If you live in a place where CBD is legal, you’ve noticed it: It’s everywhere, and with good reason, as millions of users and some scientific evidence have found CBD to have a variety of benefits on numerous potential issues. Indeed, CBD has become wildly popular, with 64 million Americans having now tried buying CBD from any number of commercial outlets.
That being said, CBD is still an extremely new substance to the commercial market, and as a result, many aren’t familiar with its effects. While research is ongoing about its benefits, some things about CBD are known and understood. To that end, here are 5 Ways that CBD can have an impact on your brain and its health.
1) Neuroprotective Qualities
Initial research has found that CBD has antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. This means that CBD may be able to promote brain health and protect it from neurological disorders.
Certain types of CBD have been found to contain antioxidants, as well as Vitamins A, C and E, and numerous studies have found that individuals who consume diets which are rich in antioxidants to be beneficial to brain health and function, as well as a reduced risk of numerous neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
If CBD truly does have neuroprotective qualities – as some studies have indicated – than that means that it is capable of protecting the brain against damage, or potentially reversing it.
2) Reducing Impacts of Multiple Brain Disorders
There is a variety of evidence to indicate that it is possible for CBD to have positive effects on some of the most dehabilitating brain diseases. Examples include:
- Alzheimer’s Disease: Some clinical trials have indicated that CBD can reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s and potentially protect against its development.
- Parkinson’s Disease: According to numerous studies, CBD can help relieve multiple symptoms of Parkinson’s, including pain, tremors, psychosis and sleep disturbances.
- Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity: One of the most dehabilitating symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis is muscle spasticity, a symptom of Multiple Sclerosis in which muscles lock and become rigid, kick, jerk or otherwise become uncontrollable. Preliminary evidence suggests that medical-grade CBD may lessen the symptoms of spasticity and allow for muscles to operate better.
3) Pain Reduction
CBD works by altering the interactions between your body’s naturally produced cannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. Under normal circumstances, cannabinoids will bond with receptors, and this bonding will have an impact on multiple bodily functions, including pain and anxiety. CBD will strengthen the bond between cannabinoids and receptors, and it will also cause the bond to last for extended periods of time.
There have been multiple studies on both rats and humans which show that CBD may be able to decrease pain. One study in rats found that CBD injections decreased pain response to the affected area, while another for that oral treatment could reduce nerve pain.
In humans, CBD has also been found to reduce pain. Furthermore, CBD lotions can be helpful when applied topically to locations that are sore or otherwise causing pain.
4) Reduction of Inflammation
One theory about CBD’s impact on the body and the brain is that it works by reducing inflammation, and that reduction of inflammation is at the core of why CBD may provide the relief that it does.
As noted above, the bond between CBD and receptors impacts numerous aspects of the way the body functions, and one of those core symptoms which may be reduced by CBD is inflammation. In many cases, that reduction of inflammation is believed to be directly related to a reduction of pain, and multiple studies, including high level scientific reviews, have found this to be the case.
Interestingly, it is that reduction of inflammation which is believed to also be related to CBD’s potential benefits on skin care. CBD has been tied to numerous positive skin benefits, including a reduction of scar tissue, acne and for treatment of skin disorders like eczema and rosacea.
5) Ease of Addiction Symptoms
Of all the areas mentioned, this has the least amount of study, but it is possible that CBD use may help to ease the symptoms of addiction, and particularly for opioid addiction. In 2018, a study was released which tested the impact that CBD had on individuals who had a history of drug addiction, but were not using at the time. The study gave participants CBD and then had them watch videos of drug-related activities, including needles and drug use. It then measured their anxiety and cravings against another group which had not been given CBD. That study found that the group which had consumed CBD reported significantly less anxiety and drug cravings than the group which had not consumed CBD.
The implication here is obvious: CBD, has been found by some studies to have anxiety-reducing effects, may be able to reduce the symptoms of drug cravings. Given the massive opioid addiction problem America is currently facing, this study, if the results are replicated, could be extremely beneficial to millions of Americans.
CBD has the potential to be very beneficial in a variety of areas, and while more study is unquestionably needed to answer some of the unknowns about the compound (such as ideal dose and long-term effects), it does appear that CBD may be able to help people find relief from numerous illnesses.