Learn about the Difference Between CBD and THC, and CBD for Therapy and Relief

Cannabinoids are organic chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant that interact with the human body’s endocannabinoid system to promote changes in the mind and body. CBD is Cannabidiol, and it’s a non-psychotropic cannabinoid that has shown great promise for providing therapeutic relief for a number of different health conditions related to anxiety, cognition, movement disorders and – most notably – chronic pain.

What is CBD? Well, many people will associate any cannabis product with marijuana, but CBD is actually a cannabis extract and it is a very different cannabinoid from THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the opposite of CBD in that it IS psychotropic. It is THC that is responsible for getting people ‘high’ when they smoke marijuana.

CBD will have no psychoactive effect on users, and they will not be impaired or mind-altered in any way.

Most people who ingest CBD extract for therapeutic purposes do not smoke cannabis to get it. Instead, it is usually ingested by means of inhaling vapor, or in an aerosol spray (tincture) that’s usually taken sublingually – meaning it is sprayed under the tongue. Some people do choose to smoke strains of cannabis that are CBD-dominant with little to no THC content. However, vaporizing CBD cannabis is a much better choice as you get a better concentration of the cannabinoid and you don’t harm your lungs by smoking.

You can also take CBD for pain and other maladies by taking pills or capsules that contain CBD oil.  People take CBD oil for anxiety, and using CBD for Epidiolex is a US FDA-approved CBD drug that is used for the treatment of two epilepsy disorders.

How CBD Works

This has everything to do with the endocannabinoid system mentioned at the top of the page here. Most cannabinoids (there are many more besides THC and CBD) will bind with either CB1 or CB2 receptors in the system, but CBD is not geared to do so. Instead, it binds with other receptors in the endocannabinoid system and that’s why it promotes therapeutic health benefits rather than any type of altered mental state.

What is CBD used for? CBD may be very helpful when administered to some people, and among the benefits are the way it delays reabsorption of certain neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain. This is how it is particularly effective for treating anxiety with CBD and using CBD for insomnia relief, among other uses. For pain relief with CBD, it stimulates TRPV1 vanilloid receptors and enhances their function. Vanilloid receptors work to modulate pain.

Using CBD as a muscle relaxant is also possible, and there are number of other health conditions for which CBD oil or smoked or vaped CBD-dominant cannabis provides effective relief. They include:

• Cancer and intractable / chemotherapy pain
• Neuropathic pain from MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
• Chronic / CBD for arthritis / musculoskeletal / acute pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome