If you’ve ever questioned, ‘what is CBD and what does CBD do’, you’ve come to the right place.
We will try to explain everything you will ever need to know about CBD and why it has become the most popular health supplement in the UK & Europe.
Here’s what you need to know…
Table of Contents
What is CBD?
CBD is an abbreviation for Cannabidiol which is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. One of 113 identified cannabinoids found in cannabis plants accounts for up to 40% of the total plant’s extract.
CBD is an ingredient naturally sourced from hemp plants that are cultivated for nutritional purposes. The CBD is obtained from hemp paste, made from the stalks, leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, with hemp seeds as a secondary source.
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound, which means that people do not feel ‘high’ after using it. In 2019 CBD became the top trending health supplement due to the compounds wide range of health & wellbeing benefits,
The best quality CBD products are derived from whole hemp plant extract with a full spectrum cannabinoid content with other cannabinoids and beneficial plant compounds like terpenes and flavonoids. It is believed that using the whole plant maximises benefits derived throughout the body and supplies additional wellness components.
How does CBD work?
Decades of research have shown phytocannabinoids (CBD) to be a potent aid in supporting overall wellbeing in human bodies, achieved when CBD enhances the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).
In layman’s terms, CBD works by keeping your body’s receptors running at optimal capacity and helps the function of the body’s own endocannabinoid, which plays a crucial role in regulating a broad range of physiological processes that affect our everyday experience – our mood, our energy level, our intestinal fortitude, immune activity, blood pressure, bone density, glucose metabolism, how we experience pain, stress, hunger, and more.
How long does CBD take to work?
This is a tricky question with various questions. This varies for each person. While products like CBD edibles and gummies may take longer to work because they are moving through the digestive system, people with fast metabolisms may not benefit from those methods.
Vaping CBD may work much faster, but its effectiveness will only last for shorter periods of time. If you were looking for fast relief from such conditions as anxiety, this might be better suited for you.
At the end of the day, you need to experiment to find out what product works best for you and your body. Once you find the best method and dosage that is correct, you can adjust as and when you need to.
What is the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
The Healthline say endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex cell-signalling system identified in the early 1990s by researchers exploring THC, a well-known cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are compounds found in cannabis.
Experts are still trying to understand the ECS fully. But so far, we know it plays a role in regulating a range of functions and processes, including:
- sleep
- mood
- appetite
- memory
- reproduction and fertility
The ECS exists and is active in your body even if you don’t use cannabis.
What is the difference between Hemp and CBD oil?
If you’re interested in trying CBD, you’ll likely see both CBD oil and hemp oil products. But is there a difference? While both come from the same plant, they actually do have many differences. Let’s explore the differences between CBD oil and hemp oil.
CBD oil is an extract made of the entire cannabis plant (including leaves, flowers, stems and seeds), whereas hemp oil is pressed from hemp seeds alone. The key distinctions are:
CBD oils are rich in cannabinoids (CBD, CBG, CBN etc.) and appear in oil extracts, e-liquids, gummies and capsules.
Hemp oil is Omega-rich cooking oil, commonly consumed raw (unheated) as a salad dressing. It contains negligible amounts of cannabinoids. Hemp oil is very adaptable and is also applied as a natural moisturiser in skincare products, bioplastics, fuels, and paint production.
Is CBD legal in the UK?
100% Yes, most CBD products are legal to buy in the UK. However, multiple regulations rule what it can contain, manufacture,d and how it can be sold.
Many online websites will tell you that as long as it contains less than 0.2% THC, then it is perfectly legal. This is a typical misinterpretation. The 0.2% THC rule only involves the hemp that is grown to deliver the CBD extract. The maximum THC level in a CBD product can be 1mg.
The sale of ‘CBD Flowers’ and buds are prohibited even if THC is below 0.2% and from EU approved origin. For a CBD product to be traded in the UK, it must not be promoted as medicine or having medicinal benefits.
CBD Oil Facts
Here we have some facts about the use of CBD in the UK
- Hemp extract containing CBD are sold as food supplements in the United Kingdom
- CBD occurs naturally in the industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa L) plant
- Interacts and helps balance the body’s endocannabinoid system
- CBD is not the same as Hemp oil
- CBD is Legal to be sold in the UK as a food supplement
- CBD is currently being studied for a variety of potential biological properties
- CBD is non-intoxicating and will NOT get you “high”
Is all CBD the same?
Unfortunately, not all CBD is produced equally. CBD oils obtained from whole-plant extracts, also sold as full-spectrum oils, are commonly recognised to be of greater quality than those created from CBD isolates.
High-quality CBD oils aren’t cheap to manufacture, so if the price is too low, that’s a good sign that it was produced from lower or contaminated raw substances, sub-standard solvents, or it doesn’t hold very much, if any, actual CBD in the product.
Before purchasing CBD oil, check to see if the company has had its products verifiably tested. A business you can trust will present the results public. The information should be published on the website. If you can’t find it there, then it is time to start questioning.
You can read about what happened when we tested some random CBD products on our blog page, “Buying CBD on Amazon“.
How Safe is CBD?
People frequently link CBD with the negative stigma of cannabis. The essential thing to recognize is that CBD is known to be very safe. It doesn’t produce any intoxication or causes any of the so-labelled “high” connected with cannabis. Researches have shown that CBD has no addictive characteristics.
CBD is well tolerated by the majority of people. However, as a precaution, it is not advised for people in vulnerable groups, except under medical direction.
These include: pregnant and breastfeeding women people using any medication. If you have any health concerns, please contact a healthcare professional.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) “recommend that healthy adults do not take more than 70mg a day unless a doctor agrees more. This is about 28 drops of 5% CBD.
This doesn’t mean that these levels are definitely safe, but that the evidence we have suggests adverse health effects could potentially be seen above this.”