Have you heard about CBD? These days, it seems like everyone is talking about this compound. But there’s nothing new about CBD, which is a completely natural thing. What has changed are attitudes, availability, and an awareness of just how important certain things can be to our overall health. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at CBD and the fast-growing market for it.
What is CBD, anyway?
Let’s start with the most basic question of all: What is CBD?
CBD is a chemical that is found in the plant, marijuana. It’s one of more than a hundred cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are chemicals in marijuana that “do something;” you can think of them as “active ingredients,” though it’s important to remember that the roles that different cannabinoids play can vary wildly.
THC, a cannabinoid even more famous than CBD (for now, anyway), is the chemical most responsible for marijuana’s famous “high.” But that doesn’t mean that the other cannabinoids aren’t doing anything. By definition, they are! And what CBD does makes it particularly interesting to researchers and healthcare professionals.
While THC dominates the mind-altering role that makes marijuana famous as a recreational drug, CBD may be the cannabinoid most responsible for marijuana’s well-documented health benefits. CBD is believed to play a role in virtuous effects like the suppression of nausea and the reduction of anxiety. The likely benefits are numerous, and the list of possibilities is still growing. For now, the most popular use of CBD is as an anti-anxiety supplement.
Marijuana is now legal in many states, but the benefits of CBD are not limited to those in areas with legalized marijuana. CBD can be extracted from marijuana (leaving behind the mind-altering THC) and sold legally far and wide, meaning that this is one marijuana product that virtually everyone has access to.
Of course, research is still being performed on CBD, and we don’t yet know the extent of its benefits. There’s still a lot to learn about how CBD works and how much of a dose is required to achieve meaningful benefits. Because it is safe and widely understood to have some health benefits, CBD is being sold even as more reasons to take it are being discovered. All over the country, you can find local shops and entrepreneurial websites selling CBD products, including CBD gummies, CBD tinctures, and CBD vape oils, to name just a few CBD products. Marijuana can be legally grown in places like California and Canada, and companies in those places can then refine CBD products and legally ship them out.
How to use CBD (and how not to)
It’s very easy to make CBD a part of your regular health routine. Its likely benefits make it a sensible thing to take regularly, as you’d take a multivitamin or natural supplement. CBD can be taken in forms as different as pills and vape oils, and you’ll even find CBD-infused products like CBD cocktails and CBD coffees. Find a way that makes you comfortable, and take CBD regularly. It could reduce your anxiety levels, among other benefits.
Of course, CBD is no miracle cure, and it’s no replacement for regular healthcare from professional providers, say experts in radiology services in Annadale, NJ. No one supplement can change your entire health outlook, and it’s important to keep some perspective during big health crazes like this. The best way to get healthier using CBD is to combine CBD with a holistic approach to a healthier lifestyle. Eat right, exercise, sleep well and take CBD — all of these things can and should work together to make you healthier.