cannabinoid · CBD ·

What CBD Stands For

CBD products

With its increase in popularity, chances are you've heard about, or even seen, CBD products. But, what exactly is CBD, and what does it stand for?

Cannabidiol Definition

CBD stands for cannabidiol. The cannabidiol pronunciation is (can·na·bid·i·ol). CBD is a natural compound found in hemp plants, and promotes wellness without the intoxicating and psychoactive effects. It's referred to as a cannabinoid.

Cannabinoids are molecules in the cannabis plant that give it its recreational and medical properties. There are over 80 known cannabinoids today. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most well-known cannabinoid and is typically used for its "recreational" function because of its intoxicating or psychoactive effects. CBD, as mentioned, isn't intoxicating, and is generally more associated with providing a general sense of calm, since it can help balance your body.

As more places throughout the U.S. legalize cannabis and its associated compounds, researchers are gaining more awareness of how they can be used beyond providing the recreational "high."

How CBD Works

CBD provides many properties, including being an:

  • Anxiolytic
  • Anticonvulsant
  • Analgesic
  • Neuroprotective
  • Muscle relaxant
  • Antioxidant
  • Antipsychotic

This information is based on the limited studies and research conducted as the range and exact mechanism of these effects aren't fully developed as of yet.

The FDA approved the first CBD medication last year to treat epilepsy.

Other research suggests CBD could have a positive effect on opiate addicts.

According to ClinicalTrials.gov, there are around 150 in-progress trials testing CBD as a potential treatment for a large range of health conditions, including:

  • Alcoholism
  • Autism
  • Schizophrenia
  • Skin conditions

You have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is a system of neurotransmitters (lipid-based retrograde) that regulate various physiological responses in your body, including:

  • Mood
  • Memory
  • Appetite
  • Sleep
  • Pain

Based on current information, researchers found CBD interacts with your ECS's receptors, and can influence them in various ways to help regulate the various properties listed above. It's been particularly found to interact highly with pain pathways of your brain and spinal cord.

Innovative science has shown the ECS is disregulated in almost all pathological disorders. Therefore, it makes sense that regulating ECS activity might have therapeutic potential in just about any condition affecting humans, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists suggestions in a 2014 publication.

By regulating the ECS and improving endocannabinoid tone, THC and CBD can slow down, or maybe even stop, the progression of disease.

Several academic research centers around the U.S. and elsewhere have been investigating CBD's neuroprotective and anti-cancer properties. In fact, California scientists conducted a brain cancer study in 2010 showing CBD improves THC's inhibitory effects on human glioblastoma cell survival and proliferation, meaning CBD makes THC much stronger as an anticancer compound. German researchers, also in 2010, reported CBD can stimulate neurogenesis (new brain cell growth) in adult mammals.

How Do You Use CBD?

You can take CBD orally, or apply it topically, depending on the product. There are many products available from soft gels and gummies that supposedly ease anxiety to calming creams, oils, and bath bombs.

For individuals who can't get pharmaceutical CBD, there are a number of places that retail different hemp-derived CBD products, including:

  • Online stores
  • Health clubs
  • Coffee shops
  • Community markets
  • Upscale boutiques
  • Chiropractic offices
  • Gas stations

Some even retail pure CBD isolates, which can be compared to the chemical make-up of Epidiolex.

You can ingest CBD — pure tinctures and oils you take sublingually. This is where you place the oil under the tongue, and swallow it after a minute or two.

You can inhale vape oils using a special vape e-pen.

You can use CBD topically. Beauty and skin products made from hemp are great for the skin because they're all natural. Many athletes boast about CBD salves, stating they use them on their muscles and joints before and after they workout to help soothe pains and aches.

CBD oil has been called a preventative for the healthy, and a curative for the sick as well as an all-purpose palliative for individuals of all ages and pets.

The appearance of CBD has transformed public conversation about cannabis and the therapeutic landscape, including:

  • Potent CBD oils
  • Innovative, smokeless systems
  • Non-intoxicating CBD-infused products

It's not a question any more about whether or not cannabis lives up to the promise as an herbal medicine. Today, the main challenge is figuring out how to best use cannabis and CBD for maximum therapeutic benefit. And, many individuals are using CBD as a supplement to their current treatment plans given it's low-risk profile.

However, not many doctors know a whole lot about CBD's therapeutics, or what they do know is very little. Most lack the expertise to counsel patients adequately regarding modes of administration dosage, risk factors, and potential interactions with other drugs. This is where a holistic cannabis practitioner comes in who is specialized and fully-trained in cannabis and CBD medicine.

There are still a great deal of questions individuals have about CBD. Fortunately, there's plenty of information available at your fingertips.

Sleep with a CBD-Infused Pillow

A great new method of receiving CBD is by sleeping with a CBD-infused pillow. They're backed by a NO-THC and CBD potency certification. They deliver microdoses of CBD through your skin and hair, which then transports CBD's therapeutic properties throughout the rest of your body, so you can experience all its wonderful benefits. Whether you're looking to use CBD for sleep or CBD for pain, CBD pillows are a great way to find that relief.

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