August 2, 2018
CBD fights inflammation, there is no doubt about it. In fact, studies are proving that CBD oil, which is extracted from cannabis is superior to many common drugs such as aspirin when it comes to fighting inflammation. This is a big deal because we know that inflammation is the root cause of most diseases and many of us would prefer to not take synthetic medicine. In addition to the medical research, there are more and more personal success testimonies by people who are using CBD oil to fight inflammation. But is CBD alone enough to do the trick or does it take all of the cannabinoids working together? According to one study published out of the Lautenberg Center of General Tumor Immunology in Jerusalem the answer is clear.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of CBD when it was isolated compared to when it was combined with the plants more than 80 cannabinoids. For your reference, the most commonly known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannibinol, or THC. You may recognize this acronym because it refers to the active ingredient in marijuana and causes users to get high when heated. The second most dominant is cannabidiol, CBD, which is non-psychoactive and can not get you high. Cannabis plants with high THC are normally referred to as marijuana whereas cannabis plants with low THC and high CBD are referred to as hemp. For this article we are referring to CBD oil which is extracted from hemp and has less than .03% THC, making it legal in all 50 states.
WHAT DID THE CBD STUDY PROVE?
The study was conducted on mice and concluded that the whole plant extract in which all of the cannabinoids work synergistically was much more effective in relieving pain and inflammation. Interestingly, the CBD by itself proved in most tests to be ineffective regardless of the dose. In contrast, the effectiveness of the full spectrum CBD continued to increase as the higher doses were given. The tests showed the greatest effectiveness was when the oil was taken orally. It also noted that the medicinal effects and dosages will be unique to each patient.
TEST SHOWS FULL SPECTRUM CBD OIL DECREASES INFLAMMATION.
This particular test studied what’s called TNFa, which stands for tumor necrosis factor alpha. When TNFa is present in the body it leads to swelling from fluid in body tissue. So, researchers tested tissue reaction when full spectrum CBD oil was administered and they found it continued to suppress TNFa production to extremely low levels as the dosage was increased.
HOW DID FULL SPECTRUM CBD OIL COMPARE TO OTHER ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS?
This test compared CBD with both aspirin and tramadol. Aspirin had a moderate effect on tissue swelling, while tramadol had little effect. The full spectrum CBD prevented swelling of the mice paw to a greater extent than either commercial drug. Both of the commercial drugs did more for direct pain sensation, but it was CBD that produced a decrease in TNFa or again the inflammation, which as we know is normally the source of pain. Therefore, the study concluded that cannabis has medical properties not found in common anti-inflammatory drugs.
In conclusion, studies like this continue to prove that cannabis is a relevant source when treating pain and inflammation, when the full spectrum of cannabinoids are present.