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How Does CBD Work In Our Bodies?

Dale blog imageAuthor: Dale Hewett
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How does CBD work? How do different CBD products work within us? This amazing plant chemical can calm you down, reduce stress, relieve pain, and treat some physical health problems, but how does it affect the brain and the rest of the body to produce these effects?

Cannabidiol (CBD) works in complex ways that we are still trying to figure out. It affects many parts of the brain, including our cannabinoid receptors which we will get into later.

TL;DR – CBD works by interacting with a vast collection of different cells and receptors throughout our bodies that make up the Endocannabinoid System.

How Does CBD Work?

CBD works by interacting with different receptors within our body, known as the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. We’ll get into these later on in this article. It is also believed that CBD mimics the effects of serotonin. Serotonin is a powerful chemical that stabilizes your mood. CBD oil products act as an effective substitute for serotonin and can help people who have a serotonin deficiency.

All of these things put together make CBD a powerful, natural alternative to many of the harmful medications on the market.

CBD and Serotonin

Serotonin is one of the most important or the most important “happiness chemicals” that your nerve cells produce. The chemical lifts and stabilizes your mood and increases energy levels.

Many different chemicals affect how you think and feel, with serotonin being one of the most important. Serotonin is found mostly in your digestive system and in your central nervous system, not in your brain, though it is there as well.

Digestive Tract

Serotonin does a bit of everything. It helps you sleep, makes you feel better, makes your bones healthier, and even helps your wounds heal.

Related: CBD for Depression

Raising levels of serotonin often eliminates depression and anxiety. It is a powerful feel-good chemical that everyone needs and benefits from. You can improve your life by raising levels of serotonin with CBD or in any other way.

Serotonin is great for your emotional stability. Your mood won’t swing wildly as a result of small events, especially not negative events. Serotonin also improves your focus.

What Does CBD Do?

Since CBD does not affect the brain the way THC does, it does not get you high. We do not yet fully understand how CBD works, but we know that it works in several ways, including:

  • CBD affects serotonin receptors. Serotonin, to oversimplify, is a chemical that makes you happy. CBD mimics the effect of serotonin, giving it an anti-anxiety effect.
  • CBD interacts with the TRPV1 receptor, which affects inflammation, body temperature, and perception of pain. Many other plant medicines work by interacting with other TRPV receptors, which there are dozens of.
  • CBD is anti-inflammatory. CBD activates the endocannabinoid system, which has all sorts of advantages, including treating rheumatoid arthritis as a topical lotion, or help relieve back pain.
  • CBD also indirectly deactivates or blocks the GPR55 receptor. The GPR55 receptor is associated with cancer cell growth and bone loss.
  • CBD makes you more sensitive to GABA, a calming neurotransmitter. Sensitivity to GABA can treat anxiety.
  • CBD prevents the reuptake (reabsorption) of certain neurotransmitters. Preventing reuptake causes these neurotransmitters to build up in the brain, which can treat certain mental health problems.

A lot of this is difficult to understand, but we can break this down as we go through this article. Most of how CBD works in our bodies has to do with this special bodily system that every animal, and every human has.

It’s called the endocannabinoid system.

How Does CBD Affect You?

CBD, and other cannabinoids, affect you by how they interact with your endocannabinoid system. All humans and animals have this bodily system, and while it was only recently discovered in the 1990’s, we have identified that this system is responsible for why certain plant chemicals make you feel certain ways.

More on the Endocannabinoid System

Read full article: The Human Endocannabinoid System

Your body uses the endocannabinoid system to send messages. It is a cell-signaling system necessary for your body to function properly. It was only discovered in the mid 90’s, so there’s still a lot we don’t quite fully understand.

Located primarily within the central nervous system, it is a large web of different cannabinoid receptors and cells.

Endocannabinoid System Receptors

CBD and THC are not the only things that trigger our endocannabinoid system. Your body will use this system even if you never use any cannabis plant products. Your endocannabinoid system works on natural chemicals that your body produces, called endocannabinoids.

While your endocannabinoid system is stimulated by these natural chemicals, it can also be stimulated by cannabinoids such as CBD and THC.

Sometimes, a person is deficient in natural endocannabinoids. When you take THC or CBD, you may improve your health by making up for this deficiency within your endocannabinoid system.

The endocannabinoid system affects sleep, mood, appetite, memory, and fertility. We do not yet know very much about the endocannabinoid system, but THC and CBD can presumably treat any kind of disorder that a cannabinoid deficiency causes.

The Brain and Cannabinoid Receptors Explained

While THC directly stimulates two cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) located throughout the human body, CBD works in a different way – or so we think.

Brain Receptors

Interesting fact: immune cells as part of our immune system actually have CB receptors.

Sleep is a popular example of many benefits that these receptors can help with. However, sleep isn’t the only form of relief, this is just one example.

In the human body, cannabinoids are broken down by enzymes. CBD prevents these enzymes from working normally, keeping the cannabinoids in the body. This has many physical and mental health benefits for many people.

How Enzymes Work

Research on how CBD interacts with the brain and endocannabinoid system is limited and in its early stages. It was not even discovered until the 1990s and is still some what mysterious. Read the article in the link above for more information on this system.

List of Potential CBD Health Benefits

People use CBD for many different benefits. There is scientific evidence in favor of many of these benefits.

Other benefits the human body may experience are only believed to be true without any medical studies. Even a list of health benefits that there is some scientific evidence for is extensive:

  • Stress relief
  • Chronic pain relief
  • Minor pain relief
  • Anti-anxiety
  • Better sleep
  • Reduced inflammation
  • Promotes stable mood and emotions
  • Improved digestion (this makes sense because serotonin affects digestion)
  • Improved metabolism
  • Better motor coordination
  • Faster learning and sharper memory
  • Better cardiovascular health
  • Muscle growth
  • Bone growth
  • Improved reproductive function
  • Improved liver function

Pure CBD Products for Sale by New Phase Blends

CBD seems to boost your overall physical and mental health, so it works for really a lot of different conditions. It can correct a cannabinoid deficiency and make up for a deficiency in serotonin.

What Does Topical CBD Do?

Topical CBD works the same way as oral CBD – by interacting with cannabinoid receptors. There are cannabinoid receptors all over your body, and if you use CBD lotions, your CBD will affect the local receptors.

This is why topical CBD is better for conditions like arthritis and eczema than depression or anxiety. Use topical products to treat the right conditions. The endocannabinoid system can manage inflammation and pain, treating skin and joint conditions.

Topical CBD can also prevent the human body from producing inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor alpha.

This makes topical CBD great for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. CBD can also treat psoriasis and scars.

Joint Inflammation Xray From Arthritis

Related article: Using CBD for Arthritis Pain Relief

While many topical CBD products depend only on CBD, many others have several medicinal ingredients. Any of the other ingredients might have side effects. Avoid the product if it gives you a negative reaction.

How Long Does CBD Stay in Your System?

CBD can stay in your system for several weeks. Keep in mind that after a few days, the residual amount of CBD left is almost non-existent.

Still, it can stay in your system in a detectable amount for weeks.

Why Choose a CBD Oil Product?

If you are having a hard time dealing with some of the symptoms listed on this page, consider trying cannabidiol products. They are a natural way to get effective relief. You can buy premium CBD oil all over the place now days, and pricing has become much, much more reasonable. CBD products also come with almost no known side effects, when using CBD at a normal dose. Studies exist that show using CBD in excess of 10,000mg per day leading to negative effects. That would be the equivalent of consuming x10 of our pure CBD oil tinctures. This is obviously far too much, and should never be done.

CBD oil products are also extremely simple to use. For example, taking CBD gummies for pain management involves eating a single gummy, and waiting – that’s it!

Is CBD Safe? Are There Side Effects?

 

CBD side effects are uncommon and unserious enough that it is likely to remain available without a prescription forever. Since CBD helps you sleep, it can make you drowsy.

You might also experience a dry mouth, drowsiness, nausea, or, at worst, diarrhea or vomiting. These side effects are rare, and mainly show up when you take way too much CBD oil.

The world health organization considers CBD to be safe. They consider it a substance with no major side effects and no potential for addiction.

What CBD does – stimulating the serotonin receptors, the endocannabinoid system, and other systems – is not dangerous. It does not seem to be able to overstimulate the serotonin receptors enough to cause an overdose.

While there is a bit of evidence that CBD might be safe during pregnancy, the evidence is not conclusive. You might want to avoid it to be on the safe side.

CBD is safe because the substance is fairly mild and does not have much potential for harm or addiction. Since a toxic dose of CBD is likely enormous compared to the effective dose, CBD is not likely to hurt anyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that we have the basics covered, let’s go over some common questions when it comes to how CBD works within our bodies. If, after reading the article, you still have further questions please call us or email us.

We love helping educate people on cannabinoids, like CBD.

Related article: Fibromyalgia and CBD – Should You Consider Using It?

Is CBD Legal?

In the United States, CBD is legal everywhere. If the CBD product is…

  1. Made from hemp and not marijuana
  2. Contains under 0.3% THC content

It is legal in all states. It is legal to posses, and even have in your car while driving. It is considered safe and does not require a prescription anywhere. Different countries have different laws and may allow CBD even if they do not allow marijuana.

CBD is not always legal to sell or even always legal to import, so check the laws in your country and area first.

Does CBD Get You High?

No, CBD does not get you high and does not feel like THC at all. Even something like caffeine produces something closer to a high than CBD does.

You can still act sober, concentrate, and think clearly while using CBD.

More Research is Required to Understand CBD Oil

While much is known about CBD, there is even more than we don’t know. We do not know all of the diseases it can treat, nor do we know everything about how it interacts with the brain and body.

We’re also continuously learning about the endocannabinoid system, and all it entails. There are multiple molecular pathways that we know about, but more research is ongoing.

While CBD is considered safe, we do not know what exceptional circumstances might make it unsafe. Possibly, there are some people who should not take CBD and some medications you should not combine CBD with.

Discover: 1,000 mg CBD Oil

However, it seems to be both a safe and effective treatment. While taking far more than a necessary dose of CBD can make you sick for a little while, it does not seem to be able to kill you.

Your healthcare provider will know your particular circumstances better than anyone, so be sure to check with them.

Are CBD and THC the Same Thing?

When it comes to the differences of CBD vs THC, there are several. The biggest difference is that THC will get you high, while CBD will not. Yes, they might both be plant chemicals found in cannabis, but they do completely different things to the human body. THC also interacts with cannabinoid receptors in a much different way. Finally, THC is still widely illegal in the US, which CBD is legal.

Related: CBD or THC for Anxiety? Which is Better?

How Do CBD Gummies Work In Our Bodies?

CBD gummies work in our bodies the same way other CBD products do. When we eat the CBD infused gummies, our body sends the gummies through the digestive tract. The small intestine is responsible for delivering a large portion of the nutrients into our blood stream. Once the CBD from the gummies gets into our bloodstream, it can interact with the cannabinoid receptors and begin to offer different benefits.

Discover: CBD Gummies for Anxiety

What If CBD Products Don’t Work On Me?

Have you tried CBD, and it doesn’t seem to work for you. Well, there are several reasons for why CBD products might not work, but poor product quality seems to top the charts as reasons CBD doesn’t work for people.

If you aren’t taking genuine, real CBD items, it’s just not going to work for you (obviously). Many companies produce CBD products that are either underdosed, or severely fake. It is an unfortunate reality of this industry. They trick people into buying what they think is CBD oil, but isn’t.

If you tried CBD, and it didn’t work on you, I would urge you to take a deeper look into that product, and brand. Chances are they are poor quality items.

CBD Starter Kit – Recommended For Newcomers

Confused on what to buy? Check out our CBD starter kit. This kit comes with several different forms of CBD products. You can see which type you like best. Maybe you like them all, maybe you prefer a balm, or a CBD tincture. With this kit, there is no guessing. You get it all.

Summary – How Does CBD Work?

There are a lot of moving pieces involved when it comes to supplementing with CBD products, and how your body responds.

You can thank your endocannabinoid system, and central nervous system, for aiding in utilizing CBD oil products.

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The key takeaway here is this:

  • CBD, and other cannabinoids, regulate different receptors we have
  • These receptors are part of what’s called the endocannabinoid system
  • Results of these interactions come in the form of pain relief, anxiety, and sedation, to name a few benefits

There is obviously much more involved, but this article covered the basics in a way that’s both informative, and easy to understand.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Check out our CBD blog if you want to read some other interesting articles on the CBD products we sell, or other hemp based information.

References

CNS and Neurological Disorders: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24923339/
Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/serotonin
International Journal of Molecular Sciences: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877694/
Journal of Pain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6319597/
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825
Open Access Government: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/take-too-much-cbd/71920/
Pharmacological Research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28249817/

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When it comes to understanding both the science and benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), it is extremely important that you can trust the source of your information. This is exactly why our team at New Phase Blends includes experts in the field of cannabinoid research and development, including frequent correspondence with certified medical professionals and PhDs in relevant fields via studies, research, and additional peer reviewed pieces of information. All information published is reviewed and checked for accuracy. We pride ourselves on staying up-to-date with the latest scientific research and clinical studies related to not only CBD, but also its effects on the human body.

Our website also includes an About Us page, where you can learn more about our team, mission, and commitment to providing accurate, reliable information about CBD. Users can access this from the header menu at the top of the screen. Additionally, all of our products are third-party lab tested for quality and purity, and we make the results of these tests easily accessible to our customers.

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Some articles you read may contain content created by the use of AI tools. This content is always edited by a human. We fact check any AI content, and ensure the information produced is accurate, up to date, and relevant to the article it may be contained in. All content is verified against peer reviewed data on CBD written by PhD’s and respective experts in their field of medical science.

Our goal in using AI content is to increase the user experience by increasing content production, and quality. This results in more information becoming available to the reader more frequently.

About the Author - CBD Expert Dale Hewett

Dale Hewett Author
Dale Hewett

Dale Hewett is the owner and founder of New Phase Blends. He discovered his passion for CBD use after suffering from injuries sustained while on Active Duty in the US Army. His number one priority is introducing the same CBD products that he himself uses for relief to others who can benefit from them.

Dale holds a Master Degree of Science, and is the inventor of the popular, CBD-based sleep aid known as ‘Sleep.’ He’s given multiple lectures on CBD to institutions such as Cornell’s MBA student program, and Wharton’s School of Business.

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