Chances are you’re probably hearing the word CBD more and more often... what is it, and what does it do? CBD a hot term in the marijuana industry right now and is the abbreviation for 'Cannabidiol'. While it’s not as well known as its sibling (THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)), it is garnering more and more attention, especially in the medical health community.
What is CBD? Simply it’s a compound found in Marijuana plants. Pot plants have been shown to produce upwards of 400-compounds out of which 60 are unique to the cannabis plant. CBC and THC are two of the 60-compounds (also referred to as cannabionoids) that have been identified as being unique to cannabis plants.
Up until recently, it was THC that was getting all the attention because it produces the ‘high’ that 420 pot is famous for. As a result of all this attention weed growers started to produce marijuana strains that contained higher and higher levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)... and pot became even more popular.
Then people started noticing that besides getting you ‘high’ marijuana also seemed to provide relief for medical conditions. This started research into the medicinal benefits of cannabis and it was found that Cannabidiol (CBD) indeed did have some medical and therapeutic benefits.
Further studies identified that CBD doesn’t get people ‘high’ and can also counteract the ‘stoned’ effects of THC. It was this important distinction that made marijuana appealing to people looking for relief for their medical/health conditions. Cannabidiol has very low toxicity and little known side-effects which means they'll be even more clinical CBD studies and trials; especially as medical marijuana becomes more main-stream. Some of the medicinal uses that CBD is being used/studied for include:
Additional scientific and clinical research is looking into how marijuana may be used to treat arthritis, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), alcoholism, multiple sclerosis (ms), and some neurological disorders.
All of this has lead to mislabelling of THC as the "bad" cannabinoid and CBD as the "good"... much like good and bad cholesterol. While there are differences between THC and CBD they can, and do, work well together so it’s not a simple case of one is better than the other... commonly referred to as the ‘entourage effect’. Another source of confusion can be found when referring to cannabis strains being labelled as ‘CBD-rich’ and ‘CBD-dominant’. Generally speaking, the first describes pot strains that have an almost equal or slightly great CBD to THC ratio; the later describes CBD-rich strains that have very little THC.
Consuming CBD allows you to enjoy the benefits of marijuana without actually getting high... or should we say, without getting ‘really high’ and its non-euphoric properties mean that some of the negatives associated with too much weed (ex. paranoia) aren’t as much a concern.
If you’re curious about exploring cannabidiol for yourself, check out our selection of CBD products like tinctures and oil drops. CBD is most commonly consumed in the form of highly concentrated oil. This is a smokeless, healthy way to get the benefits from cannabis and can be used when it might not be a great idea to actually be stoned. That being said, the entourage effect is something that’s being looked into deeper. So while CBD is effective on its own, combining it with THC may make it even more potent.
How ironic and funny is it, that something that doesn’t even get you ‘high’ is now one of the major cornerstones of the marijuana industry... and don’t forget to take your CBD meds!