Chances are, if you’re just beginning to learn about the wonders of CBD, you are probably trying to figure out why it’s getting all this attention. The presentation of CBD is certainly nothing without its misconceptions, and you’ve likely heard of them before!
CBD deserves more credit, especially after tearing down some of those misconceptions!
Many of the arguments against cannabidiol have to do with brand mistrust, as there is no legal obligation (at the moment) for CBD brands to publish their lab results. This leaves the unsettling impression that some would believe as snake oil. But those mishaps are a result of the lack of federal regulation. It’s important to visit brands that openly give their lab results from certified third party testers. You may find that many of the brands sell oils with a label saying “hemp seed oil.” This is far more common in states that do not allow OTC sale of hemp/cannabis oil, and it’s why you’ll primarily find these products in the back of retail stores. Let’s make this very clear, “hemp seed oil” is not CBD oil, as it only extracts components out of the seeds produced by hemp. The seeds give such a minimal amount of substance that these products stand next to the useless isle.
Approval of the 2018 Farm Bill means that farmers can grow and sell hemp as a legal cash crop. This opens a whole window for research and consumers alike. Researchers can study the effects of hemp and its extraction of CBD. A vast majority of the research behind CBD is for anxiety as well as insomnia. Not surprisingly, these are the two leading reasons people use CBD.
On the other very broad side of medicine, CBD has been shown to help control epileptic seizures in children. In controlled clinical trials, Epidiolax, a CBD based anticonvulsant, has shown a reduction in seizure severity as well as consistency. In fact, CBD has been moved off the Schedule I drug as it is believed to be a promising combatant for seizures. Not only that, but some studies show that CBD can prevent diabetic neuropathy, as well as help monitor blood sugar levels.
Our bodies have inherited a system designed just for the processing of CBD, known as the endocannabinoid system, or ENS. This is a part of our central nervous system, and harbors our CB1 and CB2 receptors. And while it’s far more complicated that we can put in this article, the relationship we have with these cannabinoids is not just bound to humankind, but every vertebrate and invertebrate. That’s right, humans aren’t the only animals that have this natural processing center.
CBD absolutely deserves more credit. Right now, too many people are concerned with the trust of what they’re buying, and this is fair for some brands. But that’s why it’s important to find a reputable brand with full transparency of their lab results. It’s problematic because this kind of relationship between the producer and consumer leads the consumer to be misinformed as new things are discovered. There are ongoing clinical trials that are still discovering the anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects that CBD has in our bodies! And it’s tragic that people believe CBD is just snake oil, when it has saved lives during seizures.
