CBD Oil Benefits

The benefits of CBD, a chemical compound present in the hemp plant, are continually making headlines. Although doctors and scientists have ongoing research about the CBD's exact effects, more wellness enthusiasts are flocking to the CBD industry for its claimed benefits.

What is CBD Oil?

CBD is one of the naturally occurring compounds that’s extracted from hemp plants, a species of cannabis sativa. However, unlike the extracts from a full cannabis plant, CBD from the hemp plant contains little to no amounts of THC, which is responsible for the high feel of regular cannabis.

CBD oil manufacturers prepare it by extracting the cannabidiol compound from the hemp plant’s flowers and buds and then pressing it into oil. However, on its own, the compound may have challenges getting readily absorbed into the body. It is, therefore, mixed with carrier oils such as hemp seed or coconut oils that dilute and increase its absorption rate.

The carrier oils are also significant during the preparations as they help improve the taste of CBD to make it easier to consume. This is because CBD naturally has a herbal, earthy and bitter taste that may be challenging for some users to take.

Other than carrier oils, CBD product manufacturers also incorporate it into different flavoured products such as tinctures and gummies. This masks the natural taste and makes the CBD more palatable for its users.

You must, however, note that CBD oil falls into different categories, including:

Full Spectrum CBD

Full-spectrum CBD oil contains all the naturally occurring compounds present in the hemp plant. These include terpenes, cannabinoids, and THC in less than 0.2%. The combination of these compounds, including the legal limit THC, is believed to deliver an entourage effect of your CBD oil, enhancing various therapeutic benefits upon interaction with the different cells in the body.

Broad Spectrum CBD

Broad-spectrum CBD oil is similar to the full spectrum CBD but without any detectable THC levels. Otherwise, it retains all other cannabinoids that offer various benefits associated with the entourage effect.

With the THC removed, the broad-spectrum CBD oil becomes more prevalent for persons who want to avoid the psychoactive effects of THC.

CBD Isolate

CBD Isolate oil is a pure form of CBD with 99% cannabidiol extracts without THC, terpenes and all other cannabinoids. The zero THC feature may make it lack the entourage effect present in other options but still retains the different therapeutic benefits of CBD.

If you must take CBD but avoid the psychoactive effect of THC due to work-related constraints, CBD isolate oil is the best option.

You must note that the exact effects of each CBD oil option vary depending on body composition and many other issues. This means two people may take similar CBD oil variations but experience different effects or onset of the effects according to their needs.

Most Common Benefits of CBD Oil

While many wellness enthusiasts regard CBD as an effective product for general well-being, here are some guaranteed benefits the compound may have to your body.

Anxiety Management

CBD’s main selling feature is its calming effect, which is believed to result from the extract's interaction with mood receptors, influencing their activity to help calm the user. According to Forbes, although an apparent anxiety management effect needs to be tested on humans, people with social anxiety are said to have benefitted more from CBD.

This means, in addition to general anxiety management, anyone afraid of social embarrassment or fear of negative judgement may have assured benefits of CBD oil.

Addiction Management

When one is addicted to any substance, while the end benefit is always a physical effect, research shows that most people use different substances for the feelings of pleasure that come with specific substances. So CBD helps with addiction by directly influencing your brain’s reward system, triggering it to release the exact chemicals that induce feelings of pleasure.

This makes CBD a more accessible option to help control addiction, but you should not use it as a standalone solution to manage addiction. This is because of a potential risk of physical dependency on CBD oil, too, if the usage is not controlled. You may need to visit a healthcare professional to help with how to manage addiction without the risk of dependency on the product.

Stress Reduction

Stress is a natural bodily response when faced with challenges or any threat. It may also be anxiety related to different life issues. Upon taking CBD oil, the cannabidiol extract interacts and influences serotonin receptors responsible for mood regulation.

It also helps reduce cortisol levels, a hormone released when stressed.

Sleep Improvement

Your sleep quality is often affected by various physiological processes such as pain and stress response to different life issues, among other factors. By managing the stress levels in the body, CBD induces a calm feel, improving your sleep quality.

Typically, CBD oil, in this case, works the same way antidepressants do, except that CBD oil induces a natural effect where your body regulates the sleep cycle on its own.

Anti-inflammatory Effects

Anti-inflammatory effect is the body’s response to counter inflammation, which may result from an injury, infection or effects of harmful stimuli. Despite being the body's natural response, excessive inflammation may have different issues with your body. So, taking CBD leads to the extract's interaction with the CB2 receptors in the immune system. The interaction sends signals to modulate the immune cell activity, reducing inflammatory responses.

While these effects are expected to actualise upon taking CBD in some people, it may take longer, while in others, it may not change the excessive inflammation.

Mental Health

While mental issues often begin with biological factors, most reported cases are the results of exposure to traumatic events, physical health conditions, and functional abnormalities in the brain. This is, therefore, a sensitive issue that you don’t want just to wake up and use CBD oil without a doctor's guidance.

You must also know that using CBD may not restore the user's sanity; instead, CBD's mood is regulated in the brain while promoting a sense of calmness. Some studies suggest CBD’s antipsychotic properties for conditions such as schizophrenia. However, more research is still ongoing to confirm this and understand the intensity of its effects, so you want to consult a healthcare practitioner if you need more light on this.

Muscle Recovery in Fitness Routines

Intense physical activity, whether a regular fitness routine or a sports game, may cause some damage to the muscle fibres, leading to muscle soreness and discomfort. But once you ingest the CBD oil, its pain relief and anti-inflammation effects may kick in to reduce the discomfort associated with muscle soreness. This allows the muscles to recover more painlessly and comfortably.

CBD’s sleep-inducing effect may also help improve the user’s sleep quality, indirectly supporting recovery by promoting restful sleep. However, you must note that for fast and complete muscle recovery, you must also ensure the body is well hydrated and take a balanced nutrition to complement the effects of CBD oil.

Is CBD Oil Safe for Children?

The increasing popularity of CBD has made it easily accessible almost anywhere. Additionally, the fact that it is believed to be the solution to everything has made some parents think the compound is safe for kids.

But be warned about giving it to your kids; firstly, it's because you won’t know what dosage to base on when giving it to your kid. According to the Child Mind Institute, the only cannabis-derived drug approved by the FDA for persons of 2 years and above is Epidiolex. This means giving your child non-vetted CBD products, including CBD oil, risks exposure to different CBD side effects.

You may have encountered different threads on “CBD doesn’t make you high so that it won’t affect a kid”, but you must know CBD as a compound has not been extensively tested on matters of safety and its effectiveness.

This means it will be hard to tell whether some symptoms your kid is showing are the results of the CBD use or a different health issue. While Healthline explains different tests done for CBD on children, it insists on consulting your child’s paediatrician if you feel convinced to try CBD oil on your kid.

Where can you Buy?

Although regulated, CBD is readily available in different states, but you must be cautious about moving it to a new jurisdiction without confirming its rules. This means if you want to buy CBD oil as an over-the-counter drug, you can always get it, but the risk is getting a non-standard CBD oil.

You can buy it online straight from renowned manufacturers or reputable sites such as Flawless CBD to avoid such risks. If you head to flawless CBD, you are assured of a black Friday discounted sale with up to 85% off the original price.

You can also consider getting your CBD oil from any renowned and reputable speciality CBD shops, wellness stores and vape shops. However, before then, you must consider the following factors on how to choose the appropriate CBD oil:

Consider the Local Regulations

 Despite CBD’s growing popularity, governments have varying stands on its legality. You must ensure it is legal in your jurisdiction or the state you are headed to. You must also be aware of any restrictions about its usage and probable regulations, such as the not more than 0.2% THC.

Confirm the Certificate of Analysis

The increasing demand for CBD oil and other cannabidiol products may trigger the manufacturing of substandard CBD products. This means you must buy the product from reputable brands that are transparent about their sourcing, extraction, and third-party testing information.

One of the many ways you can be sure of this is to ensure the manufacturer has a certificate of analysis to verify the product’s cannabinoid level, purity, and potency.

Choose the Correct Spectrum

CBD oil is available in full-spectrum, CBD isolate, and broad-spectrum, each with slightly varying intensity of effects. For instance, the full spectrum has an entourage effect that you won’t find with the CBD isolate and the broad spectrum. Similarly, CBD isolate is the best CBD oil for people who want a pure CBD effect.

Dosage and Formulation

CBD oil’s dosage may vary depending on your desired effects. This means you must consider your concentration based on factors such as your experience with CBD products. In this case, anyone taking CBD for the first time will need less concentrated CBD oil than someone whose body is used to ingesting CBD. This is due to the tolerance effect of the CBD extract.

Ensure there are no Additives

If you intend to vape the CBD oil, ensure the product is 100% CBD from hemp plants. Otherwise, any foreign additives may expose your health to different risks. Similarly, if you are not vaping the oil, ensure there are no additives you may be allergic to.

How to take CBD Oil

You can take CBD oil in different ways depending on your preferences and the specific concentration in the mixture. Here are some common ways:

Mix it in a Smoothie or Salad Dressing

To avoid CBD oil's bitter and earthy taste, you can blend it in your morning or evening smoothie shot. You only need to blend it with your usual ingredients. Mix the CBD oil with your cooking ingredients for the salad dressing to help you effortlessly ingest its benefits.

Vape it

Vaping involves using a CBD oil vaporiser or a vape pen to inhale a heated CBD oil. You must ensure you choose a CBD vape oil compatible with the specific vaporiser, then follow the manufacturer's instructions on filling the oil into the tank before vaping.

Blend it in a Topical Balm

You can also create a CBD-infused topical balm for application through your skin. To achieve this, you need to combine CBD oil with a specific carrier oil or other soothing ingredients that are friendly to your skin.

An important fact you must remember when mixing CBD oil into each aspect is the concentration you use. Ensure the specific dosage matches your intended use.

How to Store Your CBD Oil

CBD oil, like any other product or oil, has a shelf life that is bound to affect its purity and potency if mishandled. This means you need a definitive means of storing the CBD oil to protect it from every relevant factor that may lead to its first expiry.

Firstly, you must know that CBD oil has no definitive expiry date because of the different carrier oils and other substances infused in the formulation. With each ingredient in CBD oil having different expiry periods, it means the slightest provocation on its compound formulation may indeed affect the potency of your CBD oil.

The quality of the hemp plant the oil was extracted from, as well as the extraction method, also plays a key role in how long the CBD oil can be stored. However, the general aspect that you must keep in mind about the cannabidiol product is that you must protect the CBD oil from excess heat and light.

This means starting with an airtight storage container, but it doesn’t end at that. To reduce the intensity of light reaching the oil, use an airtight storage container with darker walls. The essence of the air-tight feature is to minimise chances of oxygen and any other air contaminants that may speed up its expiration date.

Additionally, if you need to transfer CBD oil from its original packaging, you must get it into a food-grade glass material. This is because glass is impermeable, so it helps maintain the freshness of the CBD oil, but then it must be tinted glass. The material is also known to be free from toxic substances such as Bisphenol A (BPA), which may leach into the oil as in some plastic materials.

Here are additional tips on how best to store CBD oil:

Maintain the CBD oil in its original packaging to prevent unnecessary exposure to air.

Ensure the CBD oil is stored at room temperature, about 16 to 21 degrees Celsius.

Place the container with the oil in a dark place, such as a cupboard, closet or pantry.

Avoid placing the CBD oil in places with excess heat or cold, such as around air conditioners, by the windows, radiators or stoves.

You must use a clean teaspoon or dropper every time you draw the CBD oil from its container to avoid contaminating the bottle.

Ensure the storage location is out of reach of children and pets.

Do not give in to the temptation of placing the container with your CBD oil in the fridge or freezer because these tampers with the natural composition of the compound.

Drawbacks of CBD Oil

The CBD extract in CBD oil is believed to be a generally safe substance, but it may lead to adverse reactions like changes in appetite, diarrhoea, weight changes & fatigue. However, these effects vary from one CBD oil user to another.

The most severe cases are said to be the effects of CBD’s reaction to other medications or health conditions.

In conclusion, CBD oil benefits range from anxiety management and stress reduction to sleep improvement and addiction management. However, you must keep in mind the fact that these effects vary in different users. It is also important to know that a lot of research is needed to prove different aspects of CBD, so you need to use it cautiously.