Many now turn their backs on traditional prescription drugs after hearing that CBD oil is the first “miracle cure-all” medicine. It’s believed to improve not only one’s physical condition but also mental health.
Also known as cannabidiol, CBD is an active ingredient in cannabis. Although it’s derived from the hemp plant, it isn’t psychoactive. Instead, more and more people are drawn to its myriad health benefits.
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Is CBD an All-Around Remedy?
Unfortunately, CBD isn’t a cure-all medication. Instead, it’s a promiscuous drug, which means it can “potentially” be effective for treating several medical conditions. More specifically, it could be a polypharmacology, a single medicine that acts on multiple disease pathways.
In simple terms, CBD could benefit more than one medical condition since it affects more than one process in the body. Overall, the following are all the beneficial effects of CBD based on several studies.
Anti-Epileptic
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) legalized CBD to treat epilepsy under Epidiolex in 2018. Specifically, the FDA allowed CBD to treat patients at least two years old and suffering from seizures caused by either Lennox-Gastaut or Dravet syndromes, two rare forms of epilepsy. This FDA decision has been based on the results of three well-vetted clinical studies.
Epiodelix has anticonvulsant properties. It works on various targets in the brain, affecting the neurotransmitters responsible for sending messages or connecting themselves to the neurons. As a result, there’s a change in the cell activities on how ions flow and let out from the neurons, preventing seizures from taking place.
Anxiolytic
One of the most common reasons for CBD’s widespread use is its calming effects. It targets receptors in our endocannabinoid system (a complex and active cell-signaling system), resulting in a soothing remedy for anxiety with fewer side effects.
Many studies backed this claiming that CBD can be an effective anxiolytic, which refers to any medication or intervention used to reduce or treat anxiety symptoms or disorders. These should include feelings of uneasiness, dread, fear, or muscle tightness, typically as a reaction to stress.
A recent study published in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry revealed that those who received 300 mg of CBD experienced reduced anxiety during their public speaking test. Interestingly, those who received either 150 or 600 mg of CBD became more anxious during the test.
Another test in mice showed that CBD and imipramine had similar antidepressant effects. However, it’ll be best if these reactions can be examined in human bodies; hence human trials are needed.
Anti-inflammatory
CBD is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, a CBD-based botanical drug Sativex is the only treatment licensed to treat muscle stiffness and spasms caused by multiple sclerosis in the United Kingdom since 2010.
Other medical studies show that it activates glycine receptors, which help reduce chronic inflammatory pain. These include intestinal inflammation, arthritis, and neuropathic pain due to psoriasis and spasms.
Analgesic
The Canadian government has approved using equal proportions of CBD and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) to treat neuropathic pain caused by multiple sclerosis since 2005. Two years later, they also approved the medicine’s use to relieve cancer pain, specifically if it’s proven unresponsive to other treatments.
In the U.S, continued studies found the analgesic effect of CBD in treating chronic, non-cancer pain. A 2020 study revealed symptomatic peripheral neuropathy patients that topically applied CBD experienced reduced intense, sharp pains and cold, itchy sensations. Additionally, none of them were reported to have adverse side effects.
Note that analgesic relieves pain, while anti-inflammatory reduces inflammation that may cause swelling and pain. Additionally, CBD oil doesn’t affect systemic issues when administered topically. Instead, it’s more localized and treats pain directly in a particular area, giving a more pronounced effect.
Anti-Cancer
CBD’s potential in the context of cancer therapy is twofold. Research showed that it could directly kill cancer cells. However, this isn’t to say that it can replace those traditional therapies now since the data isn’t that compelling yet. Rather, CBD can potentially enhance traditional therapies’ ability to treat cancer.
Second, CBD’s anxiolytic and analgesic properties can improve the quality of life for patients with cancer. Adding CBD to their treatment play may reduce the side effects of their medication, including health anxiety disorders caused by intensive treatment.
Although there’s no solid evidence proving that it can cure cancer yet, there’s no denying that CBD oil is much cheaper than most cancer treatments. The total cost of cancer treatment is $150,000 on average. In contrast, higher-quality CBD oils can range from $0.12 to $0.25 per mg. The price difference is undeniably huge.
However, there are other affordable FDA-approved cancer medications like methylprednisolone. It’s a type of corticosteroid that’s used to treat inflammation, allergies, and asthma. It’s also used as chemotherapy but is much cheaper than it. It’s only on average $2.14 price per pill for an 8 Mg tablet.
Final Thoughts
The marketplace’s siren’s call has been sounding and creating an environment where CBD is labeled a panacea for any condition that ails us, but it’s not. More rigorous scientific evidence is needed to support this claim, and, unfortunately, much of the existing research on it is self-reports and has been performed in animals.
