Various CBD products, including Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, have gained sharp popularity in recent years amongst consumers searching for different treatment options for a wide variety of health conditions, diseases and ailments.

Cannabis plants possess a substance group called cannabinoids. Even though there are over 100 different cannabinoids, the ones that have been most intensively researched in recent years are CBD and THC.

THC, which is classified as a direct psychoactive compound, is responsible for the majority of the psychological consequences and the so-called “high” that individuals experience with marijuana. CBD, however, does not cause users to feel “high.”

Researchers all around the world are constantly studying and looking into CBD as a treatment option for various conditions, but studies supporting its direct health benefits are currently limited.

Keep on reading to obtain further knowledge about a few of the potential health effects of CBD oil that are currently being investigated by researchers. You’ll also learn here about some of the potential side effects and risks associated with CBD oil.

1. Decreases epileptic seizures.

The FDA officially approved Epidiolex in 2018 as the initial pharmaceutical-grade CBD drug. Epidiolex can treat two different severe and rare epilepsy subtypes called Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in individuals two years of age and older.

Research will continue into how helpful CBD oil can be in treating people with other common kinds of epilepsy conditions.

2. Can help with chronic pain

Individuals all around the globe have made use of cannabis for medicinal reasons, such as pain relief, ever since approximately 2900 B.C.

Researchers suggest that cannabinoids could be the responsible compounds for the analgesic effects experienced with cannabis. However, only a limited amount of studies that check how CBD directly affects pain have been performed to date.

A review conducted in 2018 went over 47 studies, which includes 4,743 people, who use cannabinoids and cannabis for any sort of chronic pain, apart from cancer pain. That specific review showed moderate evidence that such cannabinoids decrease pain when compared with the placebo groups.

An official review of observational studies published in the Journal of Central Nervous System Disease research strengthens the use of Sativex, otherwise known as nabiximols, which is an orally used spray that contains CBD and THC, combined with various other therapies for body pain related to multiple sclerosis. Certain countries have already approved the drug, but the Federal Drug Administration hasn’t approved Sativex yet for official use in the United States.

There are currently new studies carried out by the NCCIH on cannabinoids, including their possible health effects on managing pain.

Studies have also shown that pain derived from peripheral neuropathy could also be subsided by using CBD.

Recently conducted clinical trials are also on the works to study CBD for the management of chronic pain, specifically neuropathic pain.

3. Could help with anxiety

The effects of cannabis on anxiety are often inconsistent. A previously published article in the Neuropsychopharmacology Journal noted that certain consumers of cannabis mention that their primary reason for their use of the drug had to do with decreasing anxiety levels. On the other hand, other cannabis users have reported anxiety and panic as possible side effects of cannabis.

These inconsistent results could be associated with the fact that lower THC doses in cannabis have been linked with decreased anxiety levels, while higher doses seem to trigger anxiety.

That same published article additionally mentions that CBD has the potential to reduce anxiety levels caused by THC. In certain studies carried out on animals, CBD appears to block anxiety quite similarly to other drugs aimed at inhibiting anxiety.

A study that included a total of 24 individuals that suffer from social anxiety disorder showed that people who used 600mg of CBD prior to a simulated public speaking test experienced lower levels of anxiety than others who took a placebo.

Regardless of these promising results, researchers must carry out additional studies involving a higher number of people in order to confirm similar results.

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4. Could help with the treatment of substance use disorder

Substance use disorders affect one’s brain chemistry and overall behavior and could lead one to lose control of their use of illegal and legal drugs or medications.

As noted in a 2015 systematic review, the effects of CBD could influence various brain circuits associated with drug-desiring behaviors, addiction, and could regulate compulsive behaviors and stress response.

The review of human and animal studies proved that CBD could assist with any addiction to psychostimulants and opioids and may potentially benefit tobacco and cannabis dependence.

In the year of 2018, a study was conducted by qualified researchers on rats in order to detect whether CBD could prevent drug-use relapse.

Researchers found out that CBD effectively decreased relapse caused by stress and drug cues and reduced impulsivity and anxiety. Moreover, relapse was still low 5 months post-experiment.

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial performed in 2019 indicated that CBD could help people who suffer from heroin-use abnormalities.

In sufferers of heroin-use disorder who were drug-abstinent, CBD decreased craving and anxiety caused by drug cues when compared to placebo. In addition, CBD reduced physiological measures like salivary cortisol levels and heart rates. These effects could also be observed one week later, a fact that suggests that these results could be long-lasting.

There is still a need for follow-up studies by researchers in order to thoroughly investigate CBD-use and its effects on substance use disorders.