Not being a scientist myself, I’m not sure the exact ways CBD can help with inflammation. I can tell you though I have met hundreds of patients over the past several years who have had great results using CBD for inflammation.
How does inflammation work in our bodies? Let’s take a look at the general principles of inflammation at first.
Inflammation in Our Bodies
In some ways, depending on how you look at it, inflammation can be good. It’s our bodies natural way to defend ourselves when we have an injury.
Inflaming an area of the body can act like a protective shield against the outside world. Stress is another major factor that causes our bodies to inflame. A simple issue such as a sting from a wasp could start swelling too.
When we get into certain situations, our bodies naturally tell an area to become puffy or inflamed. These compounds we release are called cytokines.
The cytokines actually cause the inflammation. On the other hand we have prostaglandins, these compounds reduce the inflammation and help the body to heal itself.
The Effects of Inflammation
Inflammation can have serious effects on the body. One major issue is chronic inflammation. This is when our bodies cannot stop causing areas to be inflamed and therefore cause a whole series of health problems including pain.
Our brain, skin, and even bones can become negatively inflamed. Aging and Crohn’s Disease can result in major inflammation. Because this is such a big issue, CBD can not be looked at as a cure all for inflammation.
Diet plays a huge role in how our body handles these chronic problems. Natural remedies such as taking high levels of turmeric have been shown to be just as effective if not much more than CBD.
According to the US National Library of Medicine, “several studies showed that cannabinoids down-regulate cytokine and chemokine production and, in some models, up-regulate T-regulatory cells (Tregs) as a mechanism to suppress inflammatory responses.”
This basically means in some studies out of the most commonly tested cannabinoids, THC and CBD were shown to down-regulate cytokine production. Reduction of the cytokine results in the reduction of inflammation in some cases.
Later in the article they discuss in depth the effect CBD has had in certain arthritic case studies. In some cases it was shown to help when people took about 5mg of CBD per day orally.
Over time the CBD can build up in our system and be used by the endocannabinoid system as needed.
Remember the endocannabinoid system is the cannabinoids our bodies naturally regulate inside, while the phytocannabinoids are the ones we ingest from the cannabis plant outside our system.
CBD vs Inflammation
CBD has been shown to indirectly affect multiple systems in the bodies. In some cases, it is shown that CBD interacts with the 5-ht1A receptor.
This receptor helps to regulate sleep, anxiety, and more. Since stress and anxiety can be a major contributing factor with chronic inflammation, CBD could help us balance these issues more.
The CBD compound can also influence the TRPV1 receptor. This receptor is partially responsible for inflammation as well. Long term arthritic pain is one potential issues that could be alleviated by interaction with this receptor.
Some people are deficient in endocannabinoids as well in general. The lower amount of cannabinoids can adversely change the way our bodies regulate inflammation issues. CBD could help tell the body to produce more of the cannabinoids it needs.
Topically, many people apply CBD to help with inflammation issues. Bee stings were a common threat last summer and many customers purchased hemp lotions with CBD to help deal with the swelling of the skin. Some also like the added pain relief.
Final Thoughts
Weather CBD is taken orally or applied to the skin, customers have reported relief from inflammation issues around the country. Some people also enjoy vaping CBD products for instant relief of pain. I’ve found the best results come from applying the lotion and taking a full spectrum CBD tincture.
CBD has been shown to indirectly interact with the endocannabinoid system. This system is responsible for regulation of many parts of the body, including inflammation.
You can find out a bunch of information on our Ultimate CBD Guide here. Please feel free to reach out to our social media or comments if you have any questions.
