Wellness

Beginners Guide to CBD: Benefits and Side Effects

posted by Chris Valentine

For generations, cannabis has been used by the masses in an effort to relieve stress, anxiety, and for its pain management benefits. However, in recent years, CBD has claimed a huge portion of the market share, primarily due to its non psychoactive properties. It has certainly changed the way we think about the hemp and marijuana plants. With the legalization and all of the research and development going into hemp derived products, people finally feel safe giving these products a shot. We will discuss the benefits and any possible side effects you might experience while using hemp derived products.

Where Does CBD Come From?

It is easy to get the hemp and the marijuana plant confused. CBD comes from hemp flower and contains microscopic levels of THC. It’s derived from the hemp plant, which looks very similar to the marijuana plant, but has some distinguishable properties. First and foremost, CBD is non psychoactive, so you won’t get high. This is a huge selling point for people that can’t tolerate THC. Say goodbye to the mental high and focus on the body high that comes with pure hemp based CBD.

Seizure Reduction

The human brain is incredibly complex and although we’ve come a long way in our road to learning more about the wiring of the human brain, information is still remarkably limited. One of the biggest stressors in modern medicine is how to control seizures in patients without the harmful side effects of general medicine. CBD may be the answer, but it’s still too early to tell. Studies have shown that patients who did not respond well to certain seizure reducing drugs, have shown vast improvement with the frequency and severity of seizures while using CBD products.

Reduces Pain and Inflammation

Pain can be managed, but for the most stubborn pains, patients often turn to highly addictive and side effect filled pharmaceuticals just to cope with everyday life. CBD can offer the same excellent pain management regimen without the harmful side effects, such as possible addiction, and negative reactivity with other drugs. Scientific research has shown that cannabidiol not only helps to reduce pain throughout the body, but actually diminished inflammation that causes pain to intensify.

Mood Stabilizer

Humans can be moody by nature, but sometimes the fluctuations in our moods and anxiety can make it difficult to function in daily life. Mood stabilizing drugs are available for most mood conditions, but again, as with many pharmaceuticals, the benefits are often trumped by possible side effects. Cannabidiol may contain the answer to many of our anxiety driven disorders.

Patients with schizophrenia, clinical depression, and many other mood altering disorders have been given CBD and have responded very well. Some schizophrenia patients showed no or very little symptoms after using CBD flower for some time, and patients with depression have shown vast improvements without the use of Prozac and other often prescribed drugs.

The effects of cannabidiol are not extreme, but allow the patient to experience an overall feeling of wellness, helping to push out any anxiety, depression, or feelings of being out of control. It seems that the natural properties within the hemp plant are able to tap into certain parts of the brain that control mood and behavior.

Fast Results

One of the downsides to many pharmaceutical drugs is that they take some time to kick in. For some drugs, it can take up to 2 weeks to properly adjust and feel the effects. CBD, when inhaled is significantly quicker as patients tend to feel the effects almost immediately. Pulmonary administration or inhaling CBD goes directly into the lungs and is absorbed into the bloodstream through the alveoli. These are the small perforations in the lungs that feed the bloodstream.

Side Effects

Like any substance, natural or pharmaceutical, there are side effects that people should be aware of. Fortunately, most CBD products produce little to no side effects so there isn’t much to worry about.

General Side Effects

There are specific side effects that you should be aware of when you inhale CBD flower. Some of the more common, but mild side effects include fatigue and dry mouth, but these are easily managed by most users.

Your health matters, so when you decide to use CBD based products for its many benefits, also take into consideration that there may be some minor side effects. Hemp has proven beneficial for many different diseases and disorders, but as with anything, consult your doctor before you start smoking CBD flower or ingesting it orally. The benefits of CBD hemp flowers are astounding and certainly something to be considered if you are suffering from anxiety, depression, or other health concerns mentioned above.

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