C
BD is the second most common active compound within the marijuana plant. It can be derived in relatively large quantities from hemp to be used for medical treatment. CBD has many potential applications for sufferers of chronic disease.
CBD has rapidly become a popular area of medical study for several reasons. First, it does not produce a high in patients who use it. Second, it does not appear to cause any symptoms of chemical dependency. A low potential for abuse or addiction makes it highly promising.
CBD has a very long history as a treatment for those suffering from intense chronic pain. In particular, it is valuable for patients who cannot benefit from traditional medications as a result of damaged organs or a compromised immune system.
Doctors have been prescribing CBD for patients with advanced cancer or AIDS for many years. CBD can be helpful in reducing pain related to anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. It may also temporarily improve or restore patients’ appetite.
More recently, CBD has been shown to have powerful effects on some patients suffering from seizure disorders. CBD-based treatments have been accepted as highly safe and effective for some younger patients whose epilepsy is resistant to conventional treatment.
The positive effects of CBD on individuals with other conditions is also being studied. These studies include psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and as a potential treatment to preventing cancer cell growth.
Because CBD has only recently entered the medical mainstream, there are still many unanswered questions to be explored. Early research focused on the role of cannabinoid receptors in the brain in perceiving and processing CBD, as well as its effect on the brain’s production of dopamine.
Over the last few years, doctors have launched small-scale CBD studies and CBD clinical trials to find other potential uses for the compound. CBD is gaining notoriety as a potential treatment for a variety of mood disorders, especially generalized anxiety. It may even help PTSD sufferers.
Naturally, there is still much to learn about CBD. No long-term (“longitudinal”) study has shown the effects of CBD on brain structure or quality of life. It will be some time before a large enough patient community exists for a multi-decade CBD clinical study to be completed.
