In 2018, Congress passed the Agricultural Improvement Act, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill, which federally legalized the production of the hemp plant-based chemical known as CBD as well as products that use CBD, like CBD oil.
Since then, CBD has been at the heart of a modern health and wellness movement, cropping up in a range of products from oils, lotions and creams to tinctures, gummies and other edibles.
...there are many potential benefits associated with the use of a CBD product, and with hemp seed oil in particular.
But what’s behind the popularity of CBD-based products and CBD oil in particular? CBD oil may have several health benefits that can help promote full-body wellness, relieve stress and support your sleep. If you’re wondering if CBD is legal where you live, learn more about CBD laws by state.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is hemp oil that contains cannabidiol, or CBD, a compound derived from the hemp cannabis plant. If you aren’t deeply familiar with the subject, associating CBD or hemp with marijuana is an understandable mistake.
Although hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants, they differ in one crucial regard: their respective levels of the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
In marijuana plants, the level of THC is great enough to result in the psychoactive effects known as the “high” that comes from smoking weed or ingesting other kinds of marijuana products. However, because hemp in the United States must contain less than that 0.03% THC, using hemp-derived CBD is unlikely to result in inebriation.
And CBD isolate does not contain any THC.
Instead of a high, it’s thought that CBD could offer a range of health benefits, thanks to the way the compound interacts with the human body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS).
This is a complex system of cell communication that powers some of your body’s most important processes, like those responsible for:
- Controlling appetite
- Moderating memory and learning
- Regulating body temperature
- Supporting sleep
- Mitigating soreness
- Managing your body’s immune responses
Throughout your body, your cells are equipped with receptors that receive signals from molecules called endocannabinoids. Your body has two different types of endocannabinoid receptors:
- CB1 receptors – CB1 receptors may be throughout your body, but they are most densely present in your brain and spinal cord.
- CB2 receptors – The nerves that extend from your brain and spinal cord into the various parts of your body are where you’ll find CB2 receptors. These nerves carry messages from your central nervous system to the rest of your body.
Endocannabinoids are not quite the same as the cannabinoid molecules you find in CBD. Endocannabinoids are naturally produced by your body in order to relay vital messages from your central nervous system to the rest of your body.
However, their molecule structure is very similar to that of the cannabinoid molecule — and they seem to interact with the ECS in much the same way.
Top CBD Oil Benefits
Although it’s important to keep in mind that medical cannabis oil is not approved to treat any medical condition, there are many potential benefits associated with the use of a CBD product, and with hemp seed oil in particular.
#1 May Help Manage Soreness
Do you suffer from everyday aches and cramps in your neck, back and knees? Do you find yourself with sore quads, glutes or biceps after a strenuous workout or exercise? CBD oil may be able to help with that.
How, you ask? Think back to those endocannabinoids we mentioned earlier. As stated, these naturally-occurring molecules help relay vital messages throughout your body. Among those messages are ones associated with how your body should respond to and manage soreness or discomfort.
Molecules in CBD mimic the work of your body’s natural endocannabinoids: They attach to cell receptors, which essentially calms the receptor, just as a natural endocannabinoid would, which may help alleviate physical discomfort.
#2 May Ease Nervousness and Apprehension
There is some evidence to suggest that easing feelings of nervousness and apprehension may be among CBD hemp oil benefits. CBD may affect the way cell receptors in your brain process serotonin, a chemical that helps your body regulate functions like:
- Your mood
- Your sleep
- Your digestion
- Bone health
- Wound healing
- Sexual drive
Because of this, CBD may potentially help reduce feelings of stress and may even help curb symptoms associated with stress, such as increased heart rate.
#3 May Improve Your Mood
Thanks to its potential influence over how your brain interacts with serotonin, CBD hemp oil may have benefits beyond keeping you calm in stressful situations. In fact, CBD could potentially improve your mood.
In animal tests, rats who were exposed to CBD exhibited decreased low moods in triggering situations. As such, taking CBD oil daily may help to balance your mood.
#4 May Help Clear Facial Blemishes
Another health benefit surrounding CBD is that it is believed to have strong anti-inflammatory properties that may help clear facial blemishes. Additionally, studies suggest that CBD oil may also inhibit activity in the sebaceous glands in your face that produce sebum, a natural substance that helps keep your skin moisturized.
An overproduction of sebum can lead to skin issues, so regulating the production of it may do wonders for skin blemishes.
#5 May Boost Heart Health
There’s a chance that CBD may help promote the important health benefit of a healthy heart. In fact, some studies suggest that people with unhealthy blood pressure may actually benefit from using CBD products.
This is thanks to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of CBD. Antioxidants fight against a process known as oxidation, which sets dangerous free radicals loose in your system.
#6 May Help You Sleep
If you’re a restless sleeper who spends more of the night tossing and turning than getting rest, a CBD treatment may be able to help you get a good night’s sleep.
There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that, as we mentioned above, cannabidiol molecules in CBD interact with your body’s ECS system, which helps regulate many functions, including sleep. The nature of that interaction is at the heart of studies that seek to determine the exact relationship between CBD and sleep.
How to Use CBD Oil
Now that you know some of the potential benefits of using CBD, you may be interested in trying it out for yourself. But if using a new CBD oil product makes you nervous, a quick tutorial on how to use CBD oil can help lay your fears to rest.
There are a few ways to use CBD oil for your overall health. Some of the most common ways include:
- Orally – CBD tincture or CBD gummy infused with oil may be taken orally. You can add a dose to a meal or beverage or you may ingest it sublingually. To take CBD oil sublingually, you place a drop or two under your tongue and hold it there for 60 seconds before swallowing.
- Topically – Applying topical CBD oil to your skin is a popular method for using CBD and reaping the potential benefits of CBD oil. Additionally, lotions and skin creams that contain CBD are other ways of using it topically.
- Transdermally – Patches that contain CBD may be applied to your skin for a period of time. The CBD in the patches seeps into your skin and then into your bloodstream.
- Inhalants – CBD vapors may be inhaled using special cartridges.
The Importance of Checking CBD Labels
One thing that’s important to keep in mind about using CBD oil as a CBD treatment is that the brand you use can play a big role in both the purity and the efficacy of the product in question. This is because, although things are improving, the CBD industry is still under-regulated.
More and more companies and individuals are getting in on the CBD game and experimenting with different CBD extraction methods. Unfortunately, not all of them are as diligent as they should be about verifying the ingredients in their products — or transparent enough about what their products contain.
That’s why Zebra CBD is leading the charge for ingredient purity and label accuracy in CBD. We’re committed to using only the highest quality ingredients in all of our premium CBD products, including oils, tinctures and balms. Our CBD oil is vegan-friendly, free of artificial colors and flavors, and is rigorously tested for ingredient and label accuracy.
The Benefits of Zebra CBD
When you incorporate a CBD oil product into your everyday life, you may experience a host of benefits, including elevated moods, supported sleep and full-body health, heart health and vitality.
Whether you’re dropping tincture in your morning smoothie or applying it topically after a vigorous workout, Zebra CBD has the best CBD oil for total well-being.
Our full spectrum CBD oil is made with high-quality ingredients and is free from contaminants like heavy metals, microbes and unnatural pesticides. And our Label Accuracy Guarantee ensures that you’re getting exactly what’s on the label.
For high-potency pure CBD extract, shop Zebra CBD.
Source:
Michigan State University. CBD, Marijuana and Hemp: What Is the Difference Among These Cannabis Products and Which Are Legal? https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2021/cbd-marijuana-and-hemp#
Harvard University. The Endocannabinoid System: Essential and Mysterious. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-endocannabinoid-system-essential-and-mysterious-202108112569
New York Times. What Are the Benefits of CBD? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/style/self-care/cbd-oil-benefits.html#
Healthline. 6 Benefits and Uses of CBD Oil. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits
