CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound that has powerful health benefits without any psychoactive effects. People have used cannabis medicinally for thousands of years, but research in the last few decades has started to reveal exactly why CBD is
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound that has powerful health benefits without any psychoactive effects. People have used cannabis medicinally for thousands of years, but research in the last few decades has started to reveal exactly why CBD is so effective.
The past year has brought about some particularly groundbreaking discoveries and breakthroughs for medicinal CBD. A World Health Organization report from November 2017 stated that CBD is safe and causes no negative public health effects. In June 2018, the FDA approved the first marijuana-derived CBD drug, Epidiolex, which is used to treat severe forms of epilepsy.
Medical cannabis is still often stigmatized, but every new study on CBD brings the general public closer to accepting the compound as a safe and effective treatment. Here are five of the biggest research breakthroughs on CBD in 2018:
1. CBD May Counteract Psychosis
Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality. It’s a symptom of several mental health disorders, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder. During psychosis, people often experience delusions, or false beliefs, as well as hallucinations, or sensory experiences that aren’t real. Psychosis can be extremely difficult to deal with and can lead to depression, anxiety, and social isolation.
THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, can cause psychosis in rare cases. Researchers have known for years that ingesting CBD along with THC can prevent these psychotic symptoms. However, a new study has found that CBD can counteract other cases of psychosis, too, not just those caused by THC.
The study examined 33 individuals at a high risk of psychosis who received a single oral dose of CBD. The results were compared to a control group of 19 healthy individuals who received no drugs. All of the participants completed a memory task that engaged three brain areas that are linked to psychosis: the striatum, the medial temporal cortex, and the midbrain.
Brain scans done during the memory task showed abnormal activity in those who were experiencing psychotic symptoms, but those who took a dose of CBD showed fewer abnormalities than those who took a placebo. The researchers believe that CBD might “reset” the abnormal activity that results in psychosis.
This was a small study, and CBD may only provide short-term effects on psychosis. The results are promising, though, and research in the coming years will hopefully provide more information about what CBD can do for psychotic symptoms.
2. CBD May Reduce Inflammation Related to Multiple Sclerosis
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury, but long-term inflammation can cause damage and pain. CBD has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and new research suggests that it can be especially beneficial for people with multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system. It causes damage to the myelin, which is the protective coating around the brain and spinal cord. This damage can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulty walking, numbness, and a variety of other symptoms.
Researchers have known for a long time that CBD can be helpful for reducing inflammation caused by multiple sclerosis, but until recently, they haven’t known why. A recent study from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine found that CBD decreased the creation of inflammatory molecules in mice with an experimental model of MS.
The researchers also found that CBD increased the production of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which significantly decrease inflammation. They administered daily doses of CBD for 25 days and discovered that the myeloid-derived suppressor cells were in particularly high quantity around day 10. This study shows that CBD has a powerful, measurable effect on inflammation, which can be helpful for multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory diseases.
3. CBD May Help Treat Pancreatic Cancer
CBD is a popular treatment for managing the side effects of cancer and chemotherapy like nausea and vomiting. Some studies also suggest that CBD can prevent tumors from growing by causing cell death and inhibiting cell growth without affecting healthy cells.
One of the most important CBD research breakthroughs of 2018 was related to pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer has remained at about 5 percent for the last 40 years, and few discoveries have been made about effective treatments. However, a study published in the journal Nature recommends CBD as a treatment.
In the study, researchers tested the effects of CBD combined with GEM, a 