Can CBD Be Considered an Anti-Inflammatory?

What do we know about inflammations?

Inflammation is a biological response to injury. The symptoms include swelling, tenderness, redness, and pain. While inflammation can be uncomfortable, it is a necessary response because it is what triggers our immune system to activate and heal damaged tissues and defend against foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria.

However, chronic inflammation is a bad thing. Chronic Inflammation is also tied to heart disease, stroke, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Studies also indicate that chronic inflammation in the brain may be related to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

CBD AND INFLAMMATION

So, while a little inflammation is natural and actually a good thing, chronic inflammation is generally linked to bad things. Besides that, it is often painful. So, what can we do about inflammation when it becomes bothersome? Well, there is always the option of over the counter or prescription NSAIDs, like naproxen or ibuprofen. If you want a more natural option for the treatment of inflammation, you might want to try cannabidiol.

Cannabidiol, or cbd, is one of the hundreds of compounds that are found in the cannabis plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), used to steal all the glory, but right now, CBD is a huge health craze. CBD is thought to have many benefits but comes with none of the psychoactive side-effects like THC. As it turns out, studies have shown that CBD has powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

Before you run out and buy a CBD vape pen, let’s talk about why CBD works as an anti-inflammatory. Throughout our body, especially in our nervous and immune systems, is a system called the endocannabinoid system. This system is responsible for a host of things, but it plays a huge role in pain and inflammation because it is involved in our immune responses.

CBD for Inflammation

CBD may help to reduce pain and inflammation by binding to endocannabinoid receptors, impacting the activity, which reduces inflammation. While many people may claim anecdotal evidence that CBD has helped with inflammation, what do the studies say?

A review that was published in 2015 in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry found that CBD reduced inflammation through several of the body’s pathways. When it comes to actual studies, unfortunately, there have been few human trials. However, in rats and mice, CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation in males with osteoarthritis when applied to the source of the inflammation. Apart from this, many dog owners prefer the use of CBD for dogs due to its anti-inflammatory effects.

This brings us to the best way to ingest CBD. The honest answer here is that it depends on the kind of inflammation that you’re seeking to treat.

If you’re looking to treat the acute inflammation that comes along with an injury, such as strained or sprained muscles or joints, you might want to try a topical treatment. CBD creams and salves applied directly to the affected joint can provide immediate, localized relief without having to work its way through our digestive system. Oral ingestion through capsules or edibles does work but not for immediate relief. It can take 30 minutes or longer for CBD that is ingested orally to work, but the upside is that it may provide longer periods of relief.

Another way to ingest CBD is via a portable vaporizer. Many dispensaries have CBD oil products, which are formulated to be vaporized. They can also be added to your favorite vape oil or juice. You may also want to look into high-CBD strains of dried marijuana flower. Research indicates that CBD combined with THC works better due to the entourage effect.

If you’re worried about feeling high, you should know that CBD, along with being a great anti-inflammatory, also counteracts the psychoactive effects of THC. Choosing a strain with a greater percentage of CBD to THC will help ease the inflammation and pain, while still leaving you clear-headed and able to work.

Since the federal government recently legalized industrial hemp and all of its uses, we’re likely to begin seeing more studies on how CBD can help with a host of illnesses, including inflammation. Since chronic inflammation is linked to a host of diseases and other chronic conditions, we should start seeing more research on CBD as a possible treatment.