It would not be at all surprising if as time goes on the benefits of CBD prove to be as wide-ranging and impressive as many people suggest. Hemp produces a uniquely useful crop with diverse uses. It has been one of the most widely grown crops in ancient civilizations for many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The hemp plant can already be linked to up to 25,000 products on sale today.
It clearly is truly a uniquely useful plant. So, it really isn’t so surprising that a recently extracted compound, CBD (Cannabidiol) produced from the hemp plant, has been discovered to have yet more useful properties. We are still in the early years of research into this new natural compound which has once again propelled the hemp plant into our consciousness. But it goes much further than just CBD oil.
Traditional Uses for Hemp
Hemp can be spun to make the clothes on our backs. It is now recognised as a building material to be built into the walls of our homes. To go one further, it has now been shown that hemp biofuel can even power our cars. So, it’s been a staple of ancient human civilization and used in our culture for many years, and it looks destined to be put to many more uses from now on.
A group of scientists is even said to have linked the production of CBD oil to the growth of certain microbes in tobacco. Their findings were presented recently at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.
New Findings for Bacterial Interactions with CBD
Scientists have observed that high CBD hemp oil and a wide variety of bacteria grew and thrived together on a petri dish in studies. They found that the CBD contained in the hemp oil stimulated the growth of microbes in the tobacco.
They noted that these microbes grew faster and grew in bulk due to the CBD oil. They also noted that CBD oil has other beneficial effects on various microorganisms.
Benefits of CBD Oils as Anti-inflammatories
They believe that flavoured CBD oils have many other benefits too. In their case, CBD is being used as an anti-inflammatory and is useful in the treatment of asthma, and ulcerative colitis. The oils are also useful in preventing the growth of bad bacteria in soil and the growth of bacterial weapons against beneficial microorganisms.
It is known that the plant CBD and terpenoids are responsible for the plant’s unique odour. The researchers observed that the odour is produced by a blend of microorganisms and has many therapeutic properties.
The oils are said to have been used to treat diabetic wounds, acne, psoriasis and eczema. It is also reportedly used to restore skin elasticity, reduce the itching sensation in the skin and ease the stiffness and pain of joints. It has also used for wound treatment.
The Start of CBD Production and Plant Source
The production of CBD oil has been going on since 2002. Most of the oil comes from the Cannabis Sativa plant. In its current form, it was used at first to treat arthritis and joint pain in humans and the oil is still most often used as a natural anti-inflammatory.
The oil also acts as an anti-inflammatory in animal models. Since the oils have no psychoactive effects, it does not have any reported significant long-term side effects. However, it is not advised to take large quantities of CBD supplements since it can cause gastrointestinal upset and could cause a “crash” – that is, overdose. Certain groups should not take it, and for that reason, everyone should obtain medical advice before its use.
CBD Oil Supplements – A Safe and Effective Option for Joint Pain, Arthritis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome?
While there are numerous questions that still need answers regarding the oil, there are some questions that have been answered in a positive manner.
The company GW Research Ltd has carried out over a hundred peer-reviewed clinical trials. Among those have been trials using rats that were given high doses of CBD. The rats experienced significantly reduced symptoms than those who received a placebo.
The study showed that CBD taken orally is effective in the treatment of arthritis. Another study conducted by GW’s Medical Research Centre also showed that CBD, when injected into hamsters, caused the animals to experience better outcomes than those who received a placebo injection.
The study also proved that CBD oil administered via the sublingual formulation in doses between 80mg and 160mg per day was safe.
CBD is Effective in Combination with Medicaments?
There are some herbs that have additional medicinal qualities that can be used together with CBD. Some of these are:
– The Hops Extract
– Ginkgo
– Licorice
– Vitamin C
– Saw Palmetto
– Boswellia
– Echinacea
– Licorice root
– Dandelion root
– Beta – Ginkgo
– Red raspberry
– Rosa Canina
– Rosa multiflora
– Hibiscus
– Goldenseal.
While it is not officially confirmed, the combination of CBD and the aforementioned herbs is increasingly being shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammation, which is the cause of many diseases. The combination of CBD and some of the herbs (excluding Beta Ginkgo) has possibly been proven to be effective in preventing breast cancer. For instance, Ginkgo Biloba may prevent cancers of the colon and prostate.
“A combination of CBD and some of the herbs may well be highly therapeutic”
Also, the strongest is the idea that a combination of CBD and some of the herbs can be effective in the treatment of epilepsy and asthma.
So, Why are some Companies Making Claims That Are Not True?
Most Companies will simply make a bold statement that they have something to offer. It is not necessary to publish elaborate research in order to substantiate such wide claims. Some would simply say that they are using CBD for anti-inflammatory properties. As soon as you add the caveat that they are not officially endorsed, people start to look for reasons not to believe even the mildest of CBD benefit claims.
Assess Benefits of CBD By Reading Scientific Studies and Peer Reviews
So much which is at the very least confusing, and at worst completely untrue has been written about CBD that people are increasingly making experts of themselves by reading the source studies online. In the end, only reading the original scientific studies and peer reviews ourselves will allow us to make a proper judgement on the real benefits of CBD. So, how do you set about assessing the benefits of CBD by reading scientific studies and peer reviews?
What you should do in this case is add a large number of peer-reviewed studies to a reading list. These should include peer reviews across a broad range of sponsors and commissions for a variety of purposes, for example:
- Some companies might do a study that has no purpose other than to support their claim. There might be some scientific study that was done in order to look for an anti-inflammatory, for example. In this case, you need to read the full text of the study that is done in order to support the claim.
- Some companies might use a study that has the purpose of looking for a cancer cure, or in an effort to look for a treatment for diabetes. In order to know that this study was done in order to support the claim, you need to see at least the abstract of the study, and if relevant read the full report. The question in your mind should be; “Does it actually say what the manufacturer says it says”.
- Some companies make an exaggerated claim. This claim needs to be backed by the evidence cited from large numbers of studies in order to know that this claim is true. Go and look at the studies they cite, and make sure the reports do in truth say what they claim to be stating.
- Some companies will claim that they are the first to publish the information. In this case, you should view the website where the results have been published and verify the dates. Make your own check on when the research results were published in order to prove that they really have made a breakthrough and really were the first to publish the referenced studies.
- Some companies claim that they have some new ingredients that they are touting. In this case, once again, you need to see the full text of the studies that were done in order to get a better understanding of the claim that they have made.
The bottom line is that you should always ensure that you are not solely reading published studies that have been done for only one reason. That reason being to confirm their claims. The authors should pledge to be independent of their sponsors, and also publish studies that have a purpose other than to confirm the claims. Of course, if claims are not supported by any evidence you should dismiss them as too suspicious to be worth further consideration.
Referenced Publications Must Not be Repeated References to the Same Study That Have Been Published at Multiple Locations
Academics routinely publish reference studies used in some way in the research or relevant to their work. Check that they do not just publish what amounts to a list of studies that support the claims of their sponsor. This is what is known as cherry-picking and it is very misleading. If seen this should immediately lead you to question the veracity of their findings.
Finally, check evidence put forward with a number of listed references does in fact refer to different studies. Do not be deluded by claims backed up by publications that amount to no more than the same studies published on different websites again and again.
Concluding: How to Assess Benefits of CBD By Reading Scientific Studies and Peer Reviews
In short, claimants for CBD benefits need to reference bonafide journals which publish the full text of the studies, including the methods used and results obtained. Make sure that your study follows the rules of the research method, as well as provides a comprehensive evaluation. And, in addition, check for the other ways we have described here by which CBD product sellers sometimes contrive to make misleading claims. These are all factors that will increase the reliability of your findings.
Making these types of studies yourself will help give you a clear indication of the safety of a product so that you can use it to provide the claimed benefit such as an anti-inflammatory treatment.
When you understand this, you will know how to read peer-reviewed studies, and you will be able to accurately evaluate the claims of CBD products, and how safe they are, as well as what their other benefits may be.
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