Not all cannabinoids are colorless. One of the most brightly yellow-colored cannabinoids is CBD, a very valuable cannabinoid. CBD has tremendous medical potential. This is particularly true when the correct ratio of CBD to THC is applied to treat a particular condition. CBD acts as an antagonist at both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, yet it has a low binding affinity for both. This suggests that CBD’s mechanism of action is mediated by other receptors in the brain and body.

Latest Research

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Approval of Epidiolex Validates What Many CBD Users Already Knew
The FDA announced in a press release on Monday that it had approved the “first drug comprised of an active ingredient derived from marijuana to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy.” Prior to this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved only three cannabinoid-based medicines. None of the approved drugs contain, or are derived from, the whole cannabis plant. Instead, they are all created from isolated synthetics that do not offer the benefits of the entourage effect. FDA Grants Approval of Epidiolex On June 26, 2018, the FDA granted approval of Epidiolex, …
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Study: Topical CBD Treatment May Reduce Central Nervous System Inflammation
A controlled animal study published in Daru: Journal of Faculty and Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences found that topical treatment with 1% purified (i.e. >98%) CBD topical cream may help to reduce damage caused by a disease that results in brain inflammation. This holds relevance for humans with autoimmune diseases that lead to demyelination (damage to the fatty covering around neurons that helps them to transmit signals faster) like multiple sclerosis. Topical CBD vs. Multiple Sclerosis Experiment Using healthy mice and mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis [(EAE)- encephalo= brain, myel= myelin= …
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Study: Cannabidiol (CBD) May Prevent Degenerative Disc Disease
What is Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/Degenerative Disc Disease? Intervertebral discs sit between each vertebra (bone segments of the spine) and are comprised of fibrous cartilage. They act to stabilize and mobilize the spine, and also to absorb shock that results from movement, in order to prevent damage to the body. When intervertebral discs are damaged and degenerate (most commonly in the regions of the neck and lower back), the spine loses stability and mobility, and several complications can arise, including osteoarthritis (vertebrae start to rub together), herniation (discs bulge out and may compress nerves), and …
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Study: Cannabis Offers Possible Treatment for High Grade Gliomas
A study published in November 2014 in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics and conducted at St. George’s University of London’s Department of Oncology has found that the use of cannabinoids, specifically delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), may be useful in treating high-grade gliomas, potentially slowing the disease’s progression. What Are High Grade Gliomas? Gliomas are a type of advanced brain cancer that are fast-growing, aggressive, and difficult to treat. Gliomas occur in the brain and spinal cord and result from the excessive proliferation of abnormal neuroglia, cells of the nervous system that are not …
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Cannabidiol (CBD) May Increase Lung Cancer’s Susceptibility To Specialized Killer Cells
Proponents of medical marijuana have long suggested that cannabis offers a much milder form of cancer treatment in comparison to traditional western approaches like chemotherapy. Supporting these claims is a rapidly growing body of evidence that cannabis can not only inhibit the spread of cancer, but it can cause cancerous cell death through a number of diverse mechanisms. A team of researchers from Germany published a study last month in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology that sheds further light on the interaction between cannabis and lung cancer in particular. Their results suggest that cannabinoids indirectly make cancer cells …
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Study: Cannabidivarin (CBDV) May Help Treat Epileptic Seizures
It’s no secret at this point that certain chemical compounds found in medical marijuana may aid in the treatment of epilepsy. GW Pharmaceuticals has already commenced clinical trials to test the effectiveness of their cannabis-based drug Epidiolex, which is comprised of mostly cannabidiol (CBD), and the Epilepsy Foundation of America has called for nationwide access to medical marijuana. With that said, the Endocannabinoid Research …
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Study: Small Doses Of Cannabis May Help Treat Schizophrenia
There has been an abundance of conflicting information about the potential relationship between schizophrenia and cannabis. A controversial study published in December suggests that smoking cannabis may exacerbate a genetic disposition that makes people more vulnerable to schizophrenia, but multiple studies [1,2] have shown that the plant can greatly benefit schizophrenic patients. In hopes of expanding our knowledge on this relationship, a group of researchers from the University of Manchester (UK) and the University …
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Preliminary Study: CBD May Help Battle Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder experienced by children, and approximately 20% of patients (around 93,200 children in the US, and around 153,000 children in Europe) are unable to control their seizures with commonly used medications. Due to the growing evidence that some cannabinoids found in cannabis may help to reduce neuron hyperexcitability, certain strains are being used to help treat epilepsy. This is particularly true of cannabis strains with a high concentration of cannabidiol (CBD). In turn, pharmaceutical companies have been working on ways repeat …
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Florida Passes Limited Medical Marijuana Law, Legalizes Charlotte’s Web Strain
Florida is now the 23rd state to legalize cannabis in the United States, although it is extremely limited in scope. It is now legal to for five individuals chosen by the state to grow low-THC cannabis, and see that it gets processed into an extract for children and adults suffering from epilepsy, Lou Gehrig’s disease and cancer. Governor Rick Scott Signed Charlotte’s Web Bill Monday Governor Rick Scott signed senate bill 1030 into law allowing cannabis with low …
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Finding The Optimal Therapeutic Ratio Of THC And CBD
In last week’s post we explored the entourage effect and how all the compounds within the cannabis plant work together to give the plant its therapeutic versatility. But one question remains in minds of many medical cannabis patients: “what is the optimal ratio of cannabinoids for my needs?” The answer, like many questions in the world of medicine, is still being researched. Given the fact that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two most prominent chemical compounds in the cannabis plant, …