What Is Cannabis Oil Used For? Separating Fact from Fiction

A car accident, being shot, a broken bone are all painful wounds, but nothing like having herpes. A disease that lasts a lifetime usually shows up during times of stress, and CBD oil can only help the healing process rather than weeks, perhaps days. It shows up in the groin area and lips. Spreading like wildfire unless contained and highly contagious.

All the talk and news about CBD oil can be confusing. Everyone seems to be talking about it. Maybe you’ve read about CBD oil online. Perhaps you have a friend or a relative who swears by CBD oil. You might have even tried to talk to your doctor about the facts. The truth is that much of the information and talks about CBD oil is new, and it can be difficult to separate the fact from the fiction. Here are a few topics to help you get started on your CBD research:

Fiction: CBD oil is the same thing as marijuana and is illegal.

Fact: CBD oil is simply a compound found in the hemp plant, and is legal for medical use in 44 states.

CBD oil is legal in 15 more states than medical marijuana and has been approved for medical use in 44 states, with some restrictions on specific usage. CBD oil is readily available through many mail-order companies, and medical professionals are becoming more and more familiar with the use of CBD oil for relief of medical symptoms. As of now, CBD oil is considered a supplement although CBD and cannabinoids are used in multiple prescription drug formulations as well.

Fiction: CBD oil will make you high.

Fact: CBD oil is not psychoactive and has no high or euphoric effect.

The well-known compound found in marijuana that causes a “high” is THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol). People are familiar with the process of releasing the THC with heat, such as smoking or cooking, in order to take it into the body and cause an altered mental state. CBD oil is generally used without heat and causes no euphoric effect. There are two cannabinoid receptors in the brain, CB1, and CB2 which were discovered in 1988 and 1993 respectively. THC binds to the CB1 receptor resulting in the “high” effect which can cause euphoria, delayed reaction times, and increased appetite. Because CBD oil does not bind to the CB1 receptor, it does not have the same psychoactive effect and does not have the same side effects as THC, however, it can affect how the brain responds to pain, seizures, inflammation, anxiety and many other disorders positively.

Fiction: CBD oil is only be used to treat chronic pain.

Fact: CBD oil has been used successfully to treat multiple disorders with minimal side effects.

Initial studies involving CBD oil have shown successful results in treating pain, seizures, and anxiety. In an article posted to the U.S. National Library of Health, “Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain,” researchers concluded that randomized clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of cannabinoids in treating pain with few side effects. More studies are currently being done in this area, but initial results show great promise.

CBD is also being studied for therapeutic use in treating epilepsy and neurological disorders. Initial studies have been positive, and the Epilepsy Foundation reports that several initial studies have shown intriguing results. Studies were done using Epidiolex (a purified, 99% oil-based CBD extract from the cannabis plant) to treat patients with difficult-to-treat forms of epilepsy which were not helped with current pharmaceuticals. During one study, which involved 214 patients between the ages of 2 and 26, seizures reduced by 54%. It is interesting to note that the patients which improved most used a combination of their prescribed anti-seizure medication in addition to the CBD extract.

Cannabinoids are currently being used in cancer patients to treat nausea, lack of appetite, and pain. Treatment with THC or traditional medical marijuana has generally been avoided except in palliative situations because of possible unwanted side effects, such as the altered mental state, hallucinations, and impaired judgment. With the discovery of compounds such as CBD without the “high” and other side effects, additional studies have been done in cancer patients. At this point, treatment with cannabinoids should be considered as a possible addition to, not a replacement for treatment for serious medical issues. As always, this is a great conversation to have with your medical professional.

Fact: CBD oil comes in many different forms that are used for different conditions.

CBD oil can be used to treat a wide variety of complaints. Likewise, there are many different methods of using CBD oil. CBD oil can be taken orally, sublingually (under the tongue), via spray or vapor, rectally, intravenously, and can even be found in tea bags, shampoo or body lotion. Obviously, the effectiveness varies widely and different routes of administration would be more effective for specific disorders. The amount of CBD oil to be administered can also vary, depending on the patient and the severity of the disorder.

Because there are many issues that affect dosage, consulting with a medical provider who is familiar with the use of CBD oil is recommended. This means that the CBD oil may block the way some prescription drugs interact with liver enzymes, resulting in more of the drug reaching the bloodstream. This could result in possibly toxic levels of the prescription drug, requiring that the dose of the prescription drug be reduced, although a medical professional should always be consulted before changing or discontinuing a prescription.

The most common way to use CBD is sublingual with drops or spray. When used for a topical complaint like a skin rash, CBD oil can be rubbed directly onto the skin.

Fiction: CBD oil is too new for me to use. It doesn’t have any proven results.

Fact: In addition to multiple research studies, thousands of patients have shared their amazing results with using CBD oil to find relief.

In internet search will reveal hundreds of research studies that have been done to determine the efficacy of CBD oil for specific diagnoses. Look for studies that are considered to be “gold-standard” studies (double-blind, placebo-controlled studies) when you are looking at the uses of CBD oil. These studies are most likely to have trustworthy results.

Another good resource when you are considering CBD oil is to read comments and first-person accounts of people who have used CBD. One online commenter said that she has had wonderful relief after dealing with PTSD for seven years. She found that a small dose (much smaller than the recommended dose) of CBD oil each day reduced her anxiety to the point that it was very manageable. When she initially took the recommended dose, she felt very sleepy and sluggish all day. She took 1/4 of the recommended dose after that and had a great result with no additional side effects. Another online website user commented that he did not have a great experience using CBD oil as it caused headaches and stomach upset. Multiple additional CBD users commented that with that result it was likely that he did not use a pure product, and many recommended a better source to obtain the CBD oil. This sharing of information is invaluable as people explore the many uses and benefits of CBD oil. Joining the conversation about CBD oil both in person and online can be extremely helpful to someone considering CBD oil products.

If you are wondering more about what CBD is used for and what kind of results other users are experiencing for irritable bowel syndrome, visit Pot and Potty: the Complete Guide to Medical Marijuana and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).