CBD oil: hype or medicinal? Everything you need to know about it

by Team Inc.

4-01-2019-CBD oil: hype or medicinal? Everything you need to know about it

You may have seen them at the drugstore a long time ago: bottles with 'CBD oil' on the label. You can now find them everywhere and people swear by them. No idea what it is? And why you should use it? A CBD synopsis.

Let's start at the beginning. Because what is CBD oil? Hold on tight: CDB stands for Cannabidiol and the oil is made from cannabis and (legal) fiber hemp. CBD is completely legal in the Netherlands and that has to do with the fact that it absolutely does not get you high. The hemp that is used to make the oil is without THC. It is sold as a food supplement, in the form of oil and capsules, and as a component of other products, for example cosmetics for acne or other skin problems.

CBD oil, the benefits

Good. So it doesn't make you high. What it does then? 'CBD oil is used for several things, including for inflammatory reactions such as rheumatism, psychological complaints such as sleep disorders, nausea caused by chemotherapy and doctors even prescribe it for epilepsy, and especially for children,' says Lisette Wijnkoop of the Cannabis Scientific Information Center to tell us. Only relatively little research has been done on the oil to confirm that it actually helps with various disorders (except for epilepsy). 'Good to know: CBD is not a medicine, but a food supplement,' Wijnkoop tells us. The power of CBD, according to Wijnkoop, has to do with the endocannabinoid system in our body, which is involved in regulating a variety of functions. 'CBD oil could - in case of an imbalance - supplement the substances that are missing,' she reports. And that is exactly the reason why CBD is used for so many different complaints. At the moment, CBD oil is mainly used for the following three problems.

CBD oil for pain

Scientists have discovered that certain components of marijuana, including CBD, are responsible for pain-relieving effects. The human body contains a specialized system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is thus involved in various bodily functions, including pain, as well as sleep, appetite and immune system response. How does that work with CBD? It's a complicated story, but in a nutshell: these endocannabinoids (neurotransmitters) bind to cannabinoid receptors in your nervous system. Studies have shown that CBD can help reduce chronic pain by affecting endocannabinoid receptor activity, reducing inflammation and interacting with those same neurotransmitters. This is something Wijnkoop also confirms. A research with rats for example, showed that CBD injections reduced the pain response to a surgical cut while one another study with rats found that oral CBD treatment significantly reduced nerve pain and inflammation.

CBD against anxiety

Do you belong to the so-called Anxiety Generation and do you regularly experience anxiety attacks? There is a good chance that you have already been tipped off CBD oil. CBD oil shows promise in anxiety disorders. In an investigation 24 people with social anxiety disorder received CBD or a placebo before a public speaking engagement. The group taking CBD had significantly less anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance, compared to the placebo group.

CBD in cancer symptoms

A lot is said that CBD would help with cancer, but there has simply been too little research into this. CBD could help alleviate symptoms related to cancer and reduce the side effects related to cancer treatment, such as nausea, vomiting and pain.

And so CBD is also used to sleep better, with skin complaints or stress. But to prove whether CBD oil is really useful for these problems, more research is also needed, says biochemist and independent cannabis consultant Dr. Arno Hazekamp. But that's tricky. 'The problem is that CBD is not patented, so that no party feels obliged to fund those studies. That does not make any money, because there is not one CBD oil producer, but numerous. And they can all score with the same health claims, 'the biochemist reports Radar.

How do you use CBD?

Unlike cannabis, you don't smoke CBD, but use drops. You can put this under your tongue. It is advised to start with a low dose (a drop, which you leave under your tongue for a while), after which you can increase the dose if you feel good about it. You can also buy creams containing CBD.

Off to the drugstore for a bottle of CBD oil?

If you want to make sure you choose the right CBD oil, it's best to go to your pharmacy. Last year, Hazekamp examined several bottles of oil that were sent to him, and more than half were composed differently than stated on the label. Good suppliers have their oil tested independently and can always make analyzes of their oil available so that you can be sure that it contains what is on the label. 'CBD oil that is guaranteed to be reliable can be found at the pharmacy. This is certainly the best choice for severe ailments, 'says Hazekamp. The CAN foundation (cannabinoid consultancy in the Netherlands) is also busy developing a CBD quality mark, which they want to launch in 2019. That way, the consumer knows which CBD oil is of good quality.

Our advice? Always consult your doctor before you start using CBD oil.

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