Every chemist in the UK has shelves full of CBD oil products. Why the sudden explosion of CBD products?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the active ingredients in cannabis. It doesn’t get you high. It is Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that is the hallucinogen in marijuana, a product made from cannabis. CBD oils contain almost zero THC, so are safe, legal, and will not affect your mind.
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The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the U.K. equivalent of the American FDA. In 2016, the MHRA decided that CBD products were medicines.
Humans and other animals all have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). This is a natural signalling system within your body that is affected by diet, sleep, exercise, and stress. It is also affected by CBD.
Fine-tuning your ECS may help with an immense range of diseases and conditions from cancer to osteoporosis. Research is still at an early stage, but early signs are promising.
The classification of CBD products as medicines in the U.K. along with similar changes in the U.S. and the increasing decriminalisation of marijuana have led to great interest in CBD stocks. Companies that make CBD products are experiencing tremendous growth worldwide.
CBD Oil Benefits for Women
CBD oil is widely available and reasonably priced, so it is easy to try. Many women know people who tell them how CBD oil has helped them with everything from period pains to arthritis, so they are happy to try it themselves.
Consult your doctor before taking CBD for any medical condition.
Pain Relief
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that CBD relieves pain. However, there are no peer-reviewed scientific studies that confirm this.
But when you are in pain and don’t want to get hooked on strong painkillers like morphine, then many women are happy to try out CBD for themselves. The philosophy being, “What harm can it do? It might even work.”
CBD oil has a revolting taste, but many flavoured products are available that are more palatable. Alternatively, topical CBD preparations can be applied to the skin, where they are absorbed more quickly than CBD taken orally.
Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are common and the drugs used to treat them have unpleasant side effects that include; loss of libido, headaches, and drowsiness. Nobody wants to become addicted to medications, so there is a natural reluctance to go the pharmaceutical route to treat these conditions.
CBD acts on the brain’s serotonin receptors similarly to SRI’s (Serotonin reuptake inhibitors) action.
Cancer
Studies into CBD’s effect on cancer are still at an early stage and CBD is not currently recommended as an alternative cancer therapy.
Scientific assessment of CBD treatment for cancers is ongoing, One in-vitro study has been shown CBD can kill some melanoma cells.
Cardiovascular Health
An increasing number of women suffer from hypertension and its related heart conditions.
Eating a healthy diet and regular exercise are always going to be the best ways of preventing heart problems and clogged arteries.
There is some early evidence from in-vitro studies that CBD’s anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant actions may help reduce the cardiovascular stress response.
Insomnia
Sleep is essential to good health, and we all need more than we get.
Women in the 50-55 age group often suffer from insomnia as a result of the hormonal changes our bodies are undergoing. One study has shown most women’s sleep patterns are improved by CBD oil.
If this is you, you might think anything is worth a try!
CBD Purity is Important
Low-quality CBD products may contain enough THC to give a positive result in a drug urine test.
Always check the labels for THC content and ideally use a CBD-isolate product to minimise the chance of failing a drug test.
Where Is the Science At?
CBD has only been considered a medicine for a few years. Research is still at an early stage after a long hiatus, where the U.S. federal government stopped funding any research into cannabis products.
There is a long way to go before large-scale human trials of CBD therapy are conducted. Currently, scientific research is limited to in-vitro and mice studies.
CBD’s safety is assured, but it has only been proved to be effective in treating some rare forms of epilepsy.
Anecdotal evidence is not accepted by scientists. Any positive results from using CBD oil might be because you are expecting it to work. Scientific studies will avoid this effect by using double-blind conditions, where neither the researcher nor the subject knows whether they are being given CBD or a harmless placebo that has no pharmacological effect.
The results of studies are then published in scientific journals and reviewed by non-involved researchers. The final step is for other groups of scientists to try to replicate the results.
Anecdotal evidence is not scientific, but it is tempting many women to give CBD oil a try for a whole range of female complaints.