CBD Oil Benefits: 7 (AMAZING) CBD Benefits and 1 Weird Side Effect

CBD Benefits

Have you ever wanted superhuman abilities? Maybe super strength? Or unlimited stamina? Well, I can’t promise you that CBD oil benefits are that good, but CBD benefits are nothing short of super.

You might have already heard that CBD oil is loaded with benefits, but I bet you didn’t know that people have been reaping these CBD benefits since 2900 B.C.

What are these CBD oil benefits?

Here are 7 CBD oil benefits and one weird side effect:

1. Anti-anxiety

CBD oil is gaining a lot of popularity due to its anti-anxiety effects. In a study conducted on rats, scientists  concluded that cannabidiol (CBD) has an anti-anxiety and anti-panic effect on animals.

In the study, male rats were administered CBD directly to a brain area called the DPAG (an area responsible for pain transmission). They are then put in a maze (an elevated T-maze) to measure their anxiety levels.

The results of this study showed that repeated dosage of CBD decreased the rats’ escape responses in the elevated T-maze (which means that the rats were less anxious). However, acute administration of CBD, meaning just one dose, did not reduce their anxiety levels.

So what does this all mean? It means that CBD has an anti-anxiety effect but only after prolonged use. So, should you decide to use CBD to relieve your anxiety symptoms, you’d want to take it over a prolonged period of time. Taking CBD only once or a few times probably won’t benefit you.

The mechanisms that CBD uses to produce anti-anxiety effects are still not fully understood. However, the research suggested that CBD acts on serotonin receptors (similar to anti-depressants).

In another study conducted, this time with humans, there were three groups: a placebo group, a group given clonazepam (an anti-anxiety medication), and a group given CBD oil.

The 3 groups are asked to give a speech in front of a crowd to measure their anxiety levels. The CBD group and clonazepam group showed a reduction in anxiety when compared to the placebo group.

Studies aside, I have effectively used CBD to reduce my own anxiety. After having severe panic attacks and non-stop around the clock anxiety, I decided to give CBD oil a try. I can proudly say that CBD significantly decreased my anxiety to manageable levels.

Although my phobias and frightful thoughts were not taken away, the stress and feelings associated with them were reduced to the point where I could function again. I have been taking CBD oil every day since, consistently (about 5 months now), and it has been having a great effect on my anxiety. (You could hear more about my story here)

Another benefit of my use of CBD is that my typical social anxiety improved. I worry less in social situations now, and I even welcome them, as a matter fact. A study in 2011 further validates this point.

In this study, researchers where simulating a public speaking test amongst people with generalized social anxiety disorder and a healthy control group. The social anxiety group was either given CBD or a placebo, an hour and a half before the simulation, while the healthy control group was given nothing.

The social anxiety group members who were given CBD had significantly reduced social anxiety and cognitive impairment in their speech when compared to the placebo group.

Other than reducing anxiety, CBD helps with pain relief. So let’s talk about this CBD benefit too.

2. Pain Relief

Inflammation is often a cause of pain; that’s why the two words pain and inflammation often go hand in hand. CBD oil has been shown to be an anti-inflammatory in this study. A skin cell line called HaCaT was stimulated with an allergen.

Normally, upon stimulation by an allergen, these cells would produce inflammatory compounds (namely cytokines and chemokines). However, in the presence of CBD, the cells were found to to release less of these inflammatory compounds. This was the first experiment that demonstrated a concrete anti-inflammatory benefit of CBD on cells.

CBD was also shown to reduce pain directly (rather than reducing it by reducing inflammation). This study conducted shows that CBD works to inhibit pain when stimulating mainly the CB1 receptor, aside from it having anti-inflammatory effects mainly in the CB2 receptor.

I can personally attest to this pain reduction CBD benefit. Growing up I have played all sorts of sports and have been physically sore in all kinds of ways. Recently, through my CBD use for my anxiety, I realized that it also cuts down the time and severity of my sore muscles after playing some strenuous sports.

3. Sleep Aid

Sleep! We all need it but lately it seems like it is so hard to get enough of it. Have you got tired of tossing and turning at night? Have you tried all kinds of sleep routines, sleep drugs, and sleep products only to find yourself in the same battle of restless legs vs. sheets?

I know I have! This was until CBD oil yet again showed another benefit: it works as a sleep aid. What’s great too is that it’s non-habit forming, unlike other sleeping drugs, and it’s relatively safe.

According to sleepassociation.org: 

Insomnia is the most common specific sleep disorder,  with short term issues reported by about 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%

In an amazing study involving 409 people with insomnia, cannabis was shown to reduce the subjects’ insomnia by 4.5 points on a point visual analog scale of 10 points.

Some sleep aids interfere with your sleep-wake cycle, but CBD can reduce insomnia symptoms without this side effect. A study conducted showed that CBD does not interfere with the sleep-wake cycle.

In the study, healthy volunteers were given either a placebo or CBD oil 30 minutes before sleep. They were then monitored during an 8 hour period. The results showed that CBD does not interfere with the sleep-wake cycle.

4. Anti-seizure

CBD has been proven time and time again to treat epilepsy. I remember the first time reading an article about CBD; it was about how it helped a young girl, Charlotte Figi, with seizures.

Charlotte would suffer from around 300 seizures a month when growing up. Her family was distraught with her condition and went to all kinds of doctors who couldn’t get to the bottom of its source.

Eventually, she was diagnosed with Dravets Syndrome. The family started researching what options they had and came across info which hinted at medical marijuana being an effective treatment for Dravets syndrome. A California boy with this condition was successfully treated with medical marijuana.

Eventually Charlotte’s family put her on medical marijuana and it effectively treated her syndrome. The downside was that the medical marijuana costed the family $800 for a 2 oz. bottle.

They soon discovered a CBD brand by the Stanley brothers (who later named their oil Charlotte’s Web after Charlotte Figi), and were able to try it on Charlotte. Using CBD, she is now thankfully doing much better and is down to 0 to maybe 3 seizures a month, being a significant decrease from 300.

In this interesting study, CBD was shown to reduce seizures in mice. Seizures are generally due to a deficit in inhibitory neurotransmission. CBD was shown to have a positive effect on this specific type of neurotransmission, hence helping reduce seizure frequency. In addition to reducing seizure frequency, CBD was also shown to reduce the severity and duration of these seizures.

In another study conducted on patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut, patients were either given CBD or a placebo. Dravet syndrome, also known as severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy, is a rare type of epilepsy that begins with infancy. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a similar type of epilepsy that starts in childhood.

In the study, the CBD group did significantly better than the placebo group; there was an immense drop in frequency of seizures.

There is a lot of evidence backing up this CBD benefit. So on to the next CBD benefit.

5. Neuroprotective

Did you know that CBD has neuroprotective benefits? Neuroprotection is the  protection and regeneration of brain cells and other parts of the nervous system (such as the peripheral nerves used for sensing stimuli or motor control). Neuroprotectives can protect against degeneration of nervous tissue such as brain tissue  in diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.

A recent 2017 review of multiple studies  done by the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh discusses CBD’s neuroprotective effects in detail. According to the review, CBD either acutely or repeatedly administered, induces plastic changes in the brain. It can reduce neurogenesis and increase dendrite spine density that’s induced by chronic stress.

More recently, CBD was found to modulate critical pathways for neural survival suggesting that CBD could potentially be beneficial for the treatment of cognitive symptoms associated with neurodegeneration.

6. Anti-acne

Acne is such an unsightly nuisance. It always remind me of cockroaches: ugly and hard to get rid of (no offense to cockroaches). It seems like most products are really not that effective in treating this problem. Luckily, CBD oil does it again with its anti-acne benefit.

The most common way to achieve this CBD benefit is through a CBD lotion or cream. In essence you want to apply the topical cream to the affected area.

This is effective because as mentioned above, CBD is anti-inflammatory and also has antibacterial benefits. Pharmacologists now know that Cannabis contains many antibacterial cannabinoids.

In fact, all major cannabinoids in cannabis have a strong antibacterial effect, even against antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). Both of these benefits work great synergistically to treat acne.

More specifically, a study conducted by a cellular physiology research group in Hungary in 2014 explored the effects of CBD on human sebaceous gland function (these are the main glands that secrete oily matter to lubricate the skin and hair). The study determined that CBD behaves as a highly effective sebostatic agent.

Sebostatic agents are compounds which inhibit the production of sebum by sebaceous glands. Administration of CBD to human sebum gland cells and human skin organ culture significantly inhibited the secretion of oils by these cells. Moreover, CBD reduced lipid metabolism in sebocytes (sebaceous gland cells) and exerted an anti-inflammatory action in these cells. Collectively, the findings suggested that due to its lipid inhibiting and and anti-inflammatory effects, CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic for treatment of acne (specifically acne vulgaris).

7. Antipsychotic

CBD lately is being studied for its antipsychotic effects.

In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial of cannabidiol vs amisulpride (a common drug used to treat schizophrenia), CBD and amisulpride both had significant improvements on schizophrenia. But CBD boasts a much lower and safer side effect profile.

The cannabidiol treatment increased anandamide production. Anandamide levels are inversely correlated with the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. This shed a new light on treating schizophrenia through the targeting of anandamide production.

A 2015 study, on cannabis and schizophrenia concluded that while THC can cause symptoms of schizophrenia, CBD can counter these effects. 

CBD may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of psychosis following cannabis use, as well as schizophrenia, possibly with better tolerability than current antipsychotic treatments.

Weird CBD Side Effect

Diarrhea.

In a recent review of clinical data on the side effects of CBD, major studies regarding CBD’s side effect profile were analyzed. The most common side effects of CBD reported were diarrhea, tiredness, and changes of appetite and weight. It’s notable however that compared to other common drugs used for the treatment of similar medical conditions, CBD’s side effect profile is better.

The medical community views this positively as it could improve patients’ compliance and adherence to treatment, and warrants further research into CBD’s effects.

Conclusion

Although it is still relatively unknown, CBD is a promising treatment for anxiety and various other problems. I can account to this with my anecdotal experiences with it, in which it has made me functional again from having severe anxiety.

Other stories of people’s successes with CBD are beginning to sprout up too, and there are sure to be more success stories in the future related to CBD benefits.

CBD consistently proves to be a safe and effective natural supplement . It has a low side-effect profile, making it a good choice over other treatments oftentimes. More research should be coming in the near future about CBD benefits, specifically comparing it to pharmaceutical treatments.