Hemp or CBD Oil: What it is and What it is Not
Have you been following the hemp/CBD
oil conversation? “Medical marijuana”, “vaping”, “low (or high) THC levels”...
these words, phrases and abbreviations are getting thrown around a lot these
days. Are you one of the many befuddled by the whole conversation?
I definitely was. Even in light of the supposed health benefits that are being
publicized, does the concept of taking a street drug for medical purposes set
you on high alert (no pun intended)?
If it doesn't, maybe it should… but
that's beside the point. *wink*
Are you as ready as I am for some
clarification?
Some History
Let’s start by talking specifically
about the hemp plant. Hemp, although from the same family, is a separate
plant from marijuana (more on that later) and it is this specific plant that is
referred to in ancient records. Used for centuries (as far back as 2737 BC) as
a pain-reliever and treatment for multiple conditions including seizures,
stomach disorders, migraines, inflammation, depression, lack of appetite and
asthma – hemp has been included in medical practice by almost every culture
around the world. We have sources from India, China, England, the Middle East
and the doctors who founded the healthcare of early America, all singing the praise
of this versatile leafy plant (which, by the way, can also be used for other
purposes - construction, food, and even to make plastics and automobiles).
Ancient medical revolutionists such as Pliny the Elder (circa 77 AD),
Disocorides (70 AD) and Galen (200 AD) all included hemp in their practices,
recording outstanding results. And much more recently, four pharmacopoeias
written in the 19th century, “The New England Dispensatory” and “Edinburgh New
Dispensatory” among them, list hemp as a treatment for pain, skin inflammation,
gout, neuralgia and convulsions. W. B. O’Shaughnessy, an Irish surgeon and
professor at the Medical College of Calcutta in the 1800s, is credited with
establishing its use in the western world and performing several studies to test
its efficacy. Research in the same vein was continued until the end of the
1800's by Dr. J. R. Reynolds.[1]
The historical proof of its value
notwithstanding, hemp slowly disappeared from U.S.
Hemp vs. Marijuana: Two Plants with Similar Chemical Structure but Very
Distinct Effects
What was
apparently not clarified prior to the government's banning of hemp is the
scientific fact that hemp and marijuana, although in the same plant family, are
set apart by their physical appearance, growth requirements, and most
importantly, active chemical constituents and uses.
All plants from the cannabis family contain
phytocannabinoids – chemical compounds that make up somewhere around 40% of the
plants’ extracts. Of the 113 identified cannabinoids, those that are most
prevalent and which exert the most action upon the human body are CBD
(cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). These chemicals act upon the
endocannabanoid system - a complex system recent medical research has confirmed
plays an essential role in preserving homeostasis, promoting proper immune
system function, and regulating inflammatory processes in the body[2] –
by interacting with specific membrane-bound receptors, termed CB1
and CB2. Research suggests there may be other receptors as well[3].
While THC binds primarily to receptor sites in the brain (causing psychoactive
effects), CBD has a more widespread effect, particularly acting on the immune
system, intestines and stomach among other areas, and is actually antipsychotic.[4]
Image courtesy of:
https://ministryofhemp.com/hemp/not-marijuana/
|
As far as
other characteristics go, marijuana (Cannabis indica) plants grow best
indoors and are short, densely branched and have wide leaves. Their high THC
content (5-35%) - which THC, bear in mind, is the chemical that affects the
brain - is responsible for the buzz or "high" (and accompanying
detrimental effects) experienced by marijuana users. Although THC is beneficial
in the sense that it confers relaxation, appetite-stimulation and
creativity-enhancement to the user, it is also responsible for sedation,
disorientation, dizziness, tachycardia (increased heart rate), anxiety,
paranoia and greater likelihood of developing psychological disorders and
suicidal tendencies[5].
Hemp (Cannabis
sativa) plants, on the other hand, are typically grown outdoors, and in
appearance are tall (reaching up to 20 feet), loosely branched and have narrow
leaves. They generally require very little care, growing well without
cultivation. In multiple studies conducted over the past two decades, CBD has
specifically been shown to help regulate stomach acids, protect the endothelial
lining of the gut from damage or repair damage already done, provide
substantial pain relief due to its ability to reduce inflammation, and ease
nausea and vomiting[1] (among many other
possible uses that will be listed later). And here's the real kicker (drum
roll, please):
Sativa (hemp) plants, contrary to their sister strain
of indica (marijuana), have a HIGH concentration of CBD and a very LOW amount of THC (less than 0.3%). In fact, CBD has
an antagonistic effect on THC[1]. This renders THC’s psychoactive effects, in hemp, pretty
much nil.
This
means that while marijuana does indeed have some medicinal effects, it also
confers to the user psychoactive consequences that may be unwanted - while
hemp, alternatively, has a much greater medicinal effect and
basically none of the potentially dangerous effects on the
brain. This also explains why the very popular CBD
products so many are using these days are made from CBD
extracted from hemp plants.
They are
plants from the same family, with a similar chemical makeup, but very
distinct effects.
Hemp as Modern Medicine
Although
temporarily forgotten, hemp is becoming popular again. The research is ongoing,
but the last two decades of investigation has suggested a growing number of
possible applications including using CBD for
managing multiple sclerosis[6],
anxiety[7], autoimmune
and inflammatory diseases such as RA[8],
cancer[9], chronic
pain, liver injury [7], fibromyalgia,
PTSD, Crohn's disease and similar digestive disorders[10], and
treatment-resistant epileptic seizures[11]. In
fact, the FDA has already approved a new pharmaceutical made of hemp, called
Sativex, for the management of multiple sclerosis[12],
and other similar hemp-derived drugs are in the works.
A quick
search on PubMed, one of the most respected online medical study databases,
lists 26,696 results in response to the key word "hemp" and 11,034
for "CBD ". What is evident is that research on CBD is
happening, and this in itself is a very good indication that herbal practitioners
throughout history and today’s scientific minds are agreed: hemp is a gift to
mankind.
As well-stated by the Baltimore Post Examiner, "there is no doubt as to the excitement over the possibilities."[13]
Subscribe to our email list and watch for another blog post coming soon on the topic of my (and my husband's) personal experience using CBD oil.
Ok, now I want to hear your
thoughts! Are you intrigued by hemp/CBD ? Was
this overview helpful for you in any way? Let me know in a comment!
[1] https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/hemp-as-medicine/
[5] NIDA. (2018, June 25). Marijuana. Retrieved from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana on 2019,
March 22
[6] Rudroff, T., & Sosnoff, J. (2018). Cannabidiol
to Improve Mobility in People with Multiple Sclerosis. Frontiers in
neurology, 9, 183. doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.00183
[7] De Gregorio, D., McLaughlin, R. J., Posa, L.,
Ochoa-Sanchez, R., Enns, J., Lopez-Canul, M., Aboud, M., Maione, S., Comai, S.,
… Gobbi, G. (2018). Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and
reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic
pain. Pain, 160(1), 136-150.
[8] Burstein, S. (2015). CBD and its Analogs: a Review of their Effects on
Inflammation. Bioorg Med Chem, Apr 1;23(7):1377-85. doi:
10.1016/j.bmc.2015.01.059. Epub 2015 Feb 7.
[9]
Kosgodage, U. S., Mould, R., Henley, A. B., Nunn, A. V., Guy, G. W., Thomas, E.
L., Inal, J. M., Bell, J. D., … Lange, S. (2018). Cannabidiol (CBD ) Is a
Novel Inhibitor for Exosome and Microvesicle (EMV) Release in
Cancer. Frontiers in pharmacology, 9, 889.
doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00889
[10]
Nagarkatti, P., Pandey, R., Rieder, S. A., Hegde, V. L., & Nagarkatti, M.
(2009). Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs. Future medicinal
chemistry, 1(7), 1333-49.
[12]
https://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/projects/sativex/
[13]
https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/healing-powers-of-cbd-oil-for-gut-health/2018/07/19
Comments
Post a Comment