What is CBD?
Cannabidiol or CBD is not yet a well-known acronym, but at CBD BioCare we believe that will change as more people learn about the benefits of this amazing cannabis extract. We are dedicated to bringing more CBD hemp oil products to the open marketplace.
We already know that there are many plants such as Aloe Vera, lavender, chamomile and many others that contain healing properties. So, it should not be surprising that the cannabis plant also has medicinal benefits.
Chemically, CBD is one of more than 80 chemical substances known as cannabinoids, which are all found in the cannabis plant. CBD is the second most abundant compound in cannabis, typically representing up to 40% of its extracts. The first is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
The Different types of Cannabis
In simple terms, cannabis that is grown to have high levels of THC is marijuana and cannabis grown with less than .3% THC and high levels of CBD is called hemp. In fact, the legal term for the hemp that is grown to produce our CBD oil is called industrial hemp. We extract from the whole plant, predominately leaves and flowers, to receive all the cannabinoids in the plant. The product is called full spectrum CBD hemp oil. Any oil extracted from marijuana plants are illegal in most states.
What types of cannabis oils are on the marketplace?
There are many different names including:
- Hemp oil
- Marijuana oil
- THC oil
- Cannabis oil
- CBD Oil
Hemp oil
Hemp oil most often refers to oil derived from the hemp seed oil. No THC or CBD are present.
Marijuana oil – THC Oil and Cannabis oil
These names refer to oils that have been extracted from marijuana and high THC, making it illegal in most states.
CBD Oil
CBD Oil is a collective term for oils made from hemp, and contains less than .3% THC. But sometimes CBD oil only contains CBD and therefore is an isolate product. At CBD BioCare we offer a full spectrum CBD oil. Full spectrum means it contains all the cannabinoids, not just CBD.
What are the benefits of CBD?
Inflammation
Recently, many studies indicate that CBD may well be the most potent anti-inflammatory agent of all Cannabinoids. Literally hundreds of research papers find that Cannabinoids, the active molecules found in Cannabis, exert potent anti-inflammatory activities in many animal models. Inflammatory disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, liver inflammation, brain injury, neurological degeneration, and multiple sclerosis may all show improvement with CBD use.
Bone growth
Dr Yankel Gabet at Tel Aviv University reports that rodents with broken limbs healed much faster when treated with non-psychoactive CBD. “We found CBD alone to be sufficiently effective in enhancing fracture healing. Other studies have shown CBD to be a safe medicinal agent, which leads us to believe we should continue this line of study in clinical trials to assess its usefulness in improving human fracture healing.”
Anxiety
Much research supports the claim that Cannabinoids can provide effective relief to people experiencing spells of anxiety and stress. A 2013 paper published in the International Neuro-psychopharmacology Journal explores, whether or not, Cannabidiol exert a therapeutically significant effect on human mental health; the inhibition of psychosis, anxiety and depression. While the exact mechanism of CBD’s action was unclear to the research team, the findings support the claim that CBD is anxiolytic in effect. In other words, CBD was found to be an anti-stress agent of importance and worthy of further study.
Pain Reliever
A wealth of research worldwide supports the claim that CBD, THC and other Cannabinoids are effective painkillers. In a 2008 paper by Ethan Russo. Therapeutic Clinical Risk Management Journal, “Cannabinoids in the Management of Difficult to Treat Pain”, the efficacy of CBD among other Cannabinoids were studied. Findings include;
- Cannabinoid painkillers are generally well tolerated in clinical trials observed
- Side effects are few and manageable
- Pharmacological use for treatment of pain shows great promise
- CBD in combination with opioid therapy is a very promising, efficacious treatment
Muscles spasms and seizures
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently allowed epilepsy centers to prescribe and study CBD for compassionate use. FDA related studies focus on difficult epilepsies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in children. Results were presented at the American Academy of Neurology, April 22, 2015 in Washington DC.
Study Parameters:
- Test subjects ages ranged from 2 to 26 years, with an average age of 11
- All subjects had epilepsy that did not respond to currently available treatments
- 18% had Dravet Syndrome (DS)
- 16% had Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS)
Summary findings:
- Seizures overall decreased by an average of 54%
- DS seizures decreased by 63% decrease over 3 months
- Improvements in seizure issues lasted six months while on medication
- Atonic seizures decreased by 66.7% on average
- 14 people withdrew from the study because it was not effective for them
Blood sugar levels
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the discoverer of Cannabidiol (CBD), postulated that the compound might work with many different receptors and could possibly be used to manage diabetes, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In subsequent studies and trials at the University of Tel Aviv, there is now substantial evidence that supports this hypothesis.
Study highlights:
- Rats with infarcts (areas of dead tissue) due to a failure of blood supply were reduced by 30% when given CBD
- Chronic inflammation is associated with insulin resistance – type 2 diabetes. As CBD reduces inflammation, there are indications that insulin resistance is reduced as well
- Sugar metabolism and heart function all also appear to benefit from CBDs anti-inflammatory properties
- Unlike insulin and other existing medications for diabetes, in some cases, CBD might suppress, reverse and cure the disease
Research is underway as you read this information. But it is believed that CBD has tremendous medical value, able to assist in healing dozens of conditions. Here is a short list of the conditions currently being studied:
The Federal Government currently owns US Patent 06630507, here is the Abstract Summary.
Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants
US 6630507 B1
ABSTRACT
Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH3, and COCH3.
Scientific Research
There’s a scientific reason why CBD works. It has to do with our bodies natural cannabinoid receptors. It turns out that cannabinoid receptors play a host of vital roles in our bodies. Found in nerve tissue, lung, liver, intestine, kidney, lymphatic tissue, and the spleen, the CB1 and CB2 receptors play roles in our immune system and blood formation functions. Other processes they control include cognition, memory, anxiety, motor behavior, sensory, autonomic and neuroendocrine responses, Glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, inflammatory effects, control of the vomiting reflex, nausea, hunger, and appetite control. This system is also responsible for the pleasure we get from exercise.
Our bodies endocannabinoid system plays a major role in the body’s response to pain and injury. If your skin is damaged or irritated, your body’s natural endocannabinoids are there to help. When you apply a CBD infused cream or oil onto your skin it is able to interact with these receptors in a localized area and come to the rescue.