What CBD Oil Isn’t

What CBD Oil Isn’t

Wow, there has certainly been a lot of chatter recently about CBD oil and what it might be able to accomplish. There’s some indication that this substance may turn out to be therapeutic in one or more ways for people and their pets. If you have any interest in whether this stuff is the real deal, you’d best arm yourself with some basic knowledge to start.

Cannabis sativa is a plant family with many different members which can be divided into two branches—the marijuana branch and the hemp branch. The marijuana branch is well known for its vast assortment of creative nicknames (White Widow, Maui Waui, and Cannatonic, to name a few) and its talents for intoxication. This part of the family has been carefully bred to contain the highest concentrations possible of THC in its leaves and buds. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exerts a number of effects on the human body via a built-in receptor system. This means that THC fits like a key neatly into a lock that already exists in our bodies. Activation of this receptor is thought to occur naturally during the “runner’s high” experienced by athletes. Aside from its coveted euphoric effect, THC is also believed to soothe pain and ease nausea, thus the use of “medical marijuana”.

All Cannabis plants contain both THC and CBD (cannabidiol), among dozens of other compounds that may or may not be useful to humankind, but the psychoactive varieties have been bred for maximum THC content. On the hemp side of the family, CBD predominates and THC is a very minor component. Although hemp was developed entirely for its massive fiber content and physical strength, new medical potential has been realized for the CBD oil that can be extracted from it.

Hemp plants are pretty fascinating. They don’t look much like marijuana, due to decades and centuries of careful breeding for their fiber content. They’re used for rope, of course, but also for fabric, for creating biodegradable plastic, for construction of buildings, and even in the production of batteries. They’re used in making paper, biofuels, animal bedding, and protein supplements for people, as well as CBD oil. Hemp is a plant that needs little water, grows very rapidly, and even cleanses the surrounding soil of accumulated pollutants. It can grow very densely in small plots, block weed growth without assistance, and survive a variety of climates. This thing really has an impressive resume.

But it cannot get you high. That’s important, because it helps the hemp plant achieve an air of propriety that’s well out of reach for marijuana. Both CBD and THC are still illegal in the eyes of the DEA and, furthermore, are classified in the same category as heroin, cocaine, and LSD—all psychoactive substances. If any Cannabis-related compound is ever going to walk away clean from its criminal record, that’s certain to be CBD. What does the future hold for the white sheep of this family?

Dr. M.S. Regan