CBD or Cannabidiol is a well-liked herbal treatment used for various common illnesses. Aside from being popular, it’s also controversial due to the fact that it’s originated from the cannabis plant. This kind of chemical substance is classified as a cannabinoid.

In addition to CBD, cannabis also contains what is called THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the main psychoactive compound in the plant. It’s the one that causes people to feel “high” when they smoke weed. Despite the same origin, CBD is actually non-psychoactive, so it doesn’t give any psychotropic effects.

Such a quality is what makes CBD sprays popular among people who are looking for symptom- or pain-reliever while wanting to stay sound-minded during the use of the marijuana substance.

To make CBD oil, the CBD compound needs to be extracted from the cannabis plant. It’s then diluted with carrier oil such as hemp seed or coconut oil.

Studies conducted by some scientists have confirmed that CBD oil can ease pain, anxiety, and other symptoms of diseases. To know more details, below are four health benefits of CBD oil.

1. Help Lift Depression and Anxiety

Among the most common mental disorders are depression and anxiety, which can heavily disrupt a person’s health and well-being. In fact, World Health Organization (WHO) says depression is the top cause of disability around the world, while anxiety is ranked sixth.

Usually, pharmaceutical drugs are used to treat both mental disorders. However, these drugs don’t come with zero side effects, as they can cause insomnia, agitation, drowsiness, headache, and sexual dysfunction.

Furthermore, there are some medications that can cause addiction such as benzodiazepines and eventually lead to hazardous use of the drug.

This is where a CBD spray comes, promising a painless and natural answer to both anxiety and depression. Of course, it’s a solution welcomed by many who suffer these mental issues.

A study conducted by researchers in Brazil has confirmed the effectiveness of CBD in calming anxiety. 57 people were given the compound one and a half hour before doing a simulated public speaking (SPS) test, and they had their anxiety gone during the test after receiving a 300-mg dose of CBD.

There were cases in which CBD oil was even used to safely treat children with insomnia and anxiety, as well as posttraumatic stress disorder.

The oil also appears to have antidepressant-like effects. It’s all thanks to CBD’s ability to activate multiple receptors for serotonin in the brain, which influence mood and happiness.

2. Improve Heart Health

According to a recent study, CBD could support the health of the heart and blood circulatory system. It may also help control high blood pressure by keeping it down, thereby preventing a number of linked health risks such as metabolic syndrome, heart attack, and stroke.

In the study, nine healthy people were given a dose of 600 mg of CBD oil and it resulted in the reduction of their resting blood pressures. A stress test was also conducted where the participants who received CBD experience a smaller increase in blood pressure.

The study ended with a conclusion that CBD’s stress-reducing properties are what allow the oil to help control blood pressure. Meanwhile, some animal studies have uncovered additional benefits include reducing cell death and inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease. This is also due to the strong antioxidant qualities found in the compound.

3. Might Have Neuroprotective Effects

Given its impacts on the brain signaling systems, CBD is believed to be useful for treating neurological diseases.

This belief is not without reason; researchers have studied the use of a CBD spray for treating central nervous system disorders like epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (MS). Actually, this is still a relatively new field of research, but it has produced convincing study results.

Sativex, an oromucosal spray containing CBD and THC, has been proven to be able to reduce spasms and stiffness in multiple sclerosis.

There was a study showing that Sativex reduced spasms in 75% of 276 MS sufferers who were having spasticity that was resistant to antispastic drugs.

A different study gave 214 people who suffer severe epilepsy 0.9 to 2.3 grams of CBD oil per pound of body weight, and the result was their monthly motor seizures reduced by a median of 36.5 percent.

In one more study, it was discovered that CBD oil drastically reduced seizure frequency in children with Dravet syndrome, a complex form of epilepsy that starts in infancy.

It’s worth noting, though, that some participants in these studies experienced unpleasant effects of the CBD treatment, such as fatigue, fever and convulsions.

Researchers have also dug CBD’s potential effectiveness in treating several other nervous system diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

4. Relieve Cancer Symptoms

Cancer-related symptoms can be alleviated with a CBD spray. The oil may also reduce side effects of cancer treatment such as pain, nausea, and vomiting.

One study has been conducted to prove this, involving 177 people suffering cancer who didn’t feel relieved after taking pain medication. They, however, did experience a significant pain reduction after receiving an extract containing both CBD and THC.

CBD could also help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, including nausea and vomiting. Of course, drugs for these distressing symptoms are available, but sometimes they are just not effective enough, making some people turn to alternative solutions.

At least, 16 cancer patients have taken part in a study where they were mouth-sprayed with a combination of CBD and THC extracts. The result was they experienced less chemotherapy effects compared to when they received only standard medical treatment.

CBD is also thought to have anti-cancer properties as proven in some test-tube and animal studies. For instance, one test-tube study revealed that CBD induced programmed cell death in human breast cancer cell lines. In another study, CBD also showed the ability to prevent the spread of invasive breast cancer cells in mice.

Despite all the advantages that the cannabidiol has shown, it takes more than test-tube and animal studies to further prove the compound’s effectiveness in fighting cancer. In other words, more studies in humans should be conducted before we can come up with a positive conclusion.