Taking CBD for Gut Health: Is It Effective?

Over 2,000 years ago, the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, stated that “all disease begins in the gut.” And we’ve all heard the old saying, “you are what you eat.” Modern science is discovering there is more than a kernel of truth in these statements. Of all the things to try, does taking CBD for gut health actually work?

When you take some time to think about all of the things that happen in the gastrointestinal (GI) system, you will soon realize that the GI system does more than just digest food. How good or bad your digestive health is can affect many other body systems.

When digestive problems such as Crohn’s disease, leaky gut syndrome, and other GI disorders occur, it is time to look for ways to remedy them. While some look at conventional methods, others are looking at alternatives like CBD oil.

But, does CBD oil help with digestive health?

Let’s explore how CBD oil may aid the digestive system and help with gastrointestinal disorders. As always, check with a healthcare professional before you use medical cannabis, CBD, or any other type of supplement to help treat a medical condition.

Your Gut Microbiome

To understand gut health and the health benefits of CBD, we must first look at the gut microbiome. This interesting part of our body is a collection of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that share a harmonious space inside the body.

This microbiome performs many functions, but a few key ones are digestion of your food and nutrient absorption. Aside from this, it also produces the most neurotransmitters used by the body. Plus, the gut microbiome also regulates cognitive and physiological processes daily, including regulating the immune system.

If your gut microbiota remains in balance, all other systems will also work correctly. However, many significant health problems can occur once gut integrity goes out of balance (called dysbiosis). This is one of the reasons it is essential to maintain gut health.

The importance of a healthy digestive system means you’ll also have a healthy body with healthy systems like your heart. Heart disease is an area of concern in the US, and many suffer from the hardening of the arteries.

Having good gut health reduces the chances of having heart disease. By increasing your HDL cholesterol, you can achieve better gut health, and your risk of cardiovascular disease decreases. But there are many more reasons to have good gut health.

Some of the other things that happen when poor gut health is present are:

• An increase in bad bacteria resulting in obesity
• Risk of heart attack or stroke
• Possible development of type 2 diabetes
• Risk of high cholesterol

When bad bacteria is present from poor gut health, substances like triethylamine N-oxide (or TMAO) may block a person’s arteries and cause a stroke. One study demonstrated that good gut health helped prevent coronary artery disease.

Having a healthy gut helps the physical human body, but it also helps with mental health and a properly functioning central nervous system. Information is transmitted from the brain to the gut and back again via the vagus nerve.

Having good bacteria in the gut produces serotonin. Serotonin is one of the most important neurotransmitters that affect mental health. When this bacteria becomes imbalanced, depression and anxiety may occur.

This is why many are studying the effects of using CBD oil for gut health.

The Benefits of CBD and THC

THC and CBD are both found in all parts of cannabis plants. From the cannabis flowers to the stems, leaves, buds, and more. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is a cannabinoid that produces a high feeling most commonly associated with medical marijuana use.

CBD (Cannabidiol) has more therapeutic benefits such as treating inflammatory bowel diseases, chronic pain, improving memory and brain functions.

CBD and the cannabis plant share some common traits with endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system is part of the human body. This system produces what are called “endocannabinoids.” These endocannabinoids act similarly to cannabinoids found in CBD products, medical cannabis, or recreational marijuana.

The Endocannabinoid System

CBD and endocannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system. It helps the body with digestive issues, inflammatory responses, pain relief, and more. CBD also helps by inhibiting the breakdown of the body’s neurotransmitters.

When this happens, the endocannabinoid system can function more effectively. This helps avoid the potential for a clinical endocannabinoid deficiency in the body.

Another thing that makes CBD and THC different is how they work with the CB1 and CB2 receptors. While THC binds directly to these receptors, CBD binds with these receptors indirectly.

Related read: Cannabinoid Receptors Explained

CBD also prevents the enzyme FAAH from breaking down anandamide. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep, mood, memory, appetite, and digestion.

CBD’s ability to aid digestion is what scientists are interested in exploring using CBD oils further to help with digestive tract issues.

Using CBD Oil for Gut Health

If you are interested in taking CBD for gut health, consult a healthcare professional first.

CBD may interact with prescription medications, and a doctor will know if it is safe for you to take CBD as part of your daily routine or if you can combine it with prescription drugs.

CBD Isolate

CBD isolate is considered to be a form of pure CBD. This means that there is nothing in a CBD isolate product except CBD. No other cannabinoids are present, including the psychoactive THC. Plus, these products contain no flavonoids or terpenes.

Full-Spectrum CBD

A full-spectrum CBD product is just that. Full of everything the cannabis plant has to offer. It contains CBD, THC (an amount no higher than the legal 0.3%), terpenes, and flavonoids. Many users claim that full-spectrum provides the most complete CBD experience.

Broad-Spectrum CBD

Broad-spectrum is very similar to full-spectrum. It contains CBD, flavonoids, terpenes, and even THC. The main difference between broad-spectrum and full-spectrum is that broad-spectrum contains only a trace amount of THC rather than the legal amount of 0.3% THC.

When looking for high-quality CBD products, look for a company that offers only organic, all-natural ingredients like organic hemp and MCT oil. New Phase Blends provides that and a whole lot more.

Our products are third-party lab-tested which means our potency and purity are available for the customer to see. We also offer a COA (Certificate Of Analysis), where customers can find all information about the product they purchase. This is an important thing to look for when buying CBD.

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

The endocannabinoid system (or ECS) is a natural part of the human body. It aids the body with several various functions such as immunity, sleep, brain function, pain, memory, metabolism, food intake, and digestion.

It binds CBD with the CB1 and CB2 receptors (cannabinoid receptors) to do all of these functions. CB1 receptors are found primarily in the central nervous system and in the brain.

At the same time, CB2 receptors can be found mainly in the large and small intestines and the immune system.

This means that the ECS’s primary function is to maintain a sense of balance in the human body providing optimal health. When CBD is introduced to this system, it acts as an aid to help get the system back on track and balanced to perform these functions properly.

CBD and Gut Health

When we consider how the body’s natural endocannabinoids assist and regulate the body’s systems, it seems only natural that CBD can also help when the endocannabinoid system becomes unbalanced.

Gut health and the digestive tract are some of the systems CBD can help support when the ECS is out of balance.

Since most health problems begin in the gut, it makes sense that this system needs support so that a ripple effect doesn’t occur and other systems such as digestion and mood don’t become unbalanced.

There are two main factors that CBD affects Inflammation and the immune system.

Inflammation

If you have problems with your digestive system, inflammation is most likely caused by inflammatory bowel disease or intestinal inflammation. When inflammation is present, it can cause all sorts of issues like stomach pain, lack of absorption, and diarrhea.

Some research shows that CBD (cannabidiol) reduces intestinal inflammation. For example, CBD can be used to help a stomach digest capsaicin by decreasing the sensitivity of the capsaicin receptor of the stomach.

This receptor indicates and triggers inflammation from the hot pepper in the mucous membrane of the stomach. The result is that burning sensation we all feel when eating spicy food. You reduce the abdominal pain associated with hot and spicy foods by taking CBD.

Immune Response

Taking hemp-derived CBD products or medical cannabis for gut health also helps improve the processes of the immune system that come from the gastrointestinal tract. Some studies indicate that taking cannabis oil helps improve the interaction between the immune system and gut bacteria.

When dysbiosis of the gut happens, the immune system becomes hyperactive. A hyperactive immune system begins to generate inflammation and, if left untreated, could result in Crohn’s disease symptoms.

Studies have shown that taking a CBD dosage reduces the hyperactive immune response, improving gut health and the immune system’s ability to handle toxins and allergens.

Reduction of Stress

Many CBD users already claim the stress-reducing benefits of CBD. Reducing stress is also crucial for optimal gut health. Who hasn’t heard someone say “my stomach is in knots” when they feel stressed or anxious?

Stress dramatically restricts the movement of digestion, especially intestinal motility (or how food makes its way through the digestive tract to be eliminated). It can also create problems with gut bacteria and the potential for gut permeability (leaky gut or intestinal permeability).

Studies also show that taking cannabidiol helps restore intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Adrenal Fatigue and Stress Responses

In today’s world, stress can come at all angles. When a person is under a lot of pressure, cortisol levels are elevated. This creates a bunch of problems with heart rate and digestion, but also the adrenal glands also become overburdened, and over time adrenal fatigue can occur.

Cortisol is a stress-fighting hormone produced in the body that comes into play when fighting an illness, inflammation, or dealing with a stressful experience. If these stresses continue, they’ll develop into a chronic disease, and adrenal fatigue will happen.

Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is difficult to diagnose as the symptoms are too vague for conventional lab tests. However, if the symptoms go untreated, it could lead to several physical problems, including digestive problems like gut inflammation.

Studies have shown that taking CBD may help reduce stress. Which also helps reduce the pressures placed on the adrenal glands, allowing the body systems, including digestion, to perform much more efficiently.

Can Taking CBD for Gut Health Affect Your Inflammation Circuit?

The neuroendocrine system helps the hypothalamus maintain homeostasis in the body. It is vital for regulating reproduction, metabolism, eating, drinking, energy utilization, and blood pressure. The inflammation circuit of this system activates almost immediately when stress affects your body.

This means that the three organs of this circuit, the immune system, gut microbiota, and the gut, are affected almost immediately. As this circuit goes through a period of dysfunction, the single layer of cells that make up the gut lining becomes compromised, and gut permeability may happen.

Stress affects the stomach lining making those tight junctions between cells looser. When this happens, undigested particles of food, viruses, bacteria, and fungi enter the bloodstream breaking havoc on your system.

The immune system goes into high gear as these foreign substances enter the bloodstream because it sees them as a threat. The result is increased inflammation as the system tries to locate the substances and destroy them.

If not treated, the immune system can become hyperactive to defend itself from these substances that escape the gut barrier. This may create autoimmune conditions and chronic illnesses. Everything related to the gut goes into overdrive.

The microbiome is affected by an imbalance in bacteria leading to ailments like: 

• Bacteria overgrowth of the small intestines (or SIBO)
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Ulcerative colitis
• and Crohn’s disease

CBD and Assisting The Gut Barrier

Lipopolysaccharides cross the gut barrier and trigger the endocannabinoid system. When this happens, metabolic endotoxemia can occur. CBD has been shown to strengthen and protect the gut barrier, preventing this from happening.

As the ECS is triggered because of this problem, it can become overactive and increase gut permeability. CBD steps in and counteracts this effect by supporting the ECS to repair and regulate the problem.

CBD for gut health helps relieve the pain felt when gut and microbiome conditions like this occur. This pain also indicates other underlying conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.

CBD for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, some evidence suggests that CBD may benefit inflammatory bowel disease.

Even though more research may be needed to endorse CBD for IBS, it shows some clinical promise.

CBD has been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. This indicates that if CBD can help with the inflammation of the joints, then it may also play a part in reducing inflammatory bowel diseases of the GI tract like IBS.

What Else Can You Do About Gut Problems?

If you are dealing with gut problems, there are a few things you can try alongside your CBD dosage to help alleviate your condition:

• Diet Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, and fibers to help assist the gut.
  
• Probiotics and prebiotics These give the gut the good bacteria it needs.
  
• Fermented foods Eating foods like yogurt and sauerkraut that contain healthy bacteria.
  
• Fewer antibiotics Always check with your doctor before reducing or stopping any prescription, but constant antibiotic use can kill both bad and good gut bacteria.
  
• Hemp oil and fatty acids Hemp oil is rich in essential fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3. This is good for gut health as well as brain and hormone health.

Final Thoughts Regarding CBD for Gut Health

Adding CBD to your daily routine seems to offer more to your system than just gut health. It can benefit many other systems while healing the gut. However, strengthening the GI tract is the first step to helping several other systems. Adding CBD for gut health reinforces and promotes a better functioning immune system and overall body health.

CBD helps balance the microbiome of the gut; this helps alleviate mental health issues and improves a person’s mood and outlook on life. CBD reduces the stresses on the body, both physical and mental. All of this working together puts a system at ease, allowing for better absorption and digestion of the food you eat.

Talk to your doctor before you begin taking CBD to make sure it’s right for you. When you’re ready to start exploring CBD for gut health, talk to the folks at New Phase Blends. We have all of the information you need to begin your CBD journey.