Cannabis has become a really popular form of alternative treatment over the last few years and considering how it was used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory medicine even in ancient times, this is not a surprise.
But cannabis has certain problems that might intimidate some people, with the most prominent one being its capability to getting people high.
This happens because of the chemical composition of cannabis as a plant, but what if I told you that there’s an alternative treatment to medicinal cannabis that is capable of achieving the same health benefits without causing this side-effect?
This alternative medicine is cannabidiol, also widely known as CBD. This is just one of the compounds found in cannabis and its many forms, but to understand CBD, we have to talk about cannabis and THC first.
Medicinal cannabis can be found in many different forms: smokeable marijuana strains, oils, delta 8 cartridges ointments, and edibles. They all work similarly, but they all are capable of getting you high to some extent, with creams and ointments being an exception. This is because a certain cannabinoid found in its structure THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol.
THC is what provides the marijuana plant and most of its variation with its psychoactive capacities, causing us to get disoriented, and depending on the type of strain, we might get some different effects. Sativa strains, for example, tend to have an invigorating effect that boosts both productivity and creativity, and Indica causes a more relaxing, calming effect.
This happens because THC is capable of messing with our endocannabinoid system, a compound of neurotransmitters found in our body that is, directly and indirectly, related to several of our body’s functions. The effect of THC varies between variations of cannabis strains, with some being stronger than others.
With that said, there’s another compound found in the cannabis plant that is similar to THC, only that it does not cause this side-effect, and that is CBD.
Cannabidiol is the second most prominent compound found in the cannabis plant’s chemical structure. Still, there’s a variety of cannabis plant that is known for containing really low levels of THC, and much higher levels of CBD, and it is known as the hemp.
Most products made out of CBD are derived from this plant, and they must contain no more than 0.3% levels of THC. This makes the THC in the products pretty much harmless, incapable of producing side-effects that could affect our daily activities.
Still, CBD is also capable of providing the same health benefits as medicinal cannabis, making it a much reliable alternative in comparison.
Although research is still young and there’s a lot to know about the compound as a form of treatment, it has been claimed by the cannabis community as a panacea that works wonderfully when it comes to dealing with certain physical and mental conditions.
The main symptom dealt with by people consuming cannabidiol-related products is both pain and inflammation. At times, our body is incapable of precisely deciding how much inflammation is necessary for our body to deal with specific physical conditions, and that’s when inflammatory conditions like arthritis or even joint complications start to become a problem.
These conditions are well known for causing a lot of pain because of the excessive inflammation we suffer, and they are also capable of reducing our mobility to a certain extend.
Cannabidiol is capable of reducing this inflammation and alleviating the pain at the same time, resulting in a gradual recovery of our mobility. For some people, this incredible effect also improves their mood and mental health, and considering how these conditions are very common in senior people, this is a very important aspect of the treatment.
There are also people who use cannabidiol-based products to fight sleeping disorders such as insomnia. Thanks to its similarities to Indica cannabis strains, the relaxation effect can help us cope with insomnia and grant us high-quality sleep along the way.
This is the reason why some people also use it to fight anxiety and panic attacks, and considering how CBD is safe for animals because of its low levels of THC, pet owners also use this to help their pets cope with certain types of anxiety problems, such as separation anxiety.
CBD has also been researched as a possible treatment for epileptic seizures, and in a study conducted in over 100 patients, it proved to reduce seizures by 32%, only causing harmless side-effects in 12% of the patients, with the worst case being a mild case of indigestion and vomiting
The most important aspect of cannabidiol medicine, though, is that traditional drugs are known for causing very nasty side-effects in the long-term run. If you click here, you can get a solid idea of how a CBD capsule looks like and how it works when consumed.
In comparison to them, drugs like pain killers and sleeping pills are known for affecting us both physically and mentally, even causing depression if certain conditions are met.
Overall, the damage our liver receives when we consume traditional drugs aimed to deal with the same problems CBD-products are capable of solving is much higher. CBD’s side-effects, on the other hand, can be easily managed by reducing the dosage we consume, since they tend to be directly linked to consuming more CBD than we should.