CBD , cannabidiol, is one of the chemical compounds found in the cannabis sativa plant. It is able to interact with the neuroreceptors of the endocannabinoid system, sending signals between cells and is able to regulate movement, mood, homeostasis and the immune system.
The most common commercially available form is CBD oil , in which the compound is extracted from the plant, usually via CO2, and mixed with a carrier oil, such as hemp seed oil or coconut oil. Lately it has become very popular for its estimated calming power.
Studies and research on CBD are in a constant phase of deepening. To date, health efficacy has been proven for at least nine applications.
1. Anxiety and depression
The popularity of CBD is primarily due to its calming effect. A 2019 study in the Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry has tested the effects of CBD for the treatment of anxiety on 57 men, simulating a public speaking . Some were given a placebo while others were given 150mg, 300mg or 600mg of CBD before speaking. It was verified that those who had taken 300 mg of CBD had a significant reduction in anxiety during the test compared to those who had received only the placebo. However, it is important to note that the participants who received 150 or 600 milligrams of CBD experienced more anxiety during the test than the 300 mg group.
In 2010, the effect of CBD on mice was also studied as an antidepressant on a par with imipramine. Studies that will need to be investigated in humans to confirm the potential of CBD as an antidepressant.
2. Epilepsy
In some cases, CBD can be used to treat seizures.
In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the drug Epidiolex (cannabidiol) for the treatment of seizures resulting from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two rare forms of epilepsy, in patients at least 2 years.
There are three proven studies that led the FDA to make this decision. In these studies, 516 patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome received either Epidiolex or a placebo. Epidiolex, taken in conjunction with other prescribed medications, was seen to reduce participants' seizure frequency compared to placebo.
3. PTSD
In a study at an outpatient psychiatric clinic published in 2019 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine , 11 people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were given eight weeks of CBD in addition to routine psychiatric care. The results saw that 10 of the 11 patients experienced a decrease in PTSD symptoms. CBD was also generally well tolerated.
Also in this study, the importance of using a CBD-based therapy together with the various therapies already known to treat the disorder is underlined, given the excellent ability of CBD in reducing anxiety.
4. Treatment of opioid addiction
CBD could also be used to relieve opioid addiction ; several studies on humans and animals show this property.
By administering CBD to heroin addicts, already in just the course of a week, it was noted that CBD significantly reduced drug withdrawal, resting heart rate and salivary cortisol levels, without experiencing any undesirable effects.
Furthermore, CBD has been found to be beneficial in the reduction of various psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and pain in patients with substance dependence disorders, pointing to the use of CBD as an effective treatment for opioid addiction. However, further studies are needed.
5. Symptoms of ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that causes nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to deteriorate, with progressive loss of muscle control and worsening over time. The reasons why ALS is triggered are not yet clear, it is hypothesized that it may also be hereditary. Only two drugs are currently approved to help treat ALS symptoms, and no cure is known.
Some research has shown that people with ALS can benefit from the entourage effect created by combining THC and CBD, similar to people with PTSD. Already in a 2016 study, combinations of THC and CBD were administered in varying doses to various patients depending on their needs. Patients with mild spasticity (numbness and muscle stiffness) benefited from the treatment, those with moderate to severe spasticity reported even higher satisfaction rates.
6. Chronic pain
In 2005, Canada approved the use of Sativex , an oral mucosa spray (absorbed into the lining of the mouth) with equal proportions of THC and CBD, for the treatment of central neuropathic pain linked to multiple sclerosis. In 2007, Canada approved the drug for use in the treatment of cancer pain where other drugs had not demonstrated adequate responses.
Meanwhile, ongoing studies in the United States have found CBD to be effective in treating chronic pain. In a 2020 study, researchers administered CBD topically to a group of patients with symptomatic peripheral neuropathy (a result of damage to the brain nerves and spinal cord), while giving a placebo to another group with the same condition. . This resulted in a significant reduction in intense, sharp pains and sensations of cold and itching in those who used topical CBD compared to those who received the placebo. No participants reported side effects.
Topical CBD has been shown to have a more relevant effect, thus working in a more direct and localized way.
7. Complications of diabetes
The discovery that CBD is able to help reduce the effects of high glucose levels on the cells of the human body was first verified in the laboratory by acting on the cells themselves, demonstrating the ability to reduce the development of diabetes and its complications . With further studies, researchers reported that CBD could have important benefits when used in patients with different types of diabetes , diabetic complications and plaque buildup in artery walls.
In another small study , 13 patients with type 2 diabetes who were not on insulin were given CBD and placebo (instead of insulin). The researchers were thus able to test how CBD was effective in decreasing the levels of resistin (which causes resistance to insulin, the protein that regulates sugar levels) and increased the levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (a hormone that ensures sufficient insulin release from digested food) compared to the start of the test reference values. These findings suggest that CBD could be a treatment for diabetes by helping the body regulate insulin-related hormone levels naturally.
8. Neurological diseases
CBD has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in both preclinical and clinical studies. From these studies, the researchers deduced that CBD may have important neuroprotective properties or in general protection against different pathological disorders.
With respect to Parkinson's disease , Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis there are different preclinical studies that have demonstrated the beneficial effects of CBD. On the other hand, no significant positive results were recorded with respect to Huntington's disease and cerebral ischemia. More clinical studies are therefore needed to confirm the benefits of using CBD as a treatment for these ailments.
9. Arthritis symptoms
Arthritis involves the deterioration of the tissues in and around the joints. There are different types of arthritis whose symptoms involve pain, stiffness and loss of movement. Arthritis treatment usually focuses on relieving pain and improving joint function.
A 2006 study showed that Sativex, a CBD drug approved in the UK in 2010, led to significant improvements in sleep quality, pain on movement, and pain at rest in rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to a placebo. This was the first study of Sativex as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis involving 58 patients and thus finding that CBD has a pain-relieving effect and ability to suppress disease activity.
In a 2020 study looking at more localized treatment, researchers gave some patients with knee pain due to osteoarthritis a synthetic CBD gel in daily doses of 250 or 500 milligrams, others a placebo. Patients also stopped taking any other anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving medications, except acetaminophen, before and during the study period.
Even if not entirely conclusive, the results obtained were nonetheless interesting. In fact, those treated with CBD did not see many changes in pain compared to patients treated with placebo. At the same time, statistically significant differences were found between the group receiving the 250 milligram dose and the placebo group in terms of measuring the weekly improvement in their worst pain levels. Furthermore, it appears that men have benefited more from CBD than women.