CBD oil, or cannabidiol hemp oil, is an oil that’s manufactured using special strains of hemp that are high in CBD but low in THC. This makes CBD oil non-psychoactive, meaning that it provides many of the benefits of medicinal cannabis without the psychoactive, recreational effects.
New changes to drug regulations in the UK mean that CBD oil can be sold under license. Over the last few years, usage of CBD oil has increased significantly as an alternative to medicinal cannabis for people with a range of health conditions.
What is CBD Oil?
The active ingredient in CBD oil is cannabidiol, or CBD. Cannabidiol is one of more than the 100 different active cannabinoids contained in the cannabis plant.
Unlike other cannabinoids, CBD does not have psychoactive effects. This makes it very different from tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the primary psychoactive cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant.
CBD can be ingested in a number of ways. Like recreational or medicinal cannabis, it’s used as an ingredient in foods and beverages. Over the last few years, numerous CBD-oil infused coffee products, snacks and other foods and beverages have popped onto the market.
However, CBD is mostly commonly consumed in the form of CBD oil, which is vaporised using a vape pen or other equipment.
When someone ingests CBD oil, the cannabinoid binds to receptors in the brain and body. This causes a change to the way your body deals with things such as inflammation, coordination and response to pain.
Unlike normal cannabis, which also affects receptors in the brain regarding emotion and mood due to its THC content, CBD’s effects are more limited and do not produce a “high” effect.
How is CBD Oil Different From Cannabis?
Unlike cannabis, which contains tetrahydrocannabinol, CBD oil doesn’t contain any THC. This means that it doesn’t provide the psychoactive “high” of cannabis, giving it no real recreational value as a drug.
CBD oil is not used recreationally. Instead, it’s primarily used as a natural medicine for specific conditions. Used correctly, responsibly and effectively, CBD oil has proven helpful in treating a range of otherwise difficult-to-treat health conditions.
What are the Effects of CBD Oil?
CBD oil has a variety of medicinal effects that have made it a key drug for research over the last decade. Researchers believe it may have benefits for addiction treatment, particularly in helping people reduce their level of dependence on opioids and other drugs.
Research also indicates that CBD oil may be useful in the treatment of epilepsy. We’ve provided more detail on these potential uses of CBD oil below.
Pain Relief
One of the most significant effects of CBD oil is its ability to relieve pain. Many people that use CBD oil notice a significant reduction in chronic pain, including severe pain caused by injuries and other health issues.
Studies seem to support these anecdotal findings. For example, animal studies conducted using rats and mice have found that CBD reduces levels of inflammation, contributing to a lower level of perceived pain and discomfort.
Because of this, many regular CBD oil users view the drug as an alternative to over-the-counter pain medications nd and prescription painkillers such as opioids.
Improvement in Drug Addiction Treatment
CBD oil may also be useful in treating drug addiction. Studies have demonstrated that cigarette smokers are less likely to smoke cigarettes when given an inhaler that contains CBD, making it a potentially promising treatment for helping people quit smoking.
Additional research indicates that CBD oil may be helpful in treating opioid addiction, both due to its own pain relief qualities and the ability for the drug to reduce the withdrawal effects many opioid drug users experience when attempting to overcome their addiction.
Reduction in Anxiety
Studies suggest that CBD oil may also be helpful as an anti-anxiety drug for people with general anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and many other mental conditions that make it challenging to maintain a normal life.
Because of this, CBD oil is being considered as a potential alternative to the anti-anxiety drugs currently used in the treatment of these conditions, many of which provide their own side effects while offering relief from anxiety.
Other Potential Effects
Finally, CBD oil is also being studies as a potential treatment for a variety of serious diseases and health issues.
The anti-inflammatory effects of CBD oil have made it a target of research into type 1 diabetes treatment. CBD oil is also currently being studies as a potential treatment for certain forms of cancer and a preventative treatment for alzheimer’s disease.
It’s important to note that research in these fields is in its early stages, and that CBD oil should not be viewed as a completely proven alternative to existing medications and treatments.
Is CBD Oil Legal?
In 2017, new regulations were introduced in the UK classifying CBD oil as a medicine, allowing it to go on sale to the public. CBD oil is now a legal alternative to medicinal marijuana used by an estimated 250,000 people throughout the UK.