Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a form of cannabinoid compound that is derived from the cannabis plant. It contains no intoxicating effects as is the case in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoid.
A huge number of people over the recent years have expressed interest in the use of cannabis more so cannabidiol as a mode of treatment for mental conditions such as anxiety and insomnia. This has led to a massive demand for CBD products in the consumer marketplace and has sparked a conversation of whether or not it actually works.
Many people, however, still have no idea of how CBD helps to improve mental health and that’s what we intend to demystify in this article.
How Does CBD Work?
All cannabinoids, CBD included, when consumed into the body attach themselves onto the body’s receptors in order to actualize their effects. The body is also known to produce some cannabinoids by itself. It has two main receptors for cannabinoids namely, CB1 and CB2.
The CB1 receptors are all over the body with a huge number of them located in the brain. These brain receptors are tasked with handling movement, coordination, emotions, pain, mood, appetite, memories, and thinking, just to mention a few.
The CB2 receptors, on the other hand, are commonly found in the body’s immune system. They affect pain and inflammation. CBD is thought to influence the body to make more use of its own cannabinoids.
What Form Is CBD?
CBD is commonly found as an oil. It, however, can be vaporized or smoked by those who prefer to inhale it. It can also be accessed in different forms such as sprays, oral droppers, massage oils, and topical treatments.
With that basic understanding in mind, here is a breakdown of certain common mental conditions and how CBD works as a remedy for them:
- Anxiety
Several studies that have been conducted over the years have shown that CBD does reduce self-reported anxiety as well as sympathetic arousal in individuals without any form of mental disorder.
The research also makes the suggestion that CBD has the potential to reduce artificially induced anxiety as per the findings of an experiment done on patients suffering from social phobia.
- Insomnia
A study conducted on 15 individuals suffering from insomnia upon being administered with 40, 80 and 160mg CBD capsules found that those who were served with 160mg CBD had a substantial improvement in their sleep quality.
- Depression
A study done on a mouse upon being subjected to CBD treatment found that the mouse acted in a much similar way as it would when subjected to antidepressant medication. More research is being conducted on this subject but it’s not conclusive enough based on the evidence drawn from the research to state that CBD does indeed effectively treat depression.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Two major studies are currently being done by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies with their focus being to examine the impact of both CBD and THC on PTSD symptoms in the body. The first study is titled “Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Cannabis in Participants With Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” while the second is titled “Study of Four Different Potencies of Smoked Marijuana in 76 Veterans With PTSD”
A conclusive report will be published upon the successful completion of the study.
- Bipolar Disorder and Mania
Studies are also still being conducted on the impact of CBD oil on bipolar disorder and mania. Over 70% of individuals suffering from bipolar disorder have tried using cannabis alone as a form of treatment. The noted outcomes, however, have not been the best.
Researchers have introduced CBD oil as a supplement to the cannabis they are already using in order to see whether it will be effective in alleviating the negative effect cannabis use brings. Researchers remain optimistic from the studies being conducted that CBD oil alone will help a great deal in treating bipolar disorder in individuals.
- Schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia have a higher likelihood of using cannabis as a mode of treatment. The underlying danger, however, is that psychotic symptoms may get worse from this treatment approach. The use of CBD alone, however, has shown some positive results in alleviating the negative symptoms that the THC in cannabis produces in the body.
From that point of view, it may be right to say that CBD does have some bit of a positive impact in treating schizophrenia.
Conclusion
There’s a lot more research that’s currently being done on the effect of CBD in improving the mental health of an individual. For some mental conditions, it has been proven effective and for others, it hasn’t.
As you use CBD products, it’s advisable that you get the counsel of a qualified mental health physician first. That being said and done, you can get some genuine high-quality CBD products to use from Buy it CBD website. Check them out today.
