This article gives you all the clarifications about what Is CBD Oil? And all other questions attached with this one.
CBD oil or in other words, Cannabidiol oil is probably a strong yet natural remedy that is frequently being used for many ailments since ancient times. There surely is a reason deep hidden in the chemistry of CBD oil which makes it a magical healer for many ailments. Although, it’s not fully backed by scientific evidence it surely has something unique due to which investors, herbalists, consumers, and researchers are head over heels for it.
History of CBD Oil:
It’s been thousands and thousands of years since cannabis is being cultivated for its medicinal, analgesic, psychoactive and physical properties. The oldest recorded data about cannabis is based on its medicinal use as far back as 1400-2000 BC.
Later, in the 19th century, a physician or biologist William Osler, who created the very first residency program and was proudly titled as “Father of Modern Medicine”, was a strong proponent of medicinal uses and benefits of cannabis. For all his life he believed and advocated that the plant was an effective treatment for migraines and other pains.
By 1937, the “Marijuana Tax Act” was passed which was a positive step by the U.S. government towards regulating and taxing the production of hemp and marijuana plants for industrial and medicinal purposes. However, soon it was clear that there’s a lot of drug abuse related to these plants and people use it as a drug to feel high, so the Act was ruled unconstitutional in 1969 and marijuana was labeled illegal shortly after. As a result of this ban, research projects and studies related to the medicinal qualities of marijuana were effectively halted for many years.
As whereas the CBD is concerned, as an individual compound found in marijuana, it was first discovered by Dr. Roger Adams and his team at the University of Illinois in 19404. However, its structure was not fully depicted until 1963.
Along with CBD, another compound of marijuana plant being discussed frequently is THC which is more or less has the same properties as CBD but it does interact with psychomotor activities and makes people feel high while CBD doesn’t. Although CBD was discovered more than 20 years before THC, THC has dominated cannabis research until recently.
Source of CBD:
This magical oil is named ‘Cannabidiol’ because it’s derived from the cannabis plant which is famously known as Marijuana plant or in scientific language, Cannabis sativa. Over 100’s of chemical compounds are extracted from the marijuana plant and this CBD is one among them being probably most powerful and safest to use compound extracted from Marijuana.
Ok, so starting on to the source, it’s mainly extracted from sticky, gooey resin which is concentrated on the dense clusters of cannabis flowers or you can say “buds”. These buds or flowers are covered by tiny, mushroom-like “trichomes”. This is exactly where the magic takes place as they contain a treasure trove of oily, medicinal compounds including CBD, THC and various other aromatic compounds.
The plant produces this resinous liquid to protect itself from heat and ultraviolet radiation of the environment. This rich resin has antifungal, antibacterial and insecticidal properties also that deter predators and keeps plants safe. In simple words, this magical resin is the defense mechanism of the plant and thus is super rich with all the fighters which ultimately become beneficial for us.
Mostly all of the compounds extracted from the oily resinous trichomes of this plant are known to cause a sense of getting high or drugged like THC compound, but this CBD is not psychoactive and doesn’t give you a high-on-narcotic effect, instead it has the capability of healing a lot of ailments.
All of the industries of today use Hemp as a source of CBD instead of Marijuana, this is the main reason why you won’t feel ‘High’ after taking this. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, Hemp and marijuana are now recognized as separate sources by the federal government. Cannabis that contains 0.3% THC by dry weight or less is now considered hemp and is federally legal which delivers all of the benefits of CBD without manipulating the psychomotor system of the body.
And this healing quality makes it a great deal for those who want an analgesic (pain-relieving) effect but doesn’t want any drowsiness or mind-altering effects.
Extraction process:
CBD is directly extracted from the Marijuana plants. There are many known ways of extracting it but most commonly, the CO2 extraction system is used which utilizes CO2 (carbon dioxide) as a solvent for extracting the oil. Mixing up with solvent is later followed by distillation that’s used to isolate individual compounds from the mixture.
And then, distilled compounds are processed via Winterization that removes all the unwanted extracted compounds and lastly, Short Path Distillation is applied which further refines the CBD Oil extract by separating compounds by treating them at different boiling temperatures.
Each compound has a unique boiling point and thus all the compounds are isolated from the mixture by treating the mixture at different boiling points.
Winterization is the process that mainly uses cooling techniques to separate out fats and waxes etc which are extracted unintentionally. On the other hand, the short path distillation process uses special apparatus to treat mixture at different boiling temperatures for the extraction of individual compounds based on their physical properties.
Major Health Benefits and Uses of CBD:
CBD is speedily gaining momentum in the world of health and fitness as now some scientific studies have confirmed that it’s capable to treat chronic pains and anxiety or other psychiatric issues.
- Analgesic or Pain Relieving Effect: Probably the most common use of cannabinoids is analgesic. If I try to simplify medical methodologies in layman language, I would interpret it as there’s a whole system in our body named Endocannabinoid system or ECS which is responsible for pain, memory, immunity, feelings, and appetite, etc. In our nervous system, there are, you can say, some charges that bind to the receptor of this system and give us a sense of pain in response to stimuli (reaction or source of pain). CBD helps to relieve pain by attaching to the receptors and blocking pain signaling and thus reduce inflammation & pain.
- Anti-depressant: Psychiatric illnesses are usually tough to target and treat. Their drugs like benzodiazepines come with a bundle that’s packed as a source of many other illnesses and physical disturbances. Those who seek herbal approach for their psychiatric illness have reported a huge benefit from CBD oil for ages.
- Acne reduction: Due to its healing, anti-fungal, and anti-biotic properties, the topical application of CBD can heal chronic acne.
- Other health benefits: Neuroprotective benefits, CVS (cardiovascular system) health and symptomatic treatment of cancer are some other areas that witness the strong positive impact of CBD.
Some of the benefits are backed by scientific evidence and researches whereas some are still under observation but have proved their worth among people of many nations and communities.
Available dosage forms of CBD:
Many industries and investors, as well as herbalists, are head over heels for this CBD as they are witnessing how speedily this magical compound is gaining momentum among users. That’s why to meet the needs of the customer, it’s now prepared in many dosage forms so you can get maximum out of it for your specific ailment.
Major available dosage forms of CBD are:
- Capsules
- Tinctures
- CBD Isolate
- Edibles
- Topical (Balms, Lotions)
- Vape Products
