CANNABIDIOL - IT'S HIGH TIME YOU GET ACQUAINTED WITH CBD
With the recent shift in attitude regarding the consumption of cannabis plants, by now, most people have heard about the prominent chemical found in cannabis sativa-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is the ingredient most sought after in cannabis plants, as it produces a euphoric high among other psychoactive effects for the user. Lately, however, the conversation has been turned over to a different part of the plant, cannabidiol, or CBD.
This ingredient is every bit as present in cannabis plants as THC, and while the levels do tend to vary from plant to plant, it is typical for around 40% of any given cannabis plant to contain CBD. However, with the ability to engage in selective breeding, growers are able to allow the controversial, psychoactive ingredient, THC, levels to fall to almost nothing, while allowing CBD to become the main make-up of any given variety of plant. This lets medicinal users of cannabis harness the healing properties of the plant without any potentially unwanted side effects from the THC, as CBD is non-psychoactive.
CBD acts on different pathways of the body, as opposed to THC, as we have seen by testing this agent on animals. Instead of almost solely affecting the mind, as THC does, CBD treats a plethora of bodily symptoms, such as nausea reduction in cancer patients. CBD is often sought out as an assistant in the repression of seizures as well. In several cases, certain, usually incurable types of seizure disorders, such as childhood epilepsy and Dravet syndrome, have been either cured completely, or the seizures have been reduced dramatically with the help of CBD.
CBD also contains anti-inflammatory properties, aiding in the relief of menstrual cramps, tension headaches, joint pain, as well other symptoms of inflammation. CBD’s analgesic properties are paramount, and in certain instances, have been able to eliminate the user’s dependence on prescription opioid compounds. This is a much safer and non-addictive alternative to everyday pain fighting pharmaceuticals.
On top of its numerous physical health benefits, CBD has an advantage over the mental health world. It provides relief from the sometimes crippling symptoms of a variety of mental illnesses, such as anxiety and psychosis, and clinical trials have begun in the United Kingdom for treating schizophrenia. All of those wonderful benefits aside, perhaps the most popular reason the recent push for completely legal use is the ability for CBD to act as an active combatant against tumor growth and cancer cells.
CBD comes in many forms. One may find the desired ingredient in any given cannabis flower (commonly known “green stuff” you see everywhere), or one may prefer to have it extracted and made into hashes and oils (where it is legal to use it, of course). For the flower, ingestion is best without combustion; therefore using an herbal vaporizer is your best bet for consumption of this aspect of the plant. For other, more preferred mediums, such as concentrates and oils, you may take it in a capsule, although it is ideal to use a concentrated oil vaporizer, or an oil vaporizer pen. Inhalation of the vapors delivers the CBD to your system virtually instantaneously, rather than waiting for the digestion process. Having a portable vaporizer for CBD lets you get relief wherever you go, like you would with aspirin. CBD is also free of tar, making CBD oil an even safer alternative in a vape!