CBD has been a popular and incredibly beneficial compound for centuries. Known for its effects ranging from neuroprotection to anti-anxiety, the cannabinoid has proven helpful for millions of people around the world. Fully federally legal and non-psychoactive, CBD is an amazingly valuable compound to keep in any medicine cabinet.
Though CBD has been used for centuries in a plethora of forms, including topicals, oils, vapes, and edibles, it is most popular in gummy form today. But what makes CBD gummies so attractive to the public? And how do CBD’s benefits manifest in the delicious treats?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is perhaps the most helpful and beneficial compound we’ve found in cannabis to date. The cannabinoid isn't psychoactive like THC, meaning it won't get you high, but it does possess multiple potential medical benefits and has been used in human civilizations throughout thousands of years.
You may be wondering how it’s possible that a plant’s medicinal applications have withstood the test of time, especially with today’s incredibly technological advances in medicine. The reason CBD works so well in our bodies is because it interacts with our endocannabinoid system, a complex communication system between the brain and body that affects bodily functions including how we feel, move, react, and sleep.
This network of neurons is saturated with receptors that cannabinoids are able to bind to via chemical interactions. Because the endocannabinoid system interacts with all the major bodily systems, cannabinoid compounds like CBD and THC have such notable and expansive effects on how we feel. Although CBD contains no psychoactive properties, the compound is still highly interactive with the endocannabinoid system, notably helping with bettering sleep and reducing pain.
Although THC is perhaps the compound that gave cannabis its undeniable fame, CBD has an incredibly diverse catalog of benefits able to help people from all walks of life find relief and better their lives. Sure, THC has been widely popularized by the likes of Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg, but despite CBD’s non-psychoactive nature, its range of effects can certainly still hold their own. From pain management and anxiety relief to neuroprotection and potential anti-cancer properties, CBD is more beneficial than we could ever emphasize. Even then, let’s go over some of the most prominent studies surrounding CBD and its benefits.
CBD reduces anxiety by regulating several neurotransmitters associated with the medical condition. It modulates serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain, as well as acts on the GABA receptors, which turns down our inner volume when aroused. This results in calmness in relaxation.
CBD is widely used for rare cases of epilepsy because of its ability to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures without the negative side effects of other prescribed medicines. In 2018, the FDA actually approved the first ever CBD-based drug, Epidiolex, as a treatment for a rare and severe form of epilepsy. A 2012 animal study found that CBD “significantly decreased the percentage mortality as a result of seizures.” In 2016, another study reported noticeable improvements in the number of seizures in children with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy.
In 2006, a group of scientists explored the role of the endocannabinoid system in pain control and management for acute and chronic pain episodes. The study observed both, CBD, and THC, but found that “cannabinoids have antinociceptive mechanisms different from that of other drugs currently in use, which thus opens a new line of promising treatment to mitigate pain that fails to respond to the pharmacologic treatments available, especially for neuropathic and inflammatory pains.” Additionally, those suffering from chronic inflammation may also benefit from CBD, as it has been shown to provide potent anti-inflammatory effects, including potential benefits for those struggling with inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune conditions, vascular inflammation, and neuroinflammation.
In 2007, a study suggested that regular administration of CBD can potentially improve the formation of myelin, a compound that forms a protective layer around nerve cells. Without this function, a person would be left vulnerable to neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s, dementia, and multiple sclerosis. Another research study from 2016 revealed that CBD may shrink tumors and stop them from spreading.
CBD has been shown to promote apoptosis, or programmed cancer cell death, in certain types of cancer. Additionally, it can also help prevent the spread of existing cancers between organs by blocking the adhesion of tumor cells to new types of tissue.
Many other studies have recognized CBD’s potential to inhibit nausea and vomiting, including when these conditions are caused by chemotherapy, by slowing down the breakdown of anandamide in the body—higher anandamide levels can reduce nausea, decrease vomiting, and increase appetites. The compound has also been found helpful for those suffering from withdrawals from opioid or smoking addictions. Some recent studies have suggested that CBD could potentially reduce anxiety and cravings, leading to a more stable and successful road to recovery.
We could write about the research surrounding CBD’s potential benefits all day long, but for the sake of your time, here’s a list of the potential benefits of the cannabinoid instead. If any of them pique your interest, we encourage you to do your own research and discover the wonders of CBD on your own:
While it’s true that CBD in any form can potentially give you all the benefits associated with the compound, there’s a reason the cannabinoid seems to be most popular in edible form. This has to do with absorption rates and longevity of effects.
How long it takes for CBD to enter the bloodstream is referred to as its absorption rate. CBD inhaled through the lungs, for example, has a quicker path to the bloodstream, and is therefore absorbed more quickly. When eating CBD, however, it must first pass through the stomach and liver before entering the bloodstream and reaching the brain.
Some research suggests that consuming CBD edibles provides a longer duration of relief. Absorption rates determine the duration of the compound’s effects, so if an ingestion method has a quick absorption rate, its effects will also be gone quick. Because edibles need to bypass the entire digestive system before reaching the bloodstream, they have a slower absorption rate, leading its effects to last much longer than those of vapes or other quick-absorption methods. Usually, the benefits of CBD gummies can last for more than eight hours, while the effects of vapes and tinctures only last a couple of hours.
Another reason CBD gummies are better than other ingestion methods, including other types of edibles, is their consistency. Gummies aren’t only favored by consumers, but also by manufacturers, because they are much easier to accurately dose. When you eat a brownie, for example, you never know exactly how much CBD is in each square. You may know the total amount of CBD in the entire pan but measuring how much CBD is in one bite can get quite tricky. This same logic applies to puffs in a vape or drops in a tincture.
With gummies, this isn't an issue. Because gummies are made using exact measurements for each individual gummy, it’s extremely simple to get an accurate and exact dosage. If you purchase a 100mg pack of gummies containing 20 gummies, for example, you know that each gummy contains 5mg of CBD. This puts you in full control of how much—or how little—CBD you put in your body.
Cannabidiol itself has an unbelievable range of benefits. From pain reduction and anxiety management to neuroprotection and potential anti-cancer properties, the cannabinoid has proven itself useful for millions of people in more ways than one. Because CBD interacts with our endocannabinoid system, which influences all of our main bodily systems, it can have positive influences on functions like sleep, pain, stress, and more. There is a reason CBD has remained at the forefront of health and wellness even with the incredibly advanced developments of the medical world—scientists today are proving what our ancestors already knew thousands of years ago.
While CBD can be beneficial in any way it’s taken, most users today prefer to ingest CBD via CBD gummies. Not only are these products easier to dose due to their uniform production, but they also have longer-lasting effects than any other ingestion method.
For a completely controllable and long-lasting set of benefits, CBD gummies are the best and most beneficial way to ingest CBD. Don’t believe us? Try them yourself!
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