The chemical component cannabidiol, or CBD, is present in the cannabis sativa plant. CBD interacts with neuroreceptors in your endocannabinoid system, which delivers messages between your cells to assist regulate your mobility, mood, homeostasis, and immune system whether applied topically or taken by smoke inhalation or edible ingestion.

CBD is usually produced as an oil from the cannabis sativa plant and combined with an inert carrier oil like hemp seed oil before being consumed. According to a recent Forbes Health poll of 2,000 U.S. adults done by OnePoll, of the 60 percent of U.S. adults who have used CBD before, 55 percent use CBD oils and tinctures specifically.

CBD research is also expanding. Here are nine ways CBD oil may help your health, according to studies.

1. Defend Against Anxiety and Depression

CBD’s capacity to relax is likely its most well-known effect, and one of the reasons for its widespread use. In a 2017 study published in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 57 males were put through a simulated public speaking test. Before their talks, some people were given a placebo, while others were given 150 milligrammes, 300 milligrammes, or 600 milligrammes of CBD. When compared to those who received the placebo, those who received 300 milligrammes of CBD experienced much less anxiety during the exam. Participants who received 150 or 600 milligrammes of CBD had more anxiety during the test than those who got 300 mg.

Meanwhile, at least one mouse study found that CBD had similar effects to the antidepressant imipramine. However, human experiments are required to confirm whether CBD may produce the same antidepressant effect in our bodies.

2. Identify and treat specific epilepsy syndromes

CBD can be used to treat epileptic seizures in rare cases.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of CBD under the trade name Epidiolex in patients aged 2 and up to treat seizures caused by Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two rare forms of epilepsy.

The FDA’s conclusion is based on the findings of three well-researched studies. 516 patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome were given Epidiolex or a placebo in these studies. In comparison to the placebo, Epidiolex reduced the frequency of individuals’ seizures when taken in conjunction with other recommended drugs.

3. PTSD Symptoms Should Be Reduced

11 persons with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received CBD combined with standard psychiatric care for eight weeks in an outpatient psychiatric clinic, according to a small 2018 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. PTSD symptoms were reduced in ten of the eleven participants. According to the researchers, CBD was typically well accepted.

Margaret Rajnic, a nurse practitioner with experience in medical cannabis and CBD, highlights the significance of using treatment in conjunction with any sort of cannabis or CBD for PTSD. “For PTSD, a certain level of counselling is required,” she says. “However, CBD will help you feel a little less anxious.”

From 2012 to 2016, four more human trials found that CBD decreases PTSD symptoms, but some of them included THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the major mind-altering component in cannabis. When THC and CBD operate together, they generate a “entourage effect,” which means they enhance and complement each other’s benefits and potency. Taking the same dose of THC and CBD together, for example, reduces the “high” from THC, but a small amount of THC combined with greater CBD boosts the CBD’s benefits.

4. Opioid Addiction Treatment

Some research, including preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials, suggests that CBD could be used to help people who are addicted to opioids.

Researchers gave CBD to patients with heroin use disorder in one such study. CBD dramatically reduced heroin users’ cue-induced cravings, withdrawal anxiety, resting heart rate, and salivary cortisol levels over the course of a week. There were no major side effects discovered.

Other studies have found CBD to be successful in treating psychological and medical symptoms such as anxiety, sleeplessness, and pain in patients with substance use disorders, suggesting that CBD could be a viable treatment option for opioid addiction. However, more research is required.

5. Reduce the severity of ALS symptoms

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a condition in which nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord degenerate, causing muscular control to decline over time. Although ALS can be genetic in some situations, the exact cause of the disease is unknown. There is no known cure for ALS, and only two FDA-approved drugs are available to aid with symptoms.

People with ALS, like people with PTSD, may benefit from the entourage effect caused by the combination of THC and CBD, according to research. Patients in a 2019 study were given varied dosages of THC and CBD, depending on their requirements and preferences. Those with mild, moderate, or severe spasticity (muscle tightness and stiffness) owing to ALS expressed significant levels of satisfaction with the treatment, with moderate to severe spasticity reporting higher levels of satisfaction than mild spasticity.

6. Get Rid of Uncontrollable Pain

Sativex, an oromucosal (absorbed in the lining of the mouth) spray with equal quantities of THC and CBD, was licenced by Health Canada in 2005 for the treatment of central neuropathic pain caused by multiple sclerosis. In 2007, Canada re-approved the drug’s usage for cancer pain that had not responded to prior treatments.

Meanwhile, ongoing research in the United States suggests that CBD is useful in treating chronic, non-cancer pain. In a study published in 2020, researchers gave CBD topically to a group of patients with symptomatic peripheral neuropathy (a disorder caused by nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord), while another group of patients with the same illness received a placebo. When compared to those who received a placebo, individuals who applied topical CBD had a significant reduction in acute, sharp pains and chilly, stinging sensations. There were no negative side effects reported by any of the volunteers.

CBD oil applied topically does not have the same systemic effect as if it were injected directly into the bloodstream. Topical CBD, on the other hand, is more localised and helps pain in a specific area. It may have a more pronounced effect because it is more direct.

7. Make Diabetic Complications Less Expensive

For starters, studies on human cells have shown that CBD can help minimise the impact of high glucose levels on other cells in the body, which can lead to diabetes and other issues. Researchers concluded that more research into CBD’s potential advantages in people with diabetes, diabetic complications, and plaque accumulation in arterial walls is needed.

In another tiny trial, 13 type 2 diabetes patients who were not on insulin were given CBD and a placebo (in lieu of insulin). Researchers discovered that CBD reduced their levels of resistin (a protein that causes resistance to insulin, the protein that regulates blood sugar levels) and increased their levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (a hormone that ensures a sufficient release of insulin from digested food) when compared to their pre-test baselines. These findings imply that CBD could be used as a natural diabetes treatment by assisting the body in regulating insulin-related hormone levels.

8. Defend Against Neurological Illness

CBD possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, according to preclinical and clinical studies. These qualities, according to researchers, can give significant neuroprotection, or protection against a variety of clinical illnesses.

CBD has been shown in preclinical tests to be effective against Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Huntington’s disease and cerebral ischemia were also investigated, but no substantial positive findings were found. More clinical research is needed to validate CBD’s efficacy as a therapy for these conditions.

9. Reduce Arthritis Signs and Symptoms

Arthritis is a disease that causes the tissues in and around your joints to deteriorate. Arthritis has a variety of symptoms, including pain, stiffness, and loss of motion. Pain reduction and increased joint function are usually the goals of arthritis treatment.

When compared to a placebo, a 2006 study indicated that Sativex, a CBD-based botanical medication licenced in the United Kingdom in 2010, improved the quality of sleep, pain during movement, and discomfort at rest in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. With 58 patients, it was the first controlled trial of Sativex as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. CBD was discovered to have anti-inflammatory properties as well as the capacity to decrease disease activity.

In a study of more localised treatment in 2018, researchers gave patients with arthritic knee pain either a synthetic CBD gel in 250-milligram or 500-milligram doses daily or a placebo. Patients also ceased taking any additional anti-inflammatory or painkillers before and during the research, with the exception of acetaminophen.

The findings were intriguing, if not fully conclusive. On the one hand, when compared to placebo patients, those who received CBD did not notice a significant reduction in pain. When comparing the average weekly improvement of their worst pain levels and their WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index) physical function assessment, however, there were statistically significant differences between the 250-milligram dosage group and the placebo group. Furthermore, in this study, men appeared to benefit from CBD more than women.