How Does CBD Affect Your Body?

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You’ve heard that CBD is non-intoxicating, and people seem convinced that this cannabinoid has potent pain-fighting and anxiety-reducing properties. How, exactly, does CBD affect your body, and is there any reason to be concerned that CBD might be harmful? Learn how CBD works and whether this cannabinoid has any side effects.

What is CBD?

CBD is a cannabinoid, which means that it is only found in Cannabis sativa. Unlike the most famous compound in cannabis, THC, CBD does not have any intoxicating properties. Instead, CBD provides a gentle feeling of calm and relaxation, and scientists believe that this cannabinoid might have profound medicinal properties. The federal government views CBD products that contain less than 0.3% THC as “industrial hemp,” which means that CBD is inherently different from marijuana from both a chemical and legal perspective.

What does CBD do?

Let’s start by covering what CBD doesn’t do: This cannabinoid won’t get you high. That’s because CBD doesn’t stimulate your CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are the primary neuroreceptors that are activated by THC. In fact, CBD operates as an antagonist at these receptors, which means that it makes it harder for them to bind with THC.

CBD primarily interacts with your nervous system’s 5-HT1A and TRPV1 receptors, which are involved in pain, anxiety, epilepsy, metabolism, and a wide variety of other bodily processes. So far, scientists have discovered more than 30 different points at which CBD interacts with your body’s biochemistry, but this cannabinoid’s activity at the 5-HT1A and TRPV1 receptors appear to be the most profound.

By stimulating these receptors, CBD provides a gentle sense of calm and relaxation that can be largely attributed by boosted serotonin levels. Research has also been conducted to determine if CBD might address neuropathic pain via your 5-HT1A receptors and inflammatory pain via your TRPV1 receptors.

Scientists continue to discover new and unexpected ways that CBD interacts with the human body. In the end, CBD might be proven a useful therapy for a wide variety of different conditions. What’s important to keep in mind is that CBD delivers all of these effects without getting you high.

Does CBD work for pain?

By stimulating both your 5-HT1A and TRPV1 receptors, CBD boosts the two major neurological systems that are responsible for mitigating neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Scientists still aren’t quite sure whether CBD has genuine pain-fighting effects, but initial research is very promising.

Does CBD work for anxiety?

If you want to use CBD for anxiety, there’s good news. Scientists have performed exhaustive research to determine if CBD has anxiolytic (anti-anxiety effects), and most studies have delivered promising results. More studies will need to be done to definitively determine this cannabinoid’s anti-anxiety potential, but CBD is currently a major focus of anxiety research.

Does CBD have any side effects?

While it might seem too good to be true, scientists have yet to discover any significant side effects of CBD. This cannabinoid can be tolerated in doses exceeding 1,500mg without causing any negative effects, and the most serious side effects CBD commonly causes are sleepiness or mild gastrointestinal distress.

A few years ago, a study came out indicating that CBD might cause liver damage. Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that the authors of this study were force-feeding rats with incredibly high concentrations of CBD, and the results they achieved have never been duplicated. As a result, there is only very weak evidence that CBD might be harmful to your liver.

What are the best ways to use CBD?

CBD will affect your body differently depending on how you use it. Ingestible CBD products like softgels, tinctures, and gummies generally provide mild effects that last for a few hours.

Inhalable CBD products, on the other hand, such as CBD flower, pre-rolls, and vape cartridges, have much higher bioavailability and provide potent effects. Choose your favorite method of ingesting CBD, and start enjoying the benefits of this cannabinoid today.