You have already heard about a magical compound that benefits a wide variety of health issues in this world- CBD. People use CBD for different occasions, from easing anxiety to better sleep, to even easing pain. Some people even use derivates of hemp, hoping that it would help them or their loved ones to cure cancer. For sure you are wondering, whether all that hype around CBD is justified or is CBD just a scam?
The background of the mechanism of action of CBD
To disprove a claim that CBD is a scam, first, we need to take a look at the mechanism of its action. To know the mechanism, it is essential to be familiar with the basics of biochemistry and the ECS system. Once we are familiar with the mechanism of action of CBD, it becomes clear that it is not a scam and has an impact on us. However, there are a lot of positive impacts attributed to CBD. In continuation, we will check which ones are true, based on scientific evidence.
Proven effects of CBD
Effects of CBD and other cannabinoids are sometimes discovered as “anecdotal cases”, which was a typical approach to evaluating the efficacy of a certain product, especially in the past. Nowadays, most of the effects are well studied in scientific pre-clinical and clinical studies that are well organized and follow strict protocols.
For example, pre-clinical and clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of CBD isolated from cannabis plants were an essential part of approving the medicines Epidyolex and Sativex.
There are two drugs based on CBD registered in the EU and in the US
Epidyolex is a solution with active compound CBD and is indicated for use as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome (severe epilepsy conditions) in conjunction with clobazam (another type of a drug registered to treat epileptic seizures).
Sativex is an oromucosal spray with active ingredients CBD and THC and is used to treat the common multiple sclerosis symptoms of muscle stiffness and spasms (known as “spasticity”).
With two drugs registered, where the efficacy of each should be clearly proven for registration purposes, we can definitely confirm, that CBD is not a scam! It for sure has an impact on the nervous system.
Other positive impacts of CBD on general wellbeing
In scientific literature, we can find much data on the positive impacts of CBD on several different states, besides epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Studies suggest, that CBD can also be a potential treatment for anxiety disorders, it is a strong anti-oxidant and poses anti-inflammatory properties, even cardiovascular system could be a therapeutic target for CBD.
Takeaway
From all the available data, we can conclude, that CBD is not a scam. New potential therapeutic targets are being discovered almost on a daily basis, however, there are also many “anecdotal cases”, that are not scientifically proven. Therefore, it is important to check the reliability of the data, preferably by finding some scientific literature, when in doubt whether CBD is appropriate for certain indication.