CBD
Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, comes from the cannabis sativa plant and has been used for medical use for over 8,000 years. There are two kinds of cannabis plants: marijuana and hemp. A high-quality CBD oil should come from hemp plant. The difference between the two plants is the amount of THC present. THC is the psychoactive component that gives you the “high” for which marijuana is known for. CBD obtained from the hemp plant should have 0.3% or less of THC in it. The percent of THC in marijuana is between 5% and 35%.
CBD oil has become popular lately and for good reason - it brings help and relief to many people. Anxiety, sleep, pain, and inflammation are some of the most common reasons for using CBD. Because CBD is an adaptogen with anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral properties, many health conditions and issues are improved with the use of CBD.
CBD can be found as an isolate, broad spectrum or full spectrum. With a CBD isolate, only the CBD cannabinoid is present. With a broad-spectrum product, CBD along with other cannabinoids and terpenes are available but there is no THC. A full spectrum product uses the entire plant. This means you will find high levels of CBD in addition to other beneficial cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, omega 3s, and omega 6s. A full spectrum product also has a small percent (0.3%) of THC present. You will find health benefits in all three types of CBD products, however, it is often said that “the sum is greater than the parts”. In other words, using the whole plant can provide much more health benefits than just using part of it. This is known as the “entourage effect”. It is like eating a whole orange versus drinking a glass of orange juice or taking a vitamin C tablet. When you eat the whole orange, you get the benefits of the entire fruit all working together to provide a greater health benefit.
CBD works with your endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short. The ECS was discovered in 1990 and is the master controller for all body systems. There are endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids. Endogenous are those your body makes on its own. Exogenous are those that are plant derived. The ECS is constantly working to regulate and fine-tune the body and to create homeostasis, or balance.
As part of your endocannabinoid system, there are endocannabionoid receptors all throughout your body – in your brain, major organs, nerves and intestines. CB1 receptors are found in the brain and spinal cord and help control appetite, memory processing, emotions, and pain. CB2 receptors and found in the peripheral body and control things such as immune cells and inflammation. There are also receptors in reproductive tissues and organs.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 0.3 percent THC) and brought CBD to the forefront. CBD continues to grow in popularity and for good reason as it can help with a wide variety of health issues and health conditions. As discussed earlier, its effectiveness is due in part to the large number of CBD receptors located throughout the body in so many different tissues and organs. Another reason is the fact that CBD is an adaptogen. An adaptogen is a nontoxic plant extract that supports the body's ability to accommodate various physical and emotional stresses and increases the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of these stresses to promote or restore normal physiological functioning. Basically, an adaptogen gives the body what it needs and doesn’t give it what it doesn’t need. It finds that middle ground and normalizes things. It finds homeostasis. It finds balance. And when we are in balance, we are healthy.
There are times, however, when the body’s own ECS cannot keep up and an imbalance, or deficiency, occurs. Because CBD speaks directly to endocannabinoid system, an exogenous, plant-derived supplemental CBD can help to restore balance. Anxiety, inflammation, sleep and pain are among the most common uses for CBD. Depression, blood sugar balance, digestive issues (such as leaky gut, IBS, diarrhea, constipation), skin issues (such as rosacea, sun damage, aging, psoriasis and blackheads), seizures, fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, headaches, PTSD, memory, cancers/tumors, hormone regulation, fertility, libido, PMS, temperature control and sleep/wake cycle are some other conditions - but the list doesn’t even stop there!
CBD is a detoxifying plant that supports the liver, gut health, and cellular health. It has a possible antibiotic effect. It helps modulate inflammation (think adaptogen!). Chronic inflammation is at the heart of most health care diseases. Even in those with autoimmune diseases, it can help calm down the over-reactive immune system and help balance, or modulate, its responses.
CBD has an excellent safety profile. Side effects are virtually non-existent at normal doses. Depending on the route of administration (topical, capsule, sublingual), most people take anywhere from 10-60 mg once or twice daily with the average dose being 25-35 mg sublingual once or twice daily. The biggest risk at normal doses is that it might not have a noticeable effect. At high doses (300 mg or more a day), side effects can include general sleepiness, diarrhea and weight changes; but even these side effects are minor compared to the typical list of side effects on most medications. Sublingual (under the tongue) is fast-acting and starts to work within 2-3 minutes of taking it. This method does not have to go through the digestive system and has a high rate of absorption, so a lower dose is needed. This method works very well for sleep, anxiety and relief from inflammation. Taking CBD orally by a capsule requires a higher dose as it does go through the digestive process. An oral dose takes 90 minutes to start with a max effect in 2-3 hours.
CBD is safe and effective for most people across multiple age groups. Dosage varies from person to person and can even vary day to day. CBD can be taken once a day, twice a day, as needed or multiple times a day. It totally depends on you. For most people, a good place to start is by starting with the recommended dose on the bottle. Another way to start is by taking 10 mg sublingual and hour or two before bed. This allows for you to check for any potential reaction. From there, increase your dose by 5-10 mg every 2-3 days. When you increase your dose and do not notice any further benefit or have a negative reaction, then the dose prior to that is your ideal dose. Most people take it once or twice a day.
CBD is a swiss-army knife in a functional medicine toolbox. In functional medicine, food is medicine. Just like we use other medicinal plants – such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, gingko, ginseng, echinacea, chamomile, milk thistle, Saint John’s wort, Saw palmetto, Valerian, asparagus, and dandelion to enhance our health - CBD is a medicinal plant that also offers many health benefits. It is not addictive, and it is not a band-aid solution.
CBD is a multi-use therapeutic tool, and it is ok to adjust the dose of CBD to your need. For example, it can be used on demand when there is acute inflammation like if you over-did your workout or sprained your ankle, and it works as an everyday maintenance tool in those with chronic pain issues like with arthritis or fibromyalgia. Instead of reaching for acetaminophen or ibuprofen, reach for a couple drops of CBD instead! The awesome thing is that whether you use it on demand, for maintenance, or for both, it can enhance your health. It gives you control over your own health.
When looking for a quality CBD product, there are a few things to watch out for. First, make sure you are buying from a reputable company. This means that they will have 3rd party analysis done and have a Certificate of Analysis (COA) available for you to review. They should either have this directly available or be willing to share it when asked. Next, you will want to check the bottle to see how much active cannabinoid is present, not just the amount of oil it contains. Another thing to check for is that the company has tested for chemicals, pesticides, dangerous additives, and microbes. These should be found on the COA. I have found NuLeaf CBD oil to meet all these criteria and to provide a safe and effective product. NuLeaf CBD is an organic, full-spectrum oil containing only whole-plant extracts from the hemp plant. It uses CO2 extraction and is third-party verified. It is grown in the USA on licensed farms in Colorado.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp-derived CBD products (with less than 0.3 percent THC) at the federal level, but state laws vary and are continually changing. You will want to check your state’s laws and make an informed decision before you buy. If you find you are interested in checking out NuLeaf CBD, go to: https://shop.nuleafnaturals.com/NBN
