Cannabis: part 1 "What is CBD"

CBD (Cannabidiol ^canna-bid-i-ol) is one of the many compounds found in the amazing cannabis plant, called Cannabinoids.
There are over 100 of them and they all work together in harmony to create what is known as the Entourage effect.

Cannabis and Hemp both come from the same extended family.
Hemp is useful for industrial purposes and has numerous uses but also has high levels of CBD and extremely low levels of THC making it profitable to grow large amounts of it.
Cannabis plants tend to be much higher in THC and can fall into 3 categories Sativa, Indica or a Hybrid of the two. (Hemp is usually Sativa or Finola)
Sativa products are generally more stimulating, whereas indica and hybrids tend to be more relaxing.
(There are always the exceptions though where people fall outside of this norm, we are all different after all so how we respond is likely to differ too.)

It is argued that this difference all comes down to the terpenoid profile. Terpenes are the essential oils of the cannabis family, but we will discuss them in more detail another time.

We each have our own cannabinoid system known as the ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM.

Commonly our systems become under used and dormant.  Some illnesses such as Fibromyalgia have been linked to a clinical Endocannabinoid deficiency.
When the ECS is firing on all cylinders, it helps or bodies achieve homeostasis and even treat numerous common conditions.

CBD has been shown to have many wonderful properties.

These include:

Reduce Inflammation
Anti spasmodic
Anti anxiolytic (reduce anxiety)
Anti depressant action
Anti Psychotic
Treat Epilepsy
Relaxing
Relieve pain
Anti Emetic (treat nausea and vomiting)
Treat inflammatory Bowel diseases
Neuroprotective agent
Treat skin conditions
Encourage bone health and growth
Anti proliferation effects ( stops cancer spreading) and anti angiogenesis (cuts off blood supply to tumours) in cancer.
Symptoms of diabetes.

This list is by no means exhaustive but gives you an idea of what a wonder compound CBD is.

It is essential at this point to emphasise what I mentioned initially, the entourage effect.
CBD is great, yes, no doubt, BUT it's even better when combined with other cannabinoids. CBD alone (CBD isolate) has been shown to be less effective when compared with whole plant extracts that contain some of the other cannabinoids.

CBDa, CBDv, CBC, CBG (to name just a few) and of course THC all work  best when taken together.
Different products contain different amounts of each cannabinoid so it is useful to request lab test data to see if you can see what the cannabinoid profile is.
This way you can see if there are higher levels of CBDa to treat inflammation for example.

For me there is no comparison, it's whole plant all the way. 

For help choosing a CBD product to suit your needs, and for details on what products I use to help my symptoms, you're welcome to apply to join our closed group "CBD HAVEN" **

Thanks for reading and good luck on your CBD journey.

Gentle hugs as always ❤️❤️❤️

Future blogs will feature more information on the ECS, Cannabinoids, terpenes, medication and CBD and so on.

** please note we have criteria for joining so do read group description before applying and be sure to answer all 3 questions.