What is CBD Oil?
CBD
hemp oil is made from high-CBD, low-THC hemp, unlike medical
marijuana products, which are usually made from plants with high concentrations
of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because hemp contains only trace
amounts of THC, these hemp oil products are non-psychoactive.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is just one of over 85
cannabinoids presently identified in the cannabis plant and is the second most
abundant cannabinoid in marijuana after THC. In hemp, however, THC is only
present in trace amounts, while CBD dominates the plant’s makeup. CBD interacts
with our naturally occurring systems, but is non-psychotropic, it doesn’t cause
a high. This makes it a safer, less controversial alternative, while still
offering significant health benefits.
What is the Endocannabinoid System?
Found in all mammals, the endocannabinoid
system is made up of millions of cannabinoid receptor sites located primarily
throughout the brain and central nervous system (CB1 receptors) and immune
system (CB2 receptors) that act in neural communication. However, the
endocannabinoid system doesn’t simply rely on plant-based cannabinoids, or
phytocannabinoids. The human body is capable of making its own cannabinoids.
Similar in function to CBD, Anandamide and 2-AG are the body’s own
endocannabinoids, created to control communication between cells, mediating
your body’s functions.
It’s clear that the endocannabinoid system
is one of the most important regulatory systems in the human body, but most
people do very little to support the health of this system, because
cannabinoids have not been part of the average diet.
What are the Health Benefits of CBD?
CBD interacts with the body through the
endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS) or endocannabinoid system. First discovered
in the late 1980’s, the endocannabinoid system regulates the body’s
homeostasis, or general state of balance, impacting such functions as mood,
sleep, appetite, hormone regulation, and pain and immune response. Like an
acrobat on a high-wire, as the environment around us impacts our normal
balance, the endocannabinoid system “corrects” by mediating our body’s reaction
to keep us level.
In addition to positively affecting the
endocannabinoid system, CBD has been the focus of more than 23,000 published
studies about cannabinoids in relation to various medical indications including
anxiety, epilepsy, inflammation, cancer and chronic pain to name few.
Does CBD Make You High?
No, CBD does not elicit a high feeling. The
CBD found at Gulf Coast Nutrition is sourced from naturally low-THC hemp plants,
a non-psychoactive strain of cannabis.
There are thousands of unique varieties of
hemp. The cultivars used for CBD oil contain significantly higher
concentrations of CBD than others. Using these uniquely potent plants, it is
possible to extract cannabis oil that contains significant levels of
cannabidiol, as well as essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, terpenes,
flavonoids, and other non-psychoactive cannabinoids.
CBD hemp oil is also significantly
different than the hemp seeds or organic hemp oil you commonly find in grocery
stores. Derived only from hemp seeds, hemp seed oil is a great nutritional
supplement, containing many vitamins and minerals and other healthy
constituents, but it does not contain cannabidiol.