Are CBD products really useful? A scientific approach

Have you ever felt anxiety, depression, insomnia, skin problems or other health problems? Surely yes, since everyone suffers from one of these at some point in their life. What’s fascinating, though, is that CBD-based products can help with some of those issues . Intrigued to know the truth about these products from a scientific perspective? Keep reading.

Introduction of CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the chemical compounds obtained from the Cannabis sativa plant , commonly known as the marijuana plant. The interesting thing about this compound is that, unlike other cannabis-based products, it contains very little THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient that produces the “high” when consuming marijuana.

CBD is currently being heavily researched for its potential pharmacological benefits, and the results so far have shown promise . Proponents of CBD claim that it can be used to treat chronic pain and inflammation, as well as conditions such as migraines, epilepsy, depression or anxiety, and some autoimmune diseases.

Today, it is a much-studied substance, as we have already mentioned, for its potential health benefits, but there is still much to know about CBD. So far, what scientific studies hold is that CBD products influence motivation and relaxation, suppressing anxiety, in addition to increasing restful sleep, reducing acne and blemishes, reducing heart-related symptoms, and reduce neurological disorders, among many others.

The important thing is not to let the noise of the media and the promise of the studies be confused with proven certainties.

CBD to treat epilepsy?

Four years ago, the first CBD-based drug approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) began to be marketed. The drug in question is used to treat two types of epilepsy that are difficult to control until now, Dravet syndrome and Lennox Gastaut syndrome. After pre-marketing studies it was found that this drug was significantly more effective in reducing the frequency of seizures than placebos.

Reduce depression and anxiety

People suffer from depression, anxiety, unmotivated thoughts, and unrelaxed feelings that devastate peace of mind. Data from the World Health Organization has shown that anxiety disorders rank sixth in the world as an influencing factor, and depression first. On the other hand, some studies mention that CBD can be a useful tool for reducing depression and anxiety .

sleep patterns

When it comes to sleep patterns, we all care about a proper sleep schedule and never want to deal with insomnia, right? After all, everyone knows that healthy sleep has a positive influence on our daily lives. For this, CBD products have also shown promise. CBD interacts with certain receptors and regulates the sleep-wake cycle. CBD products help with insomnia and promote restful sleep . Additionally, research suggests that cannabidiol promotes a calming effect on the central nervous system, ultimately leading to peaceful sleep.

Ease the pain

People often have problems and bear the pain of the muscles and the stress of the joints. It has become commonplace today. We all have pain from our second decade of life usually. Several studies have shown that CBD is effective for multiple sclerosis pain and reduces inflammation of the sciatic nerve . Hence, there are also those who defend that CBD can be a therapeutic option for other types of pain. However, these are still hypotheses and, in any case, choosing the right CBD product would be important to achieve the desired result.

skin benefits

Many people know about the benefits of CBD for skin care, such as CBD oils and serums. And the truth is that, effectively, CBD products have positioned themselves on the market as a safe therapeutic option for various dermatological conditions. However, there is not enough information to know if CBD is safe or what the side effects might be .

On the other hand, CBD oils do seem to be able to reduce the secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands, but is this a positive or negative thing? Well, in general, it is not something particularly positive, but for conditions such as acne, it could be beneficial and even reduce the frequency of secondary infections. Or at least that is the hope.

misconceptions

As you can see, there is a lot of noise and little science to support many of the claims of CBD products. Some of these false claims include that CBD products are capable of treating Alzheimer’s disease, autism, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, blood pressure and heart rate, cardiovascular disease, hearing loss induced by chemotherapy, colitis, concussions, diabetes, leukemia, liver inflammation, lupus, Lyme disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and tumors . These are serious diseases that require appropriate and specific treatments. Therefore, the idea, at least in the absence of sufficient evidence to support these claims, that these medical conditions can be treated by CBD products should be dismissed.

Health risks?

Studies around CBD are still ongoing, and there are many questions that researchers still don’t have answers for, such as whether or not the means of taking CBD affects risks or efficacy. Some potential risks are liver damage, interaction with other medications or even fertility impairment (still under study).

References

Baron E. P. (2018). Medicinal Properties of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids in Cannabis, and Benefits in Migraine, Headache, and Pain: An Update on Current Evidence and Cannabis Science. Headache, 58(7), 1139–1186. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13345

Baswan, S. M., Klosner, A. E., Glynn, K., Rajgopal, A., Malik, K., Yim, S., & Stern, N. (2020). Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) for Skin Health and Disorders. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 13, 927–942. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S286411

Cannabidiol (CBD) (2022). MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/druginfo/natural/1439.html

Evans D. G. (2020). Medical Fraud, Mislabeling, Contamination: All Common in CBD Products. Missouri medicine, 117(5), 394–399. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33311737/

Shannon, S., Lewis, N., Lee, H., & Hughes, S. (2019). Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. The Permanente journal, 23, 18–041. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/18-041