What is CBD (Cannabidiol)?
Our full guide: what is CBD, what our body does with CBD, and what are the benefits of CBD?
At one point in time, everybody seemed to be talking about CBD. It is in everything – from chocolate to pillowcases and cosmetics.
It seems, however, that understanding of what this substance is – and what it does – is still extremely low.
While it is widely reported that CBD has huge potential as a well-being supplement (and has medical applications), there is little clear information about why it has caught the imagination of so many.
Hopefully, today, we can change that, and you’ll leave this post understanding what CBD is, what our body uses CBD for, and how to understand it’s benefit for us.
What is CBD (cannabidiol)?
Cannabidiol (CBD), is a non-psychoactive compound that is found in the Cannabis family of plants (which includes hemp).
The chemical compound was discovered during the 1940’s during research into cannabis, and its chemical structure was recreated in 1963 [source].
CBD is one of 130 known cannabis/hemp phytocannabinoids which are plant-derived compounds that interact with a network of receptors found in all mammals called the Endocannabinoid System (one of the greatest medical discoveries of our time).
Research into CBD (and all other minor cannabinoids) has been slow, due to the legal status of cannabis, but CBD was scheduled as a legal compound in the UK as of 2017.
In most cases, the CBD compound is extracted from it’s source (in the UK, that source should be Sativa L. Hemp) and added to a carrier, or product (gummies, cosmetics, oils or something else).
To most of us, CBD may look like an oil or a gummy, but it actually looks like this:
How does our Body use CBD?
This is where things get a bit complicated, and if you’re not interested in an in-depth biology lesson, then all you need to know is:
CBD interacts with our body via tiny receptors in our nervous system (Endocannabinoid System), and can help to maintain the internal balance within our body (Homeostasis). CBD seems to calm down our nervous system, which has several notable (possitive) biological effects.
If you have managed to read the Endocannabinoid System article we published, it should be interesting to know that CBD is a CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonist [source] and therefore, has a modulatory effect on the Endocannabinoid System (almost a calming effect).
One of the interesting effects of this is that CBD slows the degradation of the Endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) and increases it’s activity.
What are the benefits of CBD?
This is a question that we are asked a lot, and often we cannot answer it directly because we cannot make medical claims about CBD, or supplements containing CBD.
What we can say, is that cannabinoids can be fantastic for our well-being, and play a key role in the maintenance of our Endocannabinoid System, which is a neuromodulator it plays a role in both physiological and cognitive processes.
It is in scientific literature that the Endocannabinoid System plays a role in mood, sleep, appetite, pain, immune response (including oxidative stress & inflammation), metabolic energy, and neurological disorders [source] among many other activities.
There are some sources that offer reputable breakdowns of the benefits: Harvard University.
Something to consider about the benefits of CBD:
The Endocannabinoid System is incredibly complex. CBD does modulate this structure, but the effect can vary wildly depending on an unimaginable number of variables.
The obvious being from person to person. We are all unique and each of our bodies will use CBD differently.
The benefits of CBD can be changed by other substances we’ve consumed (tobacco or alcohol) [source], how much CBD you’ve taken, even what time of the day it is taken.
The quality of the compounds is important. CBD also works with other Cannabinoids (entourage effect), so which other cannabis compounds are consumed with CBD is important.
We could go on to talk about bioavailability and genetic and environmental impacts, but it’s just easier to say:
it’s complicated.
Some enjoy huge benefits from consuming cannabinoids and others notice less obvious benefits.
When CBD is not 'CBD'.
The most confusing aspect of working out what a CBD supplement is the different kinds of cannabis products.
If you have been searching through a lot of products then you will have seen terms like raw CBD, full-spectrum CBD broad-spectrum CBD and Isolated CBD.
The FSA are attempted to call these marketing terms, however, they are very important to everybody to know what you are consuming. So, we have put together a quick run-down.
Full-Spectrum CBD: This is a CBD product which contains a wide range of other minor cannabinoids including THC. Full-spectrum is always preferred as it is deemed the most effective.
Broad-Spectrum CBD: This is a CBD product which contains a wide range of other minor cannabinoids excluding THC. Ideal for those who are sensitive or are not keen on THC.
Isolate CBD: This is a CBD product which contains only a CBD compound. Ideal for targeted doses of the single compound but not deemed as effective as alternatives.
Raw CBD: Raw CBD simply refers to the presence of CBDa, which is the raw CBD compound.
Ian McLaren
Written by: