While there is a massive range of possible health benefits of using CBD, I’m going to review seven of those here in this report, that I was able to find scientific evidence to back up the claims. Now I’m not suggesting that there aren’t more than seven, or that any claim outside of this seven is not true. All I’m doing is sharing with you what can be supported by peer-reviewed, scientific research that I was able to access.
Pain Relief
Several studies have and continue to look further into the link between CBD and pain relief, mainly due to the fact that CBD impacts endocannabinoid receptor activity which influences neurotransmitters resulting in reducing inflammation. One study done with rats found that treatment with CBD significantly reduced sciatic nerve pain and inflammation as a result of a surgical incision researches made, to specifically test the impact of CBD on pain. (2). There are several studies to support that a combination of THC and CBD have a tremendous impact on reducing pain and inflammation for multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, however this is not readily available, nor yet legal in all countries.
Treatment for Seizures/ Epilepsy in Children
This claim has garnered massive attention, as well as very recent FDA approval as far as a legal treatment, albeit with very strict parameters (3). On June 25, 2018 an FDA news release outlined its approval for Epidiolex, a CBD oral solution, in treating seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaur Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS) (4). While no one has made the claim that the use of CBD is a cure for either of these, the research strongly supports that Epidiolex drastically reduces the number of seizures, which results in greatly reducing the potential of long term damage and side effects of having multiple seizures daily.
Depression and Anxiety
It’s no secret that depression and anxiety can have devastating impacts on a person’s overall health and well-being. Typically these types of disorders are treated with pharmaceutical drugs that can, more often than not, become addictive, as well as negatively impact a person’s sleep patterns, sexual function and make them feel drowsy and “out of touch.”
A 2017 report put out by the World Health Organization states that depression is the single biggest contribution to disability in the world and that anxiety disorders rank sixth (5), so finding treatment options for both of these is a global concern.
One study, and yes, this one is a human trial, administered 600mg of CBD or a placebo to a group of 24 individuals diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, prior to doing a public speaking test. The individuals who received the CBD demonstrated significantly less anxiety and discomfort compared to the placebo group (6).
A review in Neurotherapeutics in 2015 suggests that CBD may help to reduce the symptoms of PTSD, panic disorder, OCD, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. However, these authors also noted that further studies on the impact of CBD in treating these conditions needs further attention, and called for more research in this area (7).
Heart Health
High blood pressure is linked to several health conditions, most notably stroke and heart attack. With high blood pressure commonly referred to as “the silent killer” it ranks high on many peoples list of health concerns as something to not only watch out for, but also to monitor and ultimately avoid.
In a recent study, peer-reviewed by JCInsight, 10 healthy men were administered a single 600mg dose of CBD oil or a placebo and then given a series of stress tests that typically increase blood pressure. The study found that those men given the CBD oil had a less than normal increase in blood pressure in response to these stress tests (8).
It is believed that the anxiety-reducing properties of CBD are what is the greatest influencing factor in helping to lower blood pressure.
May Help To Reduce Acne
Okay so while acne is not really a life-altering/ threatening condition it does affect about 9% of the population and not only teens going through puberty. It can be troublesome to many and in severe cases can leave scarring, as well as have a very negative affect on a person’s self-esteem.
While there are no human trials yet to support the claim that CBD oil may help treat acne, laboratory studies suggest that the undeniable anti-inflammatory qualities of CBD can prevent sebaceous gland cells from an excessive secretion of sebum (9).
May Reduce Symptoms of Cancer Treatment
There are a TON of claims being made with respect to using CBD oil as a treatment for cancer patients in many aspects. However, the bottom line is that while there is mounting evidence that is lending itself in support of this, there is much, MUCH more research that needs to be done, particularly in human trials. So what does current research show us? Well, some pretty promising stuff actually.
If you have ever seen someone experience the after-effects of chemotherapy treatment, or maybe you’ve experienced them yourself, then you understand how horrible it can be. Now there are drugs available that are meant to help with these symptoms, particularly the nausea and vomiting, but in a lot of cases they seem to have very little effect. There are some studies that give us hope in suggesting that CBD may help to reduce these unpleasant symptoms.
And there is growing hope with respect to CBD and cancer treatment/ therapy. In laboratory and animal studies it has been shown that CBD may have anti-cancer properties. An early 2000 study reports that CBD inhibited the spread of aggressive breast cancer cells in mice . . .
“In conclusion, CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness.” (10)
Type 1 Diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.25 million Americans have Type 1 Diabetes and they estimate that each year 40,000 people are diagnosed with this disorder. (11) That is a STAGGERING and scary statistic!
Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are attacked and destroyed by the body’s immune system. This causes inflammation. A 2016 research study published in the Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation found that CBD reduced the markers inflammation. This conclusion has many researchers hopeful that this may be a first step in finding a CBD-based therapy/ treatment for type 1 Diabetes (12). While more research is needed and is being done, this is very positive news in the fight to find a cure for type 1 diabetes.
References:
1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371734/
3. https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm611046.htm
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317221.php
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079847/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470879/
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27094344
10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025276
11. https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/facts-statistics-infographic#3
