SAFETY WARNINGS
DRUG INTERACTIONS
CBD interacts with the Cytochrome P450 enzyme system. This enzyme system is involved in processing about 60% of all pharmaceuticals on the market, including common psych drugs like Klonopin, Valium, Xanax, and a long list of antihistamines, antiretrovirals, and steroids, to name a few.
Anyone taking significant doses of CBD and other drugs simultaneously should be cautious. People on chemotherapy drugs and warfarin blood thinners should be on alert given how easily an increased blood concentration of either could lead to serious negative side effects.
If you have blood pressure issues, are taking prescription drugs or have ever been warned about ingesting fruit juice, citrus or fermented products, consult your doctor before using CBD oil.
SIDE EFFECTS | ADVERSE EVENTS
Small-scale studies concluded that adults tend to tolerate a wide range of doses well. Researchers have found no significant side effects on the central nervous system, vital signs, or mood, even among people who used high dosages.
Patients reported diarrhea, tiredness, and changes in appetite and taste or weight. The most common side effect was tiredness.
DOSING cannabinoids | WHICH METHOD IS BEST?
Everyone metabolizes food, alcohol, supplements, and medicine differently.
When someone asks how to dose CBD, as important as it is to offer specific directions and guidelines, it is difficult to provide an easy answer.
How a person responds to medicine (plant-based or pharmaceutical) is influenced by genetic makeup, biological sex, lifestyle, mood, how they slept, what they ate that day, and of course, overall health.
These factors combined with the quality and type of product, formulation and delivery system, determine how well CBD may work.
How will CBD make you feel? Think acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen… they should relieve pain but you would not expect to “feel” anything in terms of a high or euphoria effect. Will it make you feel better? Again using acetaminophen as an example, 250 mg might be enough to relieve a headache, but you may need 500 mg to treat a bad headache or fever.
For these products, you can dose in liquid suspension, chewable tablets, suppositories and all in varying strengths. CBD dosing can seem complicated and overwhelming but does not have to be.
We will dig in way deeper with guidance directly from doctors, scientists, pharmacists, and caregivers.
The typical starting dose for CBD is 10 mg once or twice daily and with any medication. It is always best to start low and go slow.
Taking CBD on a full stomach allows more CBD to reach the circulatory system and faster. Some suggest taking CBD with Omega-3 ensures maximum potential benefit.
On average the effects of CBD oil last 3-5 hours.
HOW DOES CBD WORK?
This vidoe explains it perfectly.
CBD is thought to be responsible for many of the medicinal benefits of the cannabis plant without the high of THC. Just like Nana's hot chicken soup can make you feel better all over, CBD works as a whole-body medicine. It works as a tonic and goes to the places your body needs balance.
The job of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain homeostasis and to keep our bodies functioning at their best by adapting to change.
Though not well understood the ECS is thought to play a role in regulating pain, sleep, mood, memory, appetite, and other cognitive and physical processes.
The endocannabinoid system is made up of many receptors. These receptors are located throughout the body, and can be found in the brain, and even throughout the nervous system and the immune system. There are 2 main receptors, CB1 and CB2. Together, they are responsible for regulating neuro-hormones in the body.
“The endogenous cannabinoid system—named for the plant that led to its discovery—is one of the most important physiologic systems involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. With its complex actions in our immune system, nervous system, and virtually all of the body’s organs, the endocannabinoids are literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system, we begin to see a mechanism that could connect brain activity and states of physical health and disease.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov- high on the endocannabinoid system.
Illness, autoimmune disease, trauma to the body, chronic stress, foods we eat, and genetics contribute to an imbalance within a body system. A lack of endocannabinoid activity is thought to be present in many debilitating ailments such as fibromyalgia, migraine, multiple sclerosis, seizure disorders, chronic fatigue, IBS and more. The medical term for this condition was termed ‘clinical endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome’ (CEDS) by Ethan Russo, M.D. in 2003. Prolonged exposure to stress depletes endocannabinoid tone, and this, in turn, has an adverse impact on a plethora of physiological processes.
Learn more about The Endocannabinoid System: Hemp and Beyond in May 2018 Whole Food Magazine.