The use of cannabis for medicinal purposes has often raised eyebrows through the years, though it has been widely used as a medicine for centuries now. Owing to its recreational purposes, cannabis gained a stigma and was slandered as the gateway drug leading to an addiction of hard narcotics. This has turned out to be propaganda with no scientific foundation. The DEA recently took down similar statements from their site – having no supporting proof.
Contrary to DEA propaganda, science continues to uncover the health benefits of this natural medicine. Given the intimate history of its use as a natural medicine, research is finally catching up with what many people had inherently known for thousands of years.
Now, science can distinguish the chemical compounds and reactions and better understand what makes cannabis a valid medicine. Cannabidiol or CBD has been identified as the compound eliciting most of its positive effects. Though, THC is pretty cool too.
CBD Improves Appetite While Fighting Obesity
CBD is known to stimulate the appetite and also aids in digestion, according to the National Cancer Institute. CBD contributes to the regulation of one’s feeding behavior hence promoting a healthier appetite and furthermore, a healthier body. It is also known to have anti-nausea and antiemetic effects as proven by a 2012 study where it got rid of nausea and vomiting in animal studies.
Though regular cannabis users consume an additional 600 calories per day than non-users, they also manage to have a lower body-mass-index than non-users. To put it bluntly, cannabis users eat more but are less fat than non-users.
CBD Lowers Issues With Diabetes
CBD is known to lower the incidence of diabetes in many people. A study in 2006 found that there was a significant decrease of the incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice who were exposed to CBD. Although the study did not establish a direct effect of cannabidiol on glucose levels, it is said to prevent the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that contribute to the progression of the disease.
Another study in 2013 emphasized the effect of marijuana use on glucose, insulin and insulin resistance. This study concluded that marijuana users have lower fasting insulin levels.
CBD Helps Prevent Heart Damage
CBD is also known to promote cardiovascular health. A 2013 study reported that CBD helps protect against cardiovascular damage owing to its anti-inflammatory properties. A high glucose level in the body, as seen in type 2 diabetes, promotes such vascular damage; and since CBD’s anti-glycolytic property has been established, it is not surprising that it could also have properties that could help out our cardiovascular system.
CBD Helps Mitigate Brain Damage
Cannabinoids, which includes CBD, are known neuroprotectants and numerous studies have demonstrated that it can be effective when it comes to limiting neurological damage in ischemic attacks, stroke and traumatic brain injury. The same goes if it’s used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Fighting Cancer
Several studies have also claimed that CBD has anti-neoplastic or anti-cancer effects. Thus, it helps to fight tumors and cancer. Aside from being a known antioxidant, cannabis has been reported to have anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic effects thanks to CBD. CBD inhibits cancer cell migration, adhesion, and invasion as well as promoting the death of old or abnormal cells. A study published in 2006 found out that CBD inhibited the growth of different breast tumor cell lines.
Another study in 2011 backed this up and said that CBD is somewhat selective, inhibiting breast cancer cells while having minimal effects on non-cancer cells. Also, CBD is a non-toxic compound and thus may be used for prolonged treatment. Other cancers which can be treated with CBD include: are lung cancer, colon cancer, glioma, and leukemia.
Conclusion
Though CBD may seem to be a cure-all for an assortment of physical maladies, don’t think it can replace whatever you’re prescribed, if you have a medical condition. BakeOut does not want to be responsible if you read this, ditch your blood-thinners, and think smoking a blunt will fix your medical condition. That said, CBD has proven itself to compliment a lot of current medications. Some, it may be able to replace, some to merely ease current treatments.
Thanks to recent and ongoing studies, it has now been proven that cannabidiol in cannabis plants are beneficial to one’s health. It will come to no one’s surprise if recent advances in the field of medicine would lead to discoveries of more health benefits of cannabidiol.
SOURCES
http://hightimes.com/culture/10-little-known-uses-for-cbd/
https://draxe.com/cbd-benefits/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cannabidiol-cbd-a-primer_us_58b7129ee4b0ddf654246290
https://selfhacked.com/2016/09/27/cannabidiol-cbd/
https://cbdoilreview.org/cbd-cannabidiol/cbd-benefits/