Humanosity says….There has been an explosion of health products derived from marijuana. Many are based not on THC but the plants other main component is CBD. Cannabis oil products range from CBD infused tampons to oil drops but what is the science that underpins these products…
We are seeing a raft of cannabis-derived products hitting the market as authorities around the world begin to relax the prohibition that once covered marijuana.
Whilst it’s the THC component that most recreational users are searching for, the health industry has focused on the other main component CBD.
A CBD gold rush has led to an explosion of infused products, everything from soft drinks, tea and coffee to ice-cream, toothpaste and shampoo. You can get vaginal suppositories containing CBD (“weed tampons”) that are said to help with pelvic pain; CBD-infused deodorants and sexual lubricant (said to promote relaxation and increase blood flow); even CBD hummus, perhaps to snack on after your lubricated endeavours.
However, the truth is we don’t fully know yet the full potential of CBD as a potential medicine. The fact that marijuana was a prohibited product has meant that it was incredibly difficult for robust scientific research to be carried out.
The Science
Since 2002 there have been around 40 studies that have looked at CBD in the treatment of pain. Pretty much all of them have shown promise but that must be weighed against the fact that the studies were mostly done on rats and that the ones that weren’t had very small numbers of participants.
Kings College in London has done small scale tests that show that CBD may be useful in treating severe mental health problems but is only just beginning large scale trials to see if the preliminary findings stack up.
Great Ormond Street Hospital has evidence that CBD is particularly useful in treating epilepsy, especially a severe drug-resistant type called Dravet syndrome. Doctors were able to reduce the number of seizures by around 40%.
There is much anecdotal evidence of CBD having beneficial effects on many symptoms of anxiety with small scale studies in the US and Brazil showing promising results. However, this should be tempered by findings at UCL in London in which patients were unable to distinguish between small doses of CBD, similar to the amount found in many of the new products, and placebo.
The truth of the matter is that we don’t yet know what the medical potential of CBD really is. Mush of the rigorous science that needs to be done is only in its infancy. So beware of many of the claims you read about, for the time being.
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