Health Benefits of Cannabinoids
Because of its involvement in the ECS, which is, in turn, involved in the body’s most critical functions–and regulates the most important systems of human health–CBD is associated with a staggering variety of health benefits. Though it would be impossible to list all of CBD’s benefits in their entirety within the span of this article, we’ll go over a few of the most popular benefits that keep CBD consumers coming back for more below:
Supporting a Healthy Mental State.
CBD targets cannabinoid receptors, which are located throughout the brain and central nervous system. As a result, it’s associated with an astonishing variety of mental health benefits that researchers and consumers alike have continued to harness to promote a healthy state of mind and mental wellness.
CBD is thought to provide many of its mental health benefits for mood, anxiety, stress, sleep, focus, energy, and emotional stability by helping to regulate neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and anandamide. Most mental health issues–and mental wellness issues more generally, that affect most people at some point or another in their lives, due to unavoidable external factors–are associated with a deficiency in these neurotransmitters. But when CBD enters the body, it acts as a chemical messenger that picks up on these deficiencies, and transmits signals to the brain when certain neurochemicals are off-balanced to the extent that they cause symptoms such as mood imbalance, stress, trouble sleeping, low motivation, lack of energy, and other issues. By sending signals to the areas of the brain responsible for producing and regulating these neurotransmitters, CBD tells the body that something is off, and proceeds to bind with cannabinoid receptors in the problem area to regulate the production of the neurotransmitters needed to fix the issue.
Improving Sleep.
Decades of research and consumer reports support CBD’s ability to improve sleep, both for people who occasionally struggle with sleepless nights or periods of difficulty sleeping due to lifestyle factors, and in people who struggle with longer term sleeping issues. CBD induces sleep homeostasis, regulating our circadian rhythms, which refers to our internal “body clock” that tells us when it’s time to fall asleep, and when it’s time to wake up, on a daily cycle. By setting this internal clock to the right time, CBD helps establish healthy sleeping patterns and stabilize sleep cycles for more reliable rest on a nightly basis.
CBD improves both the quality and quantity of sleep we receive on a nightly basis. CBD makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night, while enhancing the deep, regenerative REM sleep that the body and brain require to fully rest, recover, and rejuvenate–REM sleep is one of the most important aspects to maintaining both mental and bodily health. CBD may also aid sleep in those suffering from sleep disturbances related to trauma or anxiety.
Muscle Recovery.
CBD has gained widespread popularity among those who enjoy an active lifestyle for its ability to aid workouts and fitness routines by preventing and reducing the aches and pains that may accompany vigorous exercise. As a powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving agent, CBD is a powerful aid for both pre and post-workout routines. CBD reduces swelling caused by intense physical activity, while suppressing inflammation during exercise to prevent muscle soreness from occurring in the first place. CBD eases post-workout aches by facilitating muscle healing: sore muscles after exercise are caused by microscopic tears in the muscles incurred during physical activity, and CBD has been shown to heal these tears while regenerating muscle tissue, while upregulating T-cells to enhance tissue recovery.
CBD also reduces nausea and vomiting, while aiding digestion and supporting a healthy gut.
But CBD isn’t the only cannabinoid associated with a wide variety of benefits for mental and physical wellness. The hemp plant contains hundreds of other “minor” cannabinoids–which are present in hemp, albeit in smaller concentrations–such as CBG and CBN, that are making headlines as recent research unveils their potential health benefits.
CBG.
CBD, or cannabigerol, is a “minor” cannabinoid in hemp that has been associated with major health benefits. CBG is associated with a host of neurological and neuroprotective benefits, and is suggested to promote brain health while protecting brain cells from damage. CBG also offers remarkable mental health benefits. CBG increases levels of anandamide, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of happiness and well-being; reduced anxiety; balanced sleep cycles; and healthy appetite. CBG is also suggested to stimulate dopamine production, and may have nootropic and cognitive-enhancement benefits, since dopamine is crucial to the reward system and pleasure, as well as motivation, focus, energy, mood, productivity, and task-completion. CBG may also reduce anxiety and stress by increasing levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces stress and anxiety caused by excitation in certain regions of the brain.
CBN.
CBN is popular for its ability, when combined with CBD–like in our products–to improve and induce sleep, though it has a variety of other benefits including pain reduction, alleviating stress, managing muscle spasms, and reducing eye pressure and ocular discomfort.
Terpenes.
Terpenes are aromatic compounds, whose therapeutic properties are often harnessed in aromatherapy and essential oils, and they are found in hundreds of plants: terpenes are responsible for the scents that plants emit, though they also carry significant therapeutic properties.
Like cannabinoids, terpenes are naturally synthesized by the hemp plant, and full-spectrum products like ours include the entire range of these compounds found in hemp to produce an enhanced effect. Terpenes strengthen the effects of CBD, while contributing their own, unique therapeutic properties to the effects of our products. A few key terpenes in our formulae include:
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- Limonene, which is found in citrus fruits as well as hemp. Limonene is known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits, and may enhance cognition and alertness while reducing stress and anxiety; aiding healthy digestion; and acting as an antioxidant.
- Pinene is found in pine trees and responsible for their distinct smell. When consumed in our terpene-rich CBD products, pinene offers uplifting, mood boosting effects; boosts focus and energy, while decreasing fatigue; and enhancing mental clarity, while aiding cognition, memory, and learning. Pinene also reduces pain and inflammation–-including nerve pain–as well as migraine and tension headaches, and acts as an antioxidant.
CBD contains hundreds of other terpenes known to boost mood, improve sleep, reduce stress, alleviate pain, aid digestion, enhance exercise, ease arthritis, and much, much more.
Products that harness the full range of naturally occurring terpenes and cannabinoids from the hemp plant provide what is commonly referred to as the “entourage effect,” which refers to the enhanced effects of CBD when it works in conjunction with these compounds. By harnessing the full range of cannabinoids and terpenes present in hemp, we increase the potency, enhance the benefits, and amplify the therapeutic scope of CBD.
