CBD Education

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis. Today the therapeutic properties of CBD are being tested and confirmed by scientists and doctors around the world. A safe, non-addictive substance, CBD is one of more than a hundred “phytocannabinoids,” which are unique to cannabis and endow the plant with its robust therapeutic profile.

CBD is closely related to another important medicinally active phytocannabinoid: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes the high that cannabis is famous for. These are the two components of cannabis that have been most studied by scientists.

Both CBD and THC have significant therapeutic attributes. But unlike THC, CBD does not make a person feel “stoned” or intoxicated. That’s because CBD and THC act in different ways on different receptors in the brain and body.

CBD can actually lessen or neutralize the psychoactive effects of THC, depending on how much of each compound is consumed. Many people want the health benefits of cannabis without the high – or with less of a high.

The fact that CBD is therapeutically potent as well as non-intoxicating, and easy to take as a CBD oil, makes it an appealing treatment option for those who are cautious about trying cannabis for the first time.

What conditions benefit from CBD?

Many people are seeking alternatives to pharmaceuticals with harsh side effects – medicine more in synch with natural processes. CBD may provide relief for chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, autoimmune, neurological, gut disorders, seizure disorders and much more….

WHAT ARE TERPENES?

Around 200 terpenes have been found in cannabis, but only a few of these odiferous oily substances appear in amounts substantial enough to be noteworthy. The terpenoid profile can vary considerably from strain to strain. Various researchers have emphasized the pharmacological importance of terpenes, or terpenoids, the compounds that give cannabis its unique odor. THC, CBD, and the other cannabinoids have no smell. Cannabis's compelling fragrance depends on which terpenes predominate. It's the combination of terpenoids and cannabinoids that endows each strain with a specific psychoactive flavor. Patients who abandon a suitable strain for one with higher THC and/or CBD content may not get more relief if the terpenoid profile is significantly different.

The wide array of medicinal properties of terpenes and the fact that each terpene has many different medical benefits gives rise to the overlapping synergies between them; this is something every herbalist knows. The strategy of deliberately overlapping benefits greatly increases the chances of good results in treatment.

Terpenes, it turns out, are healthy for people as well as plants. A September 2011 report by Dr. Ethan Russo in the British Journal of Pharmacology discussed the wide-ranging therapeutic attributes of terpenoids.