It Works but What Exactly Is CBD?
Image Credit: By Dougie Jones on shutterstock.
While CBD is proven to help heal burnt skin, CBD oil is also believed to be very useful. Many people are aware of the story of a plucky pig, his misfit farmyard friends, and his human, Charlotte, titled Charlotte’s Web. Lately, Charlotte’s Web has gained popularity as a strain of elevated CBD/low THC oil that was seen to be an effective “miracle cure” for Charlotte Figi, a five-year-old girl. Charlotte experienced upwards of nearly 300 seizures every day that implied she had Dravet Syndrome.
As a result, she experienced severe brain damage and led to poor physical development. Charlotte could not walk or eat on her own and on top of that the doctors were given a “do not resuscitate order” by her parents. Traditional medicine was of no use for Charlotte, and after investing much in her, the hopes of the parents was somewhat reduced. Hence, they shifted to CBD oil as a possible therapeutic treatment which is derived naturally.
On a daily basis, Charlotte was fed CBD oil, allowing her to consume it along with the food. After religiously following this routine, Charlotte was able to ride a bicycle. So now the questions arise that what exactly CBD oil is, why is it no longer used extensively and what is its main use.
Extraction of CBD Oil
CBD oil could be obtained from either the marijuana plant or Cannabis sativa plant that is also referred to as industrial hemp. Industrial hemp is a very useful plant which can be used for clothing, food and medicines. Keeping in mind the type or strain of plant, the percentage of CBD content could be more widespread or effective compared to other strains. Similar processes used in the extraction of essential oil from other plants useful for topical and medicinal purposes such as tea tree oil known for its antibiotic properties can be used for the extraction of cannabis oil.
Such oils are mainly obtained from the trichomes or the resin glands of the plant. However, the process used to obtain CBD oil can be expensive, and to make certain the quality of oil purity and reasonable concentration of the CBD compounds, the processes must be carefully monitored and observed. Before the airing of the tale of Charlotte Figi by CNN in 2013, extraction of CBD oil from industrial hemp or marijuana was next to impossible.
Regarding its effectiveness, application and safety, there still exist various myths. Extraction of CBD oil from industrial hemp is believed to be legal for the levels of the THC (the psychoactive cannabinoid compound tetrahydrocannabinol) in industrial hemp are less than .03%, and some of the suppliers were able to get away by making use of smart legislation. However, before the introduction of legislation regarding CBD compounds, the Food and Drug Administration was not very strict regarding the quality of CBD oil obtained from industrial hemp. This was because it was publicized as “all-natural dietary supplement.”
CBD Oil Dietary Supplement
No doubt pure CBD oil must be regarded as “an all-natural dietary supplement,” However, if the ratios or concentration of CBD oil in a particular formula are not tested, consumers would be buying nothing but “snake oil.” At the same time, this makes things troublesome. If a producer or distributor of CBD oil attempts to publicize the many medicinal advantages of CBDs and has even utilized ethical and thorough production and extraction methods, that producer might not declare the use of CBD to cure some particular ailments. Very recently, CBD viewed as a new drug, is very strictly monitored by the FDA.
As far as a legislative viewpoint is concerned, obtaining CBD from marijuana plant is more complicated. This is because of its inability to cross state lines that even today views the medical use of marijuana as illegal. However, the certain evidence does suggest that the quality and effectiveness of CBD oil extracted from the marijuana plant is even better.
This is mainly because of the fact that the growers of medical marijuana have somewhat personal interest in CBD and marijuana. This, in turn, is because of the reality or theory of “whole plant” medicine. The FDA already regards medical marijuana as a drug, and while in reality, CBD has no psychoactive properties, these growers are also producing CBD as if it is nothing but a drug.
Legislation Involving CBD Oil
Regarding legislation, the growers of medical marijuana follow it very religiously, examining the source of the plant, its different plant strains and the diverse methods of dispensing and distribution. For states, this is wonderful news that view medical marijuana as legal since the quality of CBD oil keeps enhancing continuously. When CBD oil was obtained from industrial hemp, its quality control and integrity as an “all natural dietary supplement, was repeatedly questioned and in terms of its quality and availability, many problems emerged. Hence, this is to say that many issues were raised in terms of legality when CBD oil was sourced from medicinal marijuana growers. CBD oil still continues to be a type of mystery for a large number of people, and there is no denial over the fact that its different therapeutic benefits are not greatly recognized.
With the increased use of cannabis plant for recreational purposes, the natural content of CBD was extracted from specific plant strains. Some growers of the cannabis aim to strain the plant back to a greater heirloom, natural “whole plant.” As obvious from the name, the whole plant medicine is the making use of the entire plant as a therapeutic remedy to treat different ailments. Without a doubt, this stimulates the interest of both the consumers and the growers of medical marijuana. Since THC is a psychoactive compound, it is observed and monitored under stringent legislation, and CBD is believed to reduce the side-effects of this proven psychoactivity. Now the question is if this information was given the attention it deserved. In reality, the answer is nothing but a no.
The Whole-plant, Synergistic, Entourage Effect
The idea of using CBD and THC jointly as complements and as synergistic therapeutic compounds is referred to as the “entourage effect.” The said synergism between CBD and THC is discussed in the British Journal of Pharmacology. It says that in certain cases, plants prove to be more effective drugs compared to when the natural products are separated from them. Moreover, this very study also sheds light on the whole-plant, synergistic, entourage effect that is believed to have many therapeutic benefits. Some of these are:
- Analgesia (pain-relief)
- Muscle-relaxant
- Antispasmodic
- Bronchodilator
- Neuroprotective antioxidant
- Anti-inflammatory (20 times the anti-inflammatory power of aspirin)
- Anti-Anxiolytic (anti-anxiety)
- Anticonvulsant
- Cytotoxic (cell-destroying) to certain types of cancer cells such as breast cancer
- Cyto-preservative (cell-protecting) to normal, healthy cells
- Antibiotic against aggressive bacteria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus)
Due to the domestication of the cannabis plant in East or Central Asia, the history of cannabis as medicine started. From there, its ill repute widened when the caucasian nomads wandered the eastern Eurasian steppes. As far as the making of thread and cords is concerned, the domesticated plant was viewed as more useful than the wild plant. No one knows if the medicinal or psychoactive uses of cannabis were established first.
However, some archaeologists do believe that cannabis was used by people for spirituals rituals that date back to late paleolithic eras or even the Neolithic. Some also believe that cannabis was used by people for medicinal purposes. The domestication and extraction of the natural plant allowed for the various sorts of cannabis strains. Archaeological digs were used by the researchers of the birth of the cannabis plant to evaluate cannabis pollen or hemp seeds amid remains of humans.
The theoretical original parental plant of every cannabis plant is considered as having its origins in pre-modern China and is described as the “proto-indica putative drug ancestor” or PDA. From “proto-indica putative drug ancestor”, the wide variety of cannabis arose and was extended to Central Asia such as Afghanistan. In the early thirteenth century, the not so popular Genghis Khan founded the Mongolian capital city the Karakorum and the archaeobotanists have succeeded in finding proof of hemp oil -obtained from the seeds of the cannabis plant being used for almost two hundred years in the area. The “broadleaf variety” has less THC and CBD compared to the recent European variety of cannabis- the Cannabis sativa known as the “narrow-leaf variety”, that is largely cultivated today.
Keeping in mind the old Chinese Taoist tradition, the yin-yang demonstrates the wholeness of a thing that is complete and does not change. It is recognized as teaching. When the whole is divided into two parts, namely lightness and darkness, they give room to even more research so that equilibrium can be obtained. It appears to be right the cannabis plant having its origins in China. One of the researchers who invested a great amount of his time to examine the roots of the cannabis plan said that cannabis is associated with providing man with a great many benefits and at the same time as a curse to man. Hence, it is a herb that is viewed differently by different people.
In short CBD oil has many qualities including its healing properties. In terms of its usefulness, it is becoming more and more popular. Developing research and science is believed to be hardly providing support to subjective evidence in terms of its usefulness or effectiveness in curing the human body. Even today many Americans associate a stigma to the cannabis plant since it was frequently illegally cultivated for recreational purposes. However, it is about time that starts to view this plant in a “new light.”
