, CBD oil will also relieve the pain so as to make the condition manageable.
Why CBD can be an Effective Treatment for Inflammation
CBD and inflammation are two words that often go together as CBD has been noted to be an effective treatment for inflammation6. Whether the inflammation is a symptom of an underlying ailment or is an ailment by itself, CBD has shown to play a therapeutic role. This means it helps mediate the immune response that is associated with diseases that arise out of autoimmunity such as injuries. According to studies CBD also fights inflammation by exerting an effect that is more immunosuppressive to macrophages and microglial cells which are the cells responsible for the inflammation7. CBD also reduces chronic inflammatory pain associated with inflammation by activating glycine receptors8.
What Types of Inflammation can CBD Oil Help with?
There are two main types of inflammation: acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is usually a symptom of an underlying issue such as an injury9 . In such cases, the immune system will strive to fight any bacteria or virus that may be present at the point of injury, thereby resulting in what is referred to as acute inflammation. A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology10 looked into the efficacy of cannabidiol when relieving acute inflammation in rats and conluded that CBD may represent a useful pharmacological alternative in the treatment of acute inflammation and pain.
A study done by the University of Milano11 revealed that chronic inflammation was also successfully treated by cannabidiol.
Conclusion
CBD oils have shown to be a good alternative to lab-manufactured drugs. These oils have been tried, tested, and proven to be functional by renowned medical practitioners. CBD oils have since been established to be useful in treating a variety of common ailments such as pain, inflammation, anxiety, epilepsy, arthritis, among others. These ailments are known to cause severe problems where they breed other ailments if they aren’t addressed. CBD has also been seen to help in managing blood pressure12 which has the effect of limiting the patient’s exposure to risks of strokes and heart disease. Given the versatility of CBD oil and the fact that it has been endorsed by respected health institutions like Harvard Medical School, it seems to be a viable alternative to synthetic drugs.
References
- Grinspoon, M. (2019). Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t – Harvard Health Blog. [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476 [↩]
- Lee, W., Erdelyi, K., Matyas, C., Mukhopadhyay, P., Varga, Z., Liaudet, L., Haskó, G., Čiháková, D., Mechoulam, R. and Pacher, P. (2016). Cannabidiol Limits T Cell-Mediated Chronic Autoimmune Myocarditis: Implications to Autoimmune Disorders and Organ Transplantation. Molecular Medicine, 22(1), pp.136-146. [↩]
- Karimi, A., Majlesi, M. and Rafieian-Kopaei, M. (2015). Herbal versus synthetic drugs; beliefs and facts. Journal of Nephropharmacology, 4(1), pp.27–30. [↩]
- Vučković, S., Srebro, D., Vujović, K., Vučetić, Č. and Prostran, M. (2018). Cannabinoids and Pain: New Insights From Old Molecules. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9. [↩]
- Baron, E. (2018). Medicinal Properties of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids in Cannabis, and Benefits in Migraine, Headache, and Pain: An Update on Current Evidence and Cannabis Science. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 58(7), pp.1139-1186. [↩]
- Burstein, S. (2015). Cannabidiol (CBD) and its analogs: a review of their effects on inflammation. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 23(7), pp.1377-1385. [↩]
- Nagarkatti, P., Pandey, R., Rieder, S., Hegde, V. and Nagarkatti, M. (2009). Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Future Medicinal Chemistry, 1(7), pp.1333-1349. [↩]
- Xiong, W., Cui, T., Cheng, K., Yang, F., Chen, S., Willenbring, D., Guan, Y., Pan, H., Ren, K., Xu, Y. and Zhang, L. (2012). Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 209(6), pp.1121-1134. [↩]
- Contributor, J. (2019). What Is Inflammation?. [online] livescience.com. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/52344-inflammation.html [↩]
- Costa, B., Giagnoni, G., Franke, C., Trovato, A. and Colleoni, M. (2004). Vanilloid TRPV1 receptor mediates the antihyperalgesic effect of the nonpsychotropic cannabinoid, cannabidiol, in a rat model of acute inflammation. British Journal of Pharmacology, 143(2), pp.247-250. [↩]
- Costa, B., Trovato, A., Comelli, F., Giagnoni, G. and Colleoni, M. (2007). The non-psychotropic cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an orally effective therapeutic agent in rat chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain. European Journal of Pharmacology, 556(1-3), pp.75-83. [↩]
- Jadoon, K., Tan, G. and O’Sullivan, S. (2017). A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study. JCI Insight, 2(12). [↩]
