Cannabidiol (CBD) seems to have become fashionable and there are more and more products that we can find on the market to help alleviate various health conditions. However, we have to remember that the products that are marketed with authorization contain CBD, a part of cannabis that does not have psychotropic effects (it does not affect behavior or consciousness as THC does).
We can find cannabidiol in products such as makeup, creams, oils, jellies or vaporizers, among others. And this increase in products is determined thanks to CBD, its properties and health benefits.
What is CBD used for?
CBD is used as a food supplement, topical product or pharmacological treatment to relieve chronic pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression or seizures in refractory epilepsies such as Dravet Syndrome.
It is also used in neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or schizophrenia. Likewise, there are promising studies that ensure that it can kill cancer cells, after testing in vitro and in animals.
Likewise, you have to be careful where you get CBD since, to date, only one drug has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for the treatment of seizures and it is only suitable for topical use in some. countries like Spain. On the other hand, home intake of cannabidiol is not recommended, since misuse of it can endanger the person’s health.
Benefits and Properties of CBD
The drug development programs carried out by the FDA have tested the effects of CBD treatments on patients who do not get relief from their pathologies. Therefore, we can say that cannabidiol has benefits and properties that are worth mentioning:
What Properties Does CBD Provide?
There is still much to investigate and learn about this cannabinoid that could be very helpful in a wide range of processes. Research is still underway, but the WHO (World Health Organization) has created a list of possible diseases for which cannabidiol could be beneficial, thanks to the following properties:
- Anti-inflammatory. Reduces and prevents inflammation.
- Antibacterial. Eliminate bacteria.
- Repairman. Gives luminosity and nutrition, offering relief for sensitive, atopic skin or inflammatory skin conditions such as acne.
- Analgesic. Eliminates and calms pain by minimizing the production of prostaglandins (causing the sensation of pain). Likewise, CBD reduces intense pain.
- Anxiolytic. It regulates the activity of dopamine and serotonin, thus relieving symptoms of anxiety and insomnia.
- Neuroprotective. Preventing and slowing down neurodegenerative processes.
- Antioxidants. It fights against free radicals and cares for the skin against environmental pollution and aging.
- Anticonvulsant. Reduces epileptic seizures and convulsions.
- Reduces nausea.
- Antitumor. It acts against altered cells and protects healthy ones.
What Benefits Does CBD Have
The above properties, according to clinical studies, give therapeutic benefits to the following pathologies:
- Fibromyalgia.
- Cancer. In case of brain, skin, breast, pancreas, liver or prostate tumors, among others. As well as in palliative treatment, improving the symptoms of chemotherapy (physical pain, nausea, insomnia, dizziness, etc.).
- Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s (PD), dementia, multiple sclerosis, motor disorders, epilepsy or cerebrovascular accident (CVA).
- Metabolic syndromes such as obesity and diabetes.
- Inflammatory intestinal diseases (Crohn’s disease) or skin (dermatitis, acne or psoriasis).
- Chronic pain.
- Inflammatory autoimmune diseases (arthritis).
- Stress, anxiety and depression.
- Neuropsychiatric diseases such as ADHD (attention deficit), ASD (autism), schizophrenia, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and alcoholism.
- Cardiovascular syndromes.
How Cannabidiol Is Used?
The approved CBD in patients with seizures or refractory epilepsy (Dravet and Lennox Syndrome) is Epidiolex, which contains cannabidiol oil. Even so, there are some laboratories that have created other presentations of CBD to treat joint pain. We can basically find:
- CBD oil. In drops and ingested by sublingual intake. It has to be placed under the tongue for slow absorption.
- CBD creams. Where CBD is combined with other supplements such as rosemary or arnica to be applied topically.
As we have seen, CBD has multiple benefits and properties that we have to take into account. These attest that cannabidiol is a good natural remedy to treat multiple conditions at the physiological and neurological level.
