Instead of losing the spotlight like a fleeting fad, cannabidiol (CBD) is only becoming more popular with every passing year. Today, millions of people around the world trust CBD to help them with everything from minor aches and pains to major diseases, which indicates that we should take a serious look at this non-intoxicating cannabinoid and its potential benefits. In this guide, we’ll cover some of the benefits that make CBD such a popular natural alternative to mainstream medical treatments and medications, and we’ll point out some of the recent developments in the CBD industry that prove this alternative health trend is evolving for the better.
CBD is all-natural
In recent years, consumers have become increasingly aware of the potential dangers posed by synthetic pharmaceutical products. The internet has made it easier for people to access information on common medical procedures and treatments, and a pervasive sense of skepticism has started to surround “Big Pharma” and the solutions it has touted for decades as being safe and effective.
In stark contrast to mainstream medical products, CBD is an all-natural, plant-derived substance. It wasn’t cooked up in a lab somewhere using obscure chemicals and petroleum byproducts. It’s as down-to-earth as going for a walk in the woods in the summertime, and as a result, consumers gravitate to CBD and its wholesome vibes.
Some CBD manufacturers even go out of their way to grow their hemp with organic cultivation practices. Doing so lends even more credence to the “all-natural” label that has been stuck on CBD, and organic agricultural practices protect the planet while also defending your health. CBD products are commonly non-GMO, gluten-free, and cruelty-free, which means that “woke” consumers of all ages can use CBD without feeling any guilt.
CBD is non-intoxicating
CBD may never entirely lose its association with THC, its intoxicating cannabinoid cousin. While CBD appears to offer some of the same beneficial qualities as THC, however, it is fully non-intoxicating, which means it won’t make you feel high, paranoid, or anxious. At the same time, many CBD users note that this cannabinoid does change their psychological state but in a safe, relaxing way that doesn’t come with any delusions of grandeur or hallucinations.
Since it is intoxicating and prone to abuse, THC may never become fully accepted as a mainstream medical treatment. CBD, however, fits right in with common pharmaceutical cure-alls like Tylenol and Aspirin in that it doesn’t make you high, and its lack of intoxicating effects also positions CBD as a potential replacement of opioids and all the dangers they present.
CBD performs better than common treatments and medications
A few short minutes of looking through CBD reviews online is all it takes to come across something remarkable: People with chronic conditions who have used pharmaceutical products for years find CBD to be a better treatment with stunning frequency. For conditions as varied as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, suffering patients choose to turn to CBD instead of their prescription medications. The same is true for people who experience less severe issues like insomnia or muscle pain after exercising.
To be perfectly honest, science hasn’t fully explained this overwhelming embrace of CBD among people who are desperately searching for relief. Some skeptics point to the placebo effect, a psychological phenomenon that makes people feel better by simply believing that a treatment they tried is effective. It’s hard to believe, however, that every person who has experienced positive results from CBD is laboring under the illusions of the placebo effect, and in fact, there is quite a bit of scientific evidence supporting the usefulness of CBD for a few conditions:
CBD for pain
CBD interacts directly with the nervous system’s TRPV1 receptors, which perform key functions in the sensation of inflammatory pain. By modulating these critical neuroreceptors, scientists believe that CBD may reduce inflammatory pain at its source.
CBD for depression
Cannabidiol also interacts with your 5-HT1A receptors, which are the brain’s most prolific producers of serotonin, the “happiness chemical.” In addition to helping with the symptoms of depression, increased levels of serotonin also reduce neuropathic pain.
CBD for anxiety
Like depression, the symptoms of anxiety are critically interlinked with the functioning of the 5-HT1A receptors. Multiple clinical studies have shown that CBD appears to help with anxiety, and this non-intoxicating cannabinoid’s interaction with the 5-HT1A receptors may be responsible.
CBD for seizures
CBD originally gained widespread fame due to its apparent ability to significantly mitigate the symptoms of certain types of severe childhood epilepsy. Since then, this non-intoxicating cannabinoid has shown promise as a treatment for adult epilepsy as well. Many conventional anti-seizure drugs have serious side effects, which increases the appeal of all-natural CBD.
The CBD industry is becoming safer and more professional
The Wild West days of the CBD industry are over. Regulatory agencies like the FDA have strongly suggested that they will regulate the CBD industry over the coming years, and larger, more reliable companies have started competing bad actors out of existence.
As CBD becomes more mainstream, product diversity is also increasing. During the early days of the CBD industry, it was usually only possible to find tinctures, topicals, and occasionally capsules that were infused with this non-intoxicating cannabinoid. These days, however, the CBD-rich hemp industry has diversified into almost every conceivable product category, and in some cases, CBD is returning to its roots.
All CBD products are made with hemp flower, and recently, certain companies have started producing high-end, CBD-rich hemp flower that rivals top-shelf recreational cannabis in terms of quality while remaining non-intoxicating. You can either vape or smoke CBD flower, and this cannabidiol product category offers increased potency for both casual users and people who use CBD for serious conditions.
By checking hemp flower lab tests, you can determine whether a CBD flower product is worth your time, and third-party, independent lab testing is now the norm throughout the entire pantheon of CBD product categories that brands have devised to date. With the advent of top-shelf, organic CBD flower, cannabidiol’s status as a viable alternative to mainstream medical products and procedures has finally been cemented into the framework of modern society.
Reply