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What Is CBD Oil and How Is It Benefiting Canadians?
Jul
CBD oil has made a big splash around the world, but in Canada, it’s been more like a tsunami. CBD has become an integral part of life in the Great White North, and over 6 million Canadians are using cannabis products like CBD oil.
So what exactly is CBD oil, and why are so many Canadians using it in their day-to-day lives? Find out here in this guide to CBD oil and its many benefits.
CBD Definition
Before understanding what CBD oil is, you have to first know the basics of CBD. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the chemical compounds – also called cannabinoids – found in hemp and marijuana plants.
This cannabinoid has been linked to therapeutic effects (more on this later) and can be consumed in a variety of different ways.
What Is CBD Oil & How Is It Made?
CBD oil contains cannabidiol as the active ingredient. It can be infused into different products for a wide range of benefits, ranging from pain relief to relaxation.
Products containing CBD oil can be made in a few different ways. There are a number of extraction processes used to extract CBD from hemp or marijuana plants, but the main one used in Canada is CO2 extraction.
With CO2 extraction, carbon dioxide is put under high pressure and low temperatures. This combination of pressure and cold makes it possible to isolate the CBD from the rest of the plant and delivers a pure, safe, potent form of cannabidiol.
Another common method for making CBD oil is ethanol extraction. This uses high-grade grain alcohol to create cannabis oil that works well for vape pen cartridges and other products. Unfortunately, this extraction method destroys the plant waxes, which are thought to have a lot of health benefits, so CO2 extraction is preferred.
CBD Oil Product Variety
As mentioned before, CBD oil comes in a lot of different varieties across Canada. You can eat it, smoke it, vape it, and slather it on your skin. Here are some of the most popular products on the CBD market in Canada:
- CBD oil gummies
- CBD tinctures
- CBD beverages
- CBD capsules
- CBD topicals (bath bombs, lotions, salves, etc.)
- Pet-friendly CBD oil
How CBD Differs from THC
According to a US National Library of Medicine study, “over 80 chemicals, known as cannabinoids, have been identified in the Cannabis sativa plant. While delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the major active ingredient in marijuana, cannabidiol is also obtained from hemp, which contains only very small amounts of THC.”
Because most CBD oils are extracted from hemp plants rather than marijuana plants, the THC level is almost always less than 0.3%. This means that CBD oil won’t get you high – unless you opt for a product that contains THC as well as CBD, but this isn’t as common.
5 Benefits of CBD Oil
Now let’s talk about why so many people are starting to use CBD oil. It all has to do with the health benefits. Even though research is still being done on how CBD can positively affect our health and wellness, the findings so far are promising.
There are numerous benefits of CBD oil, but here are the most common uses for cannabidiol:
- Relieve chronic pain
- Reduce anxiety and/or depression
- Alleviate cancer symptoms
- Protect and improve the skin barrier
- Treat epileptic disorders
It Can Relieve Chronic Pain
Treating pain is one of the most common reasons to start using CBD. Although it’s still up for debate on whether it can treat pain at the source, there’s no doubt about the fact that CBD can at the very least alleviate pain.
Many studies have shown that CBD may help reduce chronic pain by impacting endocannabinoid receptor activity in the human body. We won’t get into all the science behind it; all you need to know is that this can reduce inflammation that causes pain.
It Can Reduce Anxiety and/or Depression
There are a lot of different ways to treat anxiety these days, and CBD is one of them. In some individuals, CBD can have anti-depressant effects. It has shown promise as a treatment for both depression and anxiety, and many Canadians are opting for this more natural approach over prescription medications.
It Can Alleviate Cancer Symptoms
Cancer can have some awful symptoms, and the same goes for cancer treatment. The good news is that CBD shows promising results for alleviating cancer and cancer-treatment symptoms.
It can help with weight loss, vomiting, nausea, pain, and even the depression that often settles in with a cancer diagnosis. This is why many patients who are undergoing chemotherapy choose to use CBD oil.
It Can Treat Epileptic Disorders
Most CBD research is focused on epilepsy and seizures. There are even FDA-approved drugs containing CBD that are specifically made for treating epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
Just take a look at this 2015 study. It tested over 200 people with severe epilepsy by giving them 0.9–2.3 grams of CBD oil per pound of body weight, and their seizures reduced by an average of 36.5%
It Can Protect/Improve the Skin Barrier
If you have acne-prone skin or suffer from another skin-related ailment, CBD oil could be the answer. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol can help alleviate the skin, reduce redness, and stop inflammation in its tracks.
