What is CBD and How Does it Work?
CBD (cannabidiol) is a type of compound naturally found in plants like hemp. It is not intoxicating and non-addictive. CBD works with your body’s endocannabinoid system(ECS). Your ECS helps other systems, within your body, that help control inflammation, appetite, energy, stress levels, sleep schedule, and other processes that are central to your well-being. You’re very familiar with getting support for your body from the vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables, and plants. Taking hemp-derived CBD is very similar to that. Your ECS helps regulate your appetite, stress levels, energy, sleep, and other processes that are central to your well-being.
Why does your ECS matter?
Every human has an endocannabinoid system. Your ECS is a set of receptors located all over your body’s organs.
Your ECS helps to regulate the following:
- Pain Perception
- Anxiety/Emotion
- Inflammation
- Sleep
- Metabolism
- Immune System
- Reproductive functions
- Memory
- Cell regeneration
- Movement
- Healing
- Balance
- Homeostasis
What Happens when your ECS is out of balance?
When the ECS is out of balance other systems and functions within your body can suffer. When you have balance, (homeostasis) you will have an overall sense of well-being in your body and mind. Your body will not maintain homeostasis and you may experience undue stress, nervousness, soreness, moodiness, sleeplessness, and more. CBD may help to support your ECS and everything it does.
How do you take CBD?
Many different forms of CBD are currently readily available on the market. Choosing the right type of product is important. We sell CBD products that fall into 5 main categories.
Our most popular CBD products fall into the edible category. Typically, edibles are in a gummy/candy format. They taste great, offer precise dosing, and are super easy to use no matter where you are headed.
Sublingual products are typically dropped and absorbed under your tongue. These oils are usually higher potency than edibles and offer better support. The reasoning behind this is simple. When you eat something the digestive process can degrade the amount of CBD you absorb due to stomach acids. After digestion the CBD compound will then pass through your liver which can further degrade the potency of your dose before it hits your blood stream. Sublingual dosing offers direct access without having a first pass through your liver giving you better support.
CBD Vape products offer on the spot instant support. Having an anxious moment? Use a CBD vape to get you relief quickly, but don’t expect the dosage from a vape to give you complete ECS coverage. As quickly as the effects hit you, they diminish rather quickly. Use the vape carts as a tool in your arsenal along with a high quality sublingual.
Topical CBD creams and lotions are excellent for localized pain and discomfort. Achy knee, elbow, shoulder? Simply use a topical for deep penetrating relief.
CBD Flower(Hemp Flower) is the rawest form of CBD. All of the awesome CBD products we mentioned above come from the hemp plant, specifically the hemp flower(buds).
Hemp flower can be used to smoke or used with oil infusion devices to make your own oils, edibles, or topicals. CBD flower offers the user everything the plant has to offer. All of the essential oils(Terpenes) are locked in the hemp flower and have a major effect on how it makes you feel. AS an example, the herb Lavender is used in many lotions and bath bombs for the simple reason that it is very relaxing.
The Endocannabinoid System’s Role in Homeostasis
Discovered in the 1990s by Dr. L.A. Matsuda, every animal has a complex network of cannabinoid receptors (CBr) expressed in cells of both the central and peripheral nervous system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
The body naturally produces its own (endo)cannabinoids (eCB) which stimulate the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are primarily found on nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord but can also be observed in some peripheral organs (reproductive organs, lungs, vascular system, etc) and tissues while CB2 receptors are mainly found on white blood cells, bones, and spleen. Immune cells, the liver, and pancreas also have both CB1 & CB2 receptors in varying amounts. The CB1 & CB2 receptors play a role in modulating these systems in the body, contributing to the maintenance of homeostasis within each system specifically, and within the body generally.
The body’s endocannabinoids bind with the CB1 & CB2 receptors and their work can be supplemented with phytocannabinoids. There are more than 80 Phytocannabinoids found in hemp (THC, THCa, THCv, CBD, CBDa, CBN, CBG, etc), some phytocannabinoids can bind with CB1 and/or CB2 receptors, and some phytocannabinoids bind with neither – like Cannabidiol (CBD). While some phytocannabinoids do not bind with receptors in the same way as eCBs, they instead “stick” to the receptors and modify the ability of the receptor to bind.
The most well-understood receptors are the CB1 & CB2 receptors, though there are additional receptors in the ECS which can also be stimulated by both cannabinoids and terpenes. Terpenes are the molecular compounds in plants that result in the smell and taste of a plant (they make some plants smell nice to attract bees and other plants smell like rotten meat to keep predators away, for example).
The hemp plant is composed of more than just CBD and THC, it also includes over 400 trace compounds, including terpenes. When products are made starting with whole-plant extractions and include these supporting compounds in the finished product they can create a synergistic effect that magnifies the therapeutic benefits of the final products. This “Entourage Effect” is one of the reasons products made from whole-plant extracts have a greater medicinal value than single-molecule products synthesized for laboratory research.
CBD products which include Terpenes can provide benefits often lacking in “CBD-only” products.
When the CBr in the ECS are stimulated they act as neuromodulators for a variety of processes, including motor learning, appetite, and pain sensation, among other cognitive and physical processes. This system works together to keep your body in homeostasis – a balanced internal state needed for optimal health.
Effects Associated with Stimulation of Cannabinoid Receptors:
| Improves | Decreases |
|---|---|
| Appetite | Anxiety |
| Immune System | Aggression |
| Sleep Schedule | Pain Perception |
| Mood | Inflammation Response |
Cannabidiol (CBD) Product Types
CBD products come in two categories based on their ingredients
| Broad-Spectrum | Full-Spectrum |
|---|---|
| Composed of a variety of cannabinoids and other compounds found in hemp plants (but no THC). | Like the broad-spectrum products these are made with a combination of several cannabinoids and other compounds found in hemp, but also with up to 0.3% THC |
Of these two categories, you can find products in several forms:
| Product Type | Examples | Differences in Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Topical | Gels, Creams, Lotions | For location-specific effects, available in a variety of strengths. |
| Sublingual | Oil drops placed under the tongue | Take effect relatively quickly. |
| Ingestible – Food | Baked goods, gummies, chocolate | Slower start for effects to be felt, but longer-lasting effects |
| Ingestible – Drink | Infused Coffee & Tea | Coffee that’s easy to incorporate in to a morning wake-up routine and tea for evening wind-down routines. |
| Capsule | Capsules containing CBD oil | Convenient way to maintain a steady CBD intake regiment. |
Why use CBD products?
CBD products supplement the endocannabinoids produced naturally by your body, providing additional stimulation to the CBr within your Endocannabinoid system. Emerging research continues to reinforce the positive relationship between your ECS and the overall homeostasis of your body, including physical, mental, and emotional health.
Using CBD products – and which products you use – is a personal decision and reasoning may vary from individual to individual. One person might use it for the positive effect it has on one particular aspect of their health, while others are looking to improve their overall well-being.
Discuss your reasons for considering CBD products with our employees so they can help you choose the products and dosage most likely to help you see the results that are important to you.
FAQ
Can CBD products get me high?
No. The ingredient that creates the “high” of marijana is THC. Broad-Spectrum products have no THC while Full-Spectrum products are limited to 0.3% THC (the federally-mandated limit) which is not enough to cause a “high”
Is CBD Legal?
The 2018 Farm Bill officially classified hemp with less than 0.3% THC as an approved agricultural crop and removed hemp-derived products with less than 0.3% THC from the government’s Schedule 1 status. So at the federal level, hemp-derived CBD is legal. However, each state has the right to create its own laws and regulations, so it’s best to research the specific laws of any state in which you intend to buy or sell CBD products.
Can I overdose on CBD?
Cannabinoids have no known toxicity, but we recommend starting with a low dosage and increasing incrementally until you experience your desired results.
Resources
Articles:
Cannabinoids Produced in the human body have an anti-inflammatory effect
Published Research:
The Endogenous Cannabinoid System: A Budding Source of Targets for Treating Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain, January 2018
The Therapeutic Potential of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, July 2012
Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects, August 2011
Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report, January 2011
Cannabidiol – Recent Advances, by Raphael Mechoulam, Maximillian Peters, Eric Murillo-Rodriguez, Lumir O. Hanus., August 2007
Books:
The Endocannabinoidome: The World of Endocannabinoids and Related Mediators, 2015