CBD: Frequently Asked Questions
At Phexia we believe that education is the key factor for purchasing and trusting CBD. We will try to answer some of your most frequently asked questions about CBD here.
What is CBD and where does it come from?
More than 80 different chemical substances, known as cannabinoids, have been identified in the cannabis plant. Of these, cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most important because it has no psychoactive or narcotic effect and has been gaining popularity in the medical field. Both CBD and some other hemp oil (CBD oil) products are absolutely legal, although for this to be the case they must be totally free of THC (less than 0.3%). CBD oil is different from the hemp oil you can buy in the supermarket, which is obtained exclusively from hemp seeds and contains absolutely no cannabinoids.
How CBD works?
Although they are not strictly hormones, cannabinoids act like hormones through the cannabinoid receptors. To easily understand the mechanism of action, we can consider a simile in which the CBD is a key and that in order to act it does so through its corresponding lock. The key (the CBD), enters the lock (the receptor) and opens it, thus exerting its biological action. If there is no lock, the key cannot exercise its action.Due to CBD's different biological effects, these are triggered by different receptors:
The two most important receptors of the endocannabinoid system are CB1 and CB2, the former contribute to pain perception and the latter play a very important role in inflammation regulation. For many years they were the only known receptors of the endocannabinoid system. The new molecule that has revolutionized medical studies related to CBD is CB3 which in addition to CBD is found in cancer cells and in areas subjected to traumatic injury. This may be intimidating at first glance, but it means that if we can determine why it appears in these cells, we will learn more about cancer itself, which could be a big breakthrough for medicine.
However, CBD can also act through receptors other than the above such as the serotonin receptor, as in its anxiolytic and sleep promoting action.
What is the difference between THC and CBD?
The cannabis sativa plant produces numerous cannabinoids of which Tetrahydro Cannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most important, both in terms of their percentage and biological activity. The main difference between the two is that the former has numerous psychotropic effects and is subject to strict control while the latter does not have them while it presents numerous important biological effects of medical interest and therefore presents interesting potential therapeutic actions while no longer appearing in the register of toxic substances and is therefore absolutely legal. It is perfectly possible today to have CBD that is practically free of THC.
What Is CBD and What Is It For?
CBD is currently being used in many ways. And although they have a very solid scientific basis, however, most of the studies that have been carried out are preclinical, so it is necessary to carry out more clinical studies of patients in the future to be able to consider its use in some of its indications.
The positive effects range from the treatment of intractable epilepsy, where in fact there is already a drug registered by the FDA in the US (Epidiolex), for pain management, reduction of anxiety, as an anti-inflammatory, and to improve sleep.
What are the most important benefits of CBD?
Action on pain
In the treatment of chronic pain there is a lot of data demonstrating the ability of CBD to produce anti-inflammatory and anti-pain effects in pain of nerve origin (neuropathic pain). There is also strong data that administration of a CBD gel has been shown to be effective on pain. The pain reduction was even more effective when the pain was more intense at the beginning. We can also find evidence that CBD can help relieve menstrual cramps thanks to its anti-inflammatory action.
Effect on sleep
CBD has an important action through the serotonin receptors, so it is able to contribute to sleeping improvement. It has also been shown to be effective in the nightmares that accompany PTSD. And it is precisely sleep disturbances along with anxiety and chronic pain that are the most common reasons for the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
Anxiety-relief effects
Many people use CBD to relieve anxiety, in fact, it is estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of CBD users do so with this intention. Studies have been conducted with healthy volunteers in which CBD administration has been shown to be able to decrease their anxiety. The effect is more evident when evaluating the effect of CBD in anxious patients (with clinical levels of anxiety) as they are able to restore the anxiety levels of the normal population reaching a good level of well-being.
Anti-inflammatory actions
CBD is able to block the reactions generated by the release of free radicals, thus, reducing inflammation. By activating the body's own antioxidant enzymes, it has great antioxidant properties as well . CBD has been shown to modulate the endocannabinoid system by activating the most important antioxidant action through its interaction with receptors that also stimulate the production of antioxidant enzymes.
CBD's effect on the skin
CBD acts as an antioxidant and as a repair agent. It is also able to combat UVB rays that release free radicals and protect us from them. It has been proven that the topical administration of CBD can be effective in various skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, itching or inflammatory situations, although the efficacy of CBD on the skin needs further clinical validations. There are several authors who have recently demonstrated that CBD has anti-inflammatory properties, so the topical route is highly effective.
At Phexia we have designed a wide range of products based on CBD