The 8 Most Important CBD Studies Ever Published
In the face of some serious obstacles, research into the medical efficacy of cannabis continues to expand. The federal prohibition on cannabis makes it a real pain for researchers to gather reliable data. They often have to deal with arbitrary restrictions and cannabis samples that are really low in quality. Research into cannabidiol (CBD Studies), however, has been able to proceed a bit more quickly.
That’s because the cannabinoid itself is non-psychoactive. This puts it in a legal “gray area” that makes it a bit easier for researchers to study. And that’s beneficial because research continues to show the central role CBD plays in the medical benefits of hemp In the past few decades, we’ve seen a number of promising studies on CBD. Here are the 8 most important CBD studies ever published, organized by their impact on human health and wellness.
In the past few decades, we’ve seen a number of promising studies on CBD. Here are the 8 most important CBD studies ever published, organized by their impact on human health and wellness.
1. CBD As An Anti-Seizure Medicine
One of the most important CBD studies every published was a path-breaking study into the efficacy of using CBD as a treatment for epilepsy.
It’s fairly common for medical drug studies to look at animals before conducting trials on humans. The outcomes of these tests on animals can make or break the future of a drug for human use.
In 2012, researchers with the British Epilepsy Association published a paper called Cannabidiol exerts anticonvulsant effects in animal models of temporal lobe and partial seizures exerts anticonvulsant effects in animal models of temporal lobe and partial seizures. In it, the researchers conclude that “CBD significantly decreased the percentage of animals experience the most severe tonic-clonic seizures.”
That result lent credibility to the claim that CBD possesses anticonvulsant and anti-seizure capabilities. The researchers also note CBD’s lack of psychoactive effects. Thus, they concluded that their “evidence strongly supports CBD as a therapeutic candidate for a diverse range of human epilepsies.”
2. CBD As A Neuroprotective, Anti-Inflammatory Medicine
The cutting edge of cannabis research looks into the plant as a treatment for serious diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer‘s, and multiple sclerosis.
In this regard, one of the most important CBD studies ever published came out in 2006. The study’s title is super-technical, but it underscores the neuroprotective aspect of cannabidiol (CBD). It’s called The marijuana component cannabidiol inhibits beta-amyloid-induced tau protein hyperphosphorylation through Wnt/beta-catenin pathway rescue in PC12 cells.
Researchers are still trying to figure out the exact mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. We know it has to do with a protein pathway, and that’s exactly the pathway this study examined. Researchers looked deep down to the molecular level, making this study very important for future research.
The results “provide new molecular insight regarding the neuroprotective effect of cannabidiol and suggest its possible role in the pharmacological management of , especially in view of its low toxicity in humans.”
3. CBD As A Pain-Relieving Medicine
Medical cannabis is rapidly becoming the go-to alternative to prescription painkillers, like opioids that have spawned a virtual epidemic of addiction in the United States. And that’s thanks to ground-breaking research into the analgesic effects of cannabidiol (CBD).
The most important study to uncover the pain-relieving effects of CBD came out in 2015. Until then, research into CBD and pain had been very preliminary and conducted almost exclusively on mice. The trouble was with isolating CBD from THC, which we also know has a powerful affect on pain.
But the study, “Distinct interactions of cannabidiol and morphine in three nociceptive behavioral models in mice” changed the game. The study looked at CBD in combination with morphine and independently of it. The goal was to compare effects and their interaction.
As a result, the researchers found that CBD could be combined with morphine in the treatment of acute pain conditions. The study also paved the way for further research into how CBD can combat specific types of chronic pain.
4. CBD As An Anti-Tumor Medicine
Several pre-clinical trials show the potent anti-tumor effects of CBD. These studies examined cell cultures and animal models. All of them showed reduced cancer cell viability, an increase in cancer cell death, and the overall decrease in tumor growth.
The most important study to reveal these powerful tumor-inhibiting effects came out in 2015. In fact, this study looked at a range of non-psychoactive cannabinoids, including, of course, CBD.
Titled The Antitumor Activity of Plant-Derived Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoids this study is a landmark in therapeutic research into cannabis.
The researchers claim that “using animal models, CBD the progression of many types of cancer including breast, lung, prostate and colon cancer.”
5. CBD As An Anti-Psychotic Medicine
The ultra-paranoid reaction marijuana use can provoke is one of the stereotypical images of being “too stoned.” Some people are more sensitive to THC than others, and the psychoactive cannabinoid can induce intense anxiety and even promote some psychotic reactions if you over-use it.
Research into CBD, however, shows that CBD works like an antidote to THC. CBD can counter the intense psychoactive effects of THC, leading to a more balanced experience. It’s that fact that led researchers to look into the anti-psychotic effects of CBD.
In 2014, researchers published a report titled Impact of Cannabis Use on the Development of Psychotic Disorders. This is the most comprehensive study of its kind, and one of the most important CBD studies to date.
Understanding the link between psychosis and cannabis is crucial for understanding its impact on human mental health. According to this study, more research is needed. However, the researchers do conclude that “cannabis is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause a persistent psychotic disorder.” And in fact, CBD may help to counteract some of the psychosis-like effects of cannabis.
Overall, the study helps to combat some of the negative stereotypes about “reefer madness” that still circulate around today.
Anxiety is another disorder that continues to haunt the cannabis community. Does cannabis contribute to anxiety, or does it help soothe it? What factors contribute to one over the other?
These questions pertain not just to recreational cannabis users, but also to people who seek solutions to traumatic anxiety, like those with PTSD. Let’s look at two equally important CBD studies relating to anxiety.
6. CBD As Remedy For Social Anxiety
The first, published in 2011, shows that cannabidiol reduces social anxiety and phobias. The study is titled “Cannabidiol redCannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patientsuces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naive social phobia patients.”
In it, researchers studied the effects of CBD on the anxiety and fears of people who had to speak publicly in front of large groups. They found that for these people, “pre-treatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in their speech performance.”
7. CBD As Treatment for PTSD
The second of the most important CBD studies related to anxiety looked closely at cannabidiol’s efficacy treating PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects nearly 8 percent of all American’s during their lifetime. But women are twice as likely as men to have it.
Finding an affordable, safe, and reliable treatment for PTSD would profoundly impact the lives of millions of Americans every year. And one of the most important CBD studies ever published shows how cannabis can serve as such an alternative.
This remarkable 2013 study, Cannabidiol enhances consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans, found that CBD “improved consolidation of extinction learning,” associated with fear responses. In simpler terms, CBD improved people’s abilities to forget their traumatic memories.
These findings aren’t just important for treating PTSD. They could be relevant to a number of different anxiety orders.
8. CBD As A Treatment For Substance Abuse
The non-psychoactive effects of CBD make cannabis a versatile and safe medicine. This is also one of the reasons cannabis has a small following as a “reverse gateway drug,” helping ween people off of more addictive drugs.
But CBD has some special powers that may help people suffering from substance abuse disorders kick the habit for good. That power stems from a therapeutic value inherent in CBD’s molecular makeup.
CBD inhibits the rewarding effects of morphine, partially blocking the opioid’s ability to produce pleasure and cause dependency. In animal tests, CBD also reduced animal’s desire to seek heroin when responding to different cues.
The most important study in this regard is Cannabidiol inhibits the reward-facilitating effect of morphine: involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus, published in 2013.
Their assay determined that “cannabidiol interferes with brain reward mechanisms responsible for the expression of the acute reinforcing properties of opioids.” Thus, the study concludes, CBD has clinical value as a way to limit the rewarding effects of opioids.
CBD Is Safe, Non-Toxic, and Effective
What all of these studies share is an understanding of the safe and effective nature of CBD as a medicine. Whether it’s enhancing the benefits of other drugs, inhibiting their side effects, or as a treatment all its own, CBD boasts a wide array of medicinal applications.
Furthermore, these important CBD studies indicate the extensive opportunities and challenges that await future research. There’s not enough information to get CBD approved as a drug at the moment. Signs are promising, though. With so much preliminary research backing the therapeutic uses of CBD, there’s no reason to delay more rigorous, extensive studies.
reprinted from: reprinted from: greenrushdaily.com
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Adam is a staff writer for Green Rush Daily who hails from Corvallis, Oregon. He’s an artist, musician, and higher educator with deep roots in the cannabis community. His degrees in literature and psychology drive his interest in the therapeutic use of cannabis for mind and body wellness.