10 Interesting CBD Facts You Need to Know
People have been giving CBD (cannabidiol) a lot of love! This tiny compound has taken the world by storm thanks to its impressive therapeutic benefits. Also, it holds a lot of little secrets. So we’ve rounded up the top 10 interesting facts that you should know about CBD.
1. It can’t get you high
While CBD is found in cannabis, it can’t actually get you high. CBD isn’t the compound responsible for the characteristic high of cannabis. Another chemical compound called THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is what creates the psychoactive effects. So long as you take CBD alone, that is without any THC in it, you won’t experience any kind of high.
While CBD and THC are both very similar compounds, slight differences in their molecular structures mean that they act very differently on your body. To avoid getting high, you should look for CBD only products, like CBD isolate.
2. Not all CBD comes from cannabis
CBD belongs to a group of compounds called cannabinoids. As the name suggests, cannabinoids are found in cannabis plants. However, cannabis isn’t the only place where you can find CBD. CBD can also be found in and extracted from hemp plant material.
Hemp-derived CBD is especially useful for those not wanting to get high as hemp typically has extremely low levels of THC (less than 0.3%).
3. It’s legal
The great thing about CBD is that it’s legal! Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD was made legal by Federal law in the US. There is one important caveat to this though. To be considered legal, CBD products must contain no more than 0.3% THC. So long as CBD products meet this requirement, then they can legally be grown, sold, processed, and transported across state lines.
4. You can’t overdose on CBD
CBD has a high safety profile. It’s so safe in fact that you can’t overdose on it. We know that CBD receptors aren’t present in the areas of the brain that control respiration. This means that CBD can’t have a direct impact on respiration to cause an overdose (1).
Studies tell us that CBD can be used safely and effectively in high amounts, with doses up to 1,500 mg having been safely used (2).
While CBD does have a high safety profile, it can still come with some side effects. Typically the side effects from CBD are mild and include:
5. CBD comes in many forms
You’re probably most familiar with CBD oil, but you can find a variety of CBD products out there. Types of CBD products that you can find include:
- CBD shampoos and lotions
- edible CBD products e.g. candies and gummies
- CBD drinks and smoothies
- CBD vapes
- CBD nasal spray
- CBD sublingual drops
- CBD shatter, wax, crumble, and budder
6. It may help stop seizures
One very impressive potential benefit of CBD is its ability to help stop seizures. A 2017 study found that CBD managed to reduce average seizure frequency in patients with Dravet syndrome, a form of epilepsy. Patients in the study saw their average monthly seizures fall from 12.4 to 5.9 seizures per month. Of the patients in the study, 5% even saw their seizures stop completely while receiving the CBD treatment (4).
CBD’s seizure-reducing properties have been further highlighted in research involving epidiolex, a CBD medication. One review study found that epidiolex managed to reduce seizure frequency by 30–63% (5).
7. It’s as effective as antidepressant medication
Not only can CBD potentially reduce seizure frequency, but it also can be very effective against depression and anxiety.
One mouse-model study investigated just how effective CBD was on depression and anxiety. Antidepressants are commonly used to treat anxiety as well as depression, so researchers compared the effects of CBD to an antidepressant called imipramine (Tofranil). The study’s results showed that CBD induced antidepressant-like effects that were comparable to the medication used in the study(6).
8. Queen Victoria used CBD
It turns out that CBD has a famous fan from long ago. Queen Victoria, who ruled the British Empire from 1837 to 1901, is reported to have regularly taken a cannabis extract product. While we don’t know exactly what was in this tincture, it’s likely to have contained a fair amount of CBD. In fact, Queen Victoria wasn’t the only one who was interested in cannabis extracts; tinctures like the one the Queen used were very popular in Victorian England (7).
9. You can even give CBD to pets
CBD isn’t just for us humans. You can also give it to your pets! Research tells us that CBD is both a safe and effective therapeutic treatment in many animal models, including mice, rats, dogs, and cats (8, 9, 10, 11).
A 2020 study, for example, found that CBD was an effective treatment for osteoarthritis in dogs. Here CBD managed to reduce the dog’s pain and help them to improve their mobility (12).
If you think that your pet could benefit from some CBD, it’s best to consult with your vet first. If your vet approves of the treatment, you can even find CBD pet food and snacks on the market. This makes it easier to manage your pet’s dosage.
10. Extracting CBD is a complicated process
CBD is everywhere these days, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an easy product to make. Really though, there are many ways to extract CBD from hemp or cannabis plant material, and some of them can be very complicated. Just some of the CBD extraction processes include:
- alcohol extraction
- CO2 extraction
- hydrocarbon extraction
- ultrasound-assisted extraction
- microwave-assisted extraction
- hydrodynamic extraction
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**Standard Disclaimer: CBD is not FDA-approved. We make no such claims that using our products will guarantee relief. Moreover, research regarding CBD is still ongoing and in the early stages.**
