What is CBD?
CBD oil is short for cannabidiol. Cannabidiol is one of the chemical cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, specifically from hemp. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, Cannabis sativa, but the two are very different. CBD is not psychoactive, unlike THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the most commonly known kind of cannabinoid. THC will get you “high”, CBD will not. This is important to know. When you first try BabyJane you will not feel cloudy or. At the lower doses (2-4 sprays) you may feel less jittery. I myself felt overall calming and well being after just a few sprays throughout the day.
CBD is now becoming popular due to a long list of potential positive effects.
What has CBD potentially helped?
As physicians, we can not make medical claims regarding supplements such as CBD. That being said, our patients have reported significant effects in treating: Anxiety, migraines, insomnia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, neuropathies, autism, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, quitting smoking, opioid addiction disorders, and epilepsy. The medical community is just beginning to study CBD and it is currently only offered as a medical treatment for seizure disorders in children who are not responsive to conventional medications.
How does it work?
Cannabinoids are produced by the human body (known as endocannabinoids). They interact with certain receptors, called the CB1 and CB2 receptors. The endocannabinoid system works to regulate neuroprotection, stress relief, and immune response. This impacts functions such as appetite, sleep, pain, mood.
ECB1 receptors are located mainly in the brain. These receptors affect mood, thinking, memory, appetite, pain, coordination and movement. CB2 receptors most commonly affect inflammation and pain. CBD (a phytocannabinoid, or plant-based cannabinoid) works to direct the body to use more endocannabinoids to activate its own receptors.
How can I take CBD?
CBD can be ingested with pills or foods (edibles), absorbed orally (with a dropper or a spray) or topically (lotions, salves, lip balms), smoked or vaped. One of the most effective and quickest ways to absorb CBD, in lieu of inhalation, is by oral absorption. This can occur under the tongue, or sublingually. The effect can occur within minutes. In this way, it is easy to gauge exactly how much CBD is consumed. Alternatively, one can ingest or swallow the oil. The absorption rate will be much slower as compared to absorption sublingually. BabyJane Wellness offers a micro-ionized pump to allow for droplet dispersion and improved surface area for better and quicker absorption.
Is CBD legal?
CBD mainly comes from industrial hemp plants. Industrial hemp does not fall under the same regulation as cannabis due to its low THC content (< 0.3%). It is considered a natural supplement. The FDA is currently not allowing CBD to be used sold with food .
CBD and Pain
The utilization of cannabis for medicinal purposes has occurred for centuries around the world. Many civilizations have used cannabis for a variety of conditions, including joint pain and muscle spasms.
—Cannibis and pain, hill et al, 2017.
CBD has been found in animal studies to modulate the sensation of pain. It is not a typical pain killer such as morphine, NSAIDS, or oxycodone and its derivatives. However, animal models have shown some benefit when used in chronic pain and possible acute pain. Many of our patients who had surgery mentioned anecdotally that they used less narcotics to recover when supplementing with CBD. Other patients, who have serious chronic pain issues, such as rheumatoid arthritis have also told us that CBD has seriously improved their quality of life. There are no randomized control trials to publically support this at the moment and we are positive this will be a major area of future study.
— genaro et al, 2017. Cannabidiol is a potential therapeutic for the effective – motivational dimension of incision pain in rats.
— costa b 2007. The non-psychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an orally effective therapeutic agent in rat chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
CBD could reduce anxiety and insomnia
A recent study showed that people with social anxiety disorder had significantly less anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their public speaking performance compared to a placebo group after receiving CBD.
— bergamaschi 2011. Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment naïve social phobia patients.
It has also been used to safely treat insomnia and anxiety in children with post-traumatic stress disorder.
— perm j. 2016. Effectiveness of cannabidiol oil for pediatric anxiety and insomnia as part of post dramatic stress disorder: a case report.
Many of our patients have reported that they have less need for combination drug therapies to treat their anxiety and insomnia when supplementing with CBD. Anxiety and Insomnia often go hand in hand, and are especially prevalent in today’s demanding world. Most recommend using lower doses of CBD to treat anxiety (5-20mg per day). Insomnia often requires a larger dose right before bed for optimal effect (30-50mg)
Seizure / Neurological Disorders
CBD oil has been used and FDA-approved to treat seizures and other neurological disorders. There are receptors in the brain which control synaptic transmission of the neurons when bound to cannabinoids. Users report higher doses are likely needed to maintain effect – 80-150mg per day in adults.
Perucca, R: Cannabinoids in the treatment of epilepsy: hard evidence at last? J Epilepsy Res. 2017 Dec; 7(2): 61–76.
Other reported Benefits
CBD may reduce acne
One study found that sebaceous gland cells secreted less sebum, and prevented the activation of inflammatory molecules called cytokines, when exposed to CBD.
— olan 2014. Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and anti-inflammatory effects on human sebocytes.
CBD oils may offer a natural cancer treatment
A study in 2006 found that CBD potently and selectively inhibit the growth of different breast tumor cell lines and exhibited significantly less potency in non-cancer cells. CBD may induce a concentration dependent cell death of both estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells.
CBD could benefit heart health
A recent study treated healthy men with one dose of CBD oil and found that it reduced resting blood pressure compared to the placebo group.
— Jadoon 2017. A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure and healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study.
In addition, several studies and animals have demonstrated that CBD may help to reduce inflammation and cell death associated with heart disease due to its powerful antioxidant and stress producing properties.
— Rajesh 2011. Cannabidiol attenuates cardiac dysfunction, oxidative stress, fibrosis, inflammatory and cell death signaling pathways in diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Disclaimer
As physicians, we are currently NOT allowed to make direct claims regarding the health benefits of hemp oil and CBD. We are offering BJW as a supplement that many use anecdotally to treat the problems listed below.