Given the massive increase in the amount of research conducted on CBD over the past decade, we now know a huge amount of information about the cannabinoid. We have discovered countless benefits, and potential benefits, to the human mind and body. Some of the best documented and well research benefits include CBDs ability to reduce pain, inflammation, seizure frequency, and anxiety. As a result, the market for CBD has grown exponentially, and will continue to grow for years to come. The Brightfield Group actually expects the CBD market to be worth $22 million by 2022.
However, much of the information we have learned about CBD hasn’t entered the public sphere of knowledge, which means a lot of people who could benefit from its lesser known effects are not aware of them. Following this, here’s 5 facts about CBD that aren’t commonly known. This list will include a few direct benefits and a couple of pieces of info about the cannabinoid that could be useful to know, despite them not being entirely well documented.
1. CBD is an anti-psychotic and can sober you up from THC
Most people know that CBD doesn’t get you high as it is not psychoactive. It is actually THC, a different cannabis constituent that gets a person high when they smoke cannabis. However, a common fact about the cannabinoid that many people are unaware of is that it is an anti-psychotic. This means it can lower the severity of the effects of “psychedelic” drugs, including THC.
This may be surprising as of course, as CBD is of course contained in a psychedelic drug. However, if CBD wasn’t contained in cannabis then the psychoactive if effects of THC would be much more prevalent and smoking it would get a person more stoned.
This also means if a person finds themselves in a position where they are too high, and could have a panic attack, CBD oil could provide a possible solution, as it could be dropped on to the tongue to provide a quicker comedown.
2. CBD oil is good for your heart
CBD has a number of effects that seem to benefit the body’s arteries and muscles, particularly the heart, and so one of the possible uses for CBD oil is protecting the cardiovascular system.
For instance, one study from 2013 demonstrated that CBD can reduce tension in blood vessels by relaxing arterial walls, meaning CBD could potentially reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack. The evidence also showed that CBD protects against vascular damage caused by inflammation.
On top of this, a study in 2007 using rats with ischemia, a disease which results in an inadequate bloody supply to certain parts of the body, usually the heart muscles, demonstrated that CBD reduces inflammation itself, suggesting CBD could prevent myocardial ischemia in humans.
Another study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology from 2010 found that CBD attenuated myocardial dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, oxidative/nitrative stress and inflammation in diabetic mice, meaning CBD could be effective in treating diabetes and other cardiovascular disorders. This conclusion that CBD could treat diabetes is backed up by a study from 2008 in Neuropharmacology, the results of which were that diabetes was diagnosed in only 32% of diabetes prone mice treated with CBD, compared with 100% in the non-treated control group.
3. CBD oils are also good for the brain
Given that CBD is a constituent of cannabis sativa, a lot of people who are getting started with CBD oil think that it could only possibly be damaging to the brain. However, this is simply not true. While the effects of cannabis on the brain are still debatable, we now know that CBD itself is not neurotoxic in any way. Not only is this the case, but there is also evidence that suggests CBD could be good for the brain.
One study in 2006, for example, showed that CBD can reduce hyperoxide toxicity in neurons. It also demonstrated that CBD can be effective in neuroprotectivity against toxic levels of glutamate, which can cause a number of neurological issues such as MS, Alzheimer’s, depression and epilepsy.
Another study in 2004 showed that CBD could reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. In the experiment, CBD managed to elevate the chances of survival of cells afflicted with the disease by exerting a combination of neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects against the toxicity of β‐amyloid peptide aggregates, which causes cell death in the brain.
In addition, since CBD is an anti-psychotic it has a number of beneficial effects on the brain for people with psychotic disorders. One study in 2012 found that CBD can inhibit the degradation of anandamide, an endocannabinoid which, at high levels, correlate with psychotic symptoms. Researchers concluded that CBD could be an effective treatment for schizophrenic people.
4. CBD does not interact with the cannabinoid receptors
There are two types of cannabinoid receptors: the CB1 receptor, which is expressed in the central nervous system, the liver, the kidneys and the lungs; and the CB2 receptor, which is expressed in the immune system and in hematopoietic cells, the cells required for the creation of blood cells. Given that CBD is itself a cannabinoid, it may come as a surprise that CBD actually has very little affinity for any of the cannabinoid receptors. This is the key difference between CBD and THC and is the reason CBD isn’t psychoactive as it doesn’t interact with the central nervous system, or the brain, in the same way that THC does.
So how does CBD interact with the human body? One way is through serotonin receptors, specifically the 5-HT1A receptor (2014). This interaction is what causes CBD’s effects on anxiety, depression, chronic pain and addiction. In addition, CBD is a reuptake inhibitor, which also contributes to its ability to treat anxiety, and in the form of inflammation, pain. CBD also interacts with the body’s PPARs, or peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (2016). They are a type of nuclear receptor that regulates the bodies genes. Since PPARs are involved carcinogenesis, this is partly why CBD has been shown to kill cancer cells.
That being said, a much more detailed account of how CBD interacts with the human body can be found here.
5. There are CBD oils available for pets
We know that dogs suffer from physical issues like arthritis and inflammation, but some people may not realize that they can undergo severe mental issues too. It is estimated that separation anxiety actually affects around 14% of dogs, which is a higher number than a lot of owners would maybe like to believe.
However, it may be good to know that CBD oils can also be given to pets, and there are specific products tailored to them. As previously mentioned, CBD is not psychoactive, and CBD oils only contain trace amounts of THC, if any. This means there will never be more than 0.3% THC in a tincture of CBD oil if it has been bought from a reputable seller. As a result, CBD won’t pose any serious problems to your pet’s mind or overall health.
That being said, dosing is very important. People buying CBD for this purpose should ensure they know how to dose correctly, as too much CBD can cause sedation and in some rare cases, diarrhea. However, this is obviously non-permanent and not really a serious threat. Owners should also consult with a vet before buying any CBD oils if their pet is on existing medication.
References
Alexandre R. de Mello Schier, Natalia P. de Oliveira Ribeiro, et al, (2014) Antidepressant-Like and Anxiolytic-Like Effects of Cannabidiol: A Chemical Compound of Cannabis sativa. CNS & Neurological Disorders – Drug Targets 13: 953. https://doi.org/10.2174/1871527313666140612114838.
Durst R, Danenburg H, et al. (2007). Cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive Cannabis constituent, protects against myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury. Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 293:6, 3602-3607.
Hampson, A. J., Grimaldi M, et al. (2000), Neuroprotective Antioxidants from Marijuana. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 899: 274-282. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06193.
Iuvone T, Esposito T. et al. (2004), Neuroprotective effect of cannabidiol, a non‐psychoactive component from Cannabis sativa, on β‐amyloid‐induced toxicity in PC12 cells. Journal of Neurochemistry, 89: 134-141. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2003.02327.
Leweke F M, Piomelli, D et al. (2012) Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Transitional Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2012.15.
O’Sullivan S. E. (2016). An update on PPAR activation by cannabinoids. British Journal of Pharmacology, 173(12), 1899-910.
Rajesh M, Mukhopadhyay P, Bátkai S (2010) Cannabidiol Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Inflammatory and Cell Death Signaling Pathways in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 56 (25) 2115-2125.
Stanley, C. P., Hind, W. H., & O’Sullivan, S. E. (2012). Is the cardiovascular system a therapeutic target for cannabidiol?. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 75(2), 313-22.