CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is a wonderful medicine for a slew of issues that are taking life away from your life. CBD is supremely effective against chronic pain, arthritic joint pain, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. It is also a great remedy for your immune system as it strengthens, moderates, and shores up your body’s immune response.
What is CBD?
CBD is extracted from industrially grown hemp plants. It is usually used as CBD oil but can be used as a powder, tincture, gel, and is also available in the form of CBD candies.
Industrial hemp plants have high CBD content. What is pertinent to note is that CBD is just one type of cannabinoid known to us humans. Cannabinoids are compounds found in many plants, including cannabis or hemp plants. More than 120 cannabinoids are known to us, but there may be more.
CBD does not contain THC, another cannabinoid that can give a ‘high’. Marijuana contains THC, but the CBD products marketed as supplements are THC-free.
In other words, CBD is safe and is not psychosomatic. It has many benefits for your health and well-being and has, for this reason, become extremely popular among people with medical issues like insomnia, stress, anxiety, chronic pain, inflammatory disorders, and auto-immune diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or MS.
How Do You Use CBD?
CBD can be used as an oil, gel, or tincture. Some people use CBD oil in their food. They put a drop of the oil in their curries, soups, and even coffee and juice. Some people use this oil directly under their tongue. CBD oil can also be used as a massage oil. It is usually mixed with a carrier oil like coconut for massages.
CBD is usually not vaped.
The CBD oil is colourless and odourless and has no taste.
How Does CBD Work?
We have already established that CBD is different from THC, which is found in the drug marijuana. THC affects certain receptors in your system. CBD doesn’t affect these THC receptors, but it affects the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in your body.
ECS is a very important system that receives and translates signals from CBD and helps to regulate the immune system, sleep, and pain.
CBD works by influencing your body to use its own endocannabinoids or the cannabinoids produced by your ECS, more efficiently.
That’s it. Once this happens, your immune system works like greased lightning, your pain decreases, and you start sleeping like a child. Your sexual function also improves.
How Does CBD Boost Immunity?
Before going further on the road to understanding the CBD’s effect on your immune system, let’s give some time to understanding this system. The immune system is a term used for a collection of different types of cells and organs in your body that works synergistically to destroy viruses and all other pathogens that can cause deadly diseases like COVID-19.
It is a crucial system that keeps you healthy, especially when you are stressed emotionally. Apart from protection, the immune system is also in charge of cleansing and eliminating dead cells or the ones that aren’t working properly.
Remember the endocannabinoid system that we spoke of earlier? It controls your immune health.
CBD is an immunomodulator. It works by keeping your immune system alert and ready for action against an invading contagion like COVID-19 or bacteria. CBD also has anti-inflammatory properties and can act as an immunosuppressant when required, too. This basically means that CBD suppresses the functioning of your immune system when required and boosts it to keep it active when it’s underperforming.
If you are healthy, stimulating your immune system is not required. But, if you suffer from an auto-immune disease like Multiple Sclerosis or Lupus, or a hyperactive immune system, then CBD is your go-to support system. The effects of CBD are very subtle, but they are cumulative. They tend to build over time. This means that you will not come to know the benefits of your immune system as soon as you start using CBD. There will be no’ aha’ moment. In fact, the healthier you are, the less likely are you to notice any changes at all! But, these will sneak up on you over time.
CBD oil can help you sleep better too, and to feel calmer and more relaxed. Sleep and a state of calmness can affect the way your immune system works. The more stressed you are, the easier you fall ill due to an infection. CBD, thus, has you covered from this angle also.
Since CBD can help people deal with chronic pain and inflammation that does not allow them to enjoy REM sleep’s healing powers, it again helps boost the immune system. Many Gold standard studies have shown, without a doubt, that the use of CBD can improve sleep and help fight inflammation.
Though many studies have suggested that CBD can help regulate and strengthen your immune system and boost immune health, more focused research is needed to confirm these findings. Right now, most studies on CBD are primarily animal studies, and this needs to change. The medical community has to level up with more human studies so that more people can benefit from CBD.
Finding the Right CBD for Boosting Your Immunity
The rule of the thumb is to buy your CBD, in whatever form it may be, from a reputable supplier only. We would suggest you don’t buy from online sources as you are not quite sure whether they have the right dose of CBD in the product you are buying. Always prefer full-spectrum CBD.
What is the Right Dose?
This is a trick question. There is a lack of proper regulation over the use of CBD for most health conditions.
This means that dosages are not set for CBD. This means that you have to follow whatever dosage is written on the label.
Keeping the above in mind, treat CBD with extreme caution. Start taking a CBD product only after consulting your doctor. Also, always check how much CBD a product claims to contain. And then buy a product that has lighter amounts of CBD, to be safe from any side effects.
The Side Effects of CBD
CBD, in the form of oil, is tolerated well by most people. It would not be wrong to say that CBD, in general, is safe and side-effects free. But, some people may experience fatigue, diarrhea, changes in appetite, and weight gain or loss after starting CBD use. It can also make other medications you may be taking less or more effective.
In The End
You should not take CBD if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Children should not use CBD, as well.
And, you must remember that CBD is a largely untested product. It is giving lots of benefits to people, but more human studies are needed to confirm these benefits.
So, if you want to shore your system against COVID-19, do buy that CBD product, but only after following all the steps, do’s and don’ts mentioned above.
Talk to your doctor, and evaluate the benefits of the CBD on your system. Move forward with caution, but do go ahead!
CBD has a green light from our side.
All the best!