CBD Pills: Uses, Benefits & Side Effects
Once upon a time, the only way to get the cannabidiol you needed was to smoke your favorite high-CBD strain. These days, CBD fanatics have so many more options:
Now you can add one more method to the growing list of choices: CBD pills. One of the major benefits of CBD pills (as we’ll discuss at length below) is that they’re discreet. Have you ever noticed that pretty much everyone takes a pill of one kind or another? Getting your CBD in pill form means you’ll blend right in.
But what are the other benefits of CBD pills? How can you use them? And are there any side effects? The experts at Honest Marijuana tell you everything you need to know about one of the newest forms of CBD medication.
CBD Pills: Uses
CBD pills—and the cannabidiol (CBD) they contain—can be used to treat a wide variety of ailments and disorders. Here are just a few of the main uses for CBD pills.
1) Reduce Pain & Inflammation
CBD acts on the vanilloid receptors in your brain. These receptors regulate pain perception and inflammation throughout your body. So when CBD triggers the vanilloid receptors, pain and inflammation go down. This makes CBD pills a possible treatment for disorders like fibromyalgia.
2) Protect Your Body & Brain
CBD is a powerful antioxidant that protects both your body and brain from damage caused by harmful molecules (free radicals). Free radicals have a negative effect on your body, but they can also have a negative effect on your brain.
The buildup of free radicals can contribute to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that the antioxidant properties of CBD can work to counteract the effects that result from this (and other) debilitating brain disorders.
3) Suppress Nausea & Stimulate Appetite
CBD has a two-fold benefit as a digestive aid. First, it stimulates appetite, making it easier to take in the calories needed to stay healthy. Second, it suppresses nausea so that those calories will stay where they’re supposed to—in your body.
These two CBD benefits can be particularly important for patients being treated for cancer. Some disorders (and even treatments) decrease appetite and increase nausea. These side effects can, in turn, prevent your body from healing correctly. CBD works to counteract these two problems.
4) Combat Anxiety & Depression
Anxiety and depression are partially dependent on the activity of the adenosine and serotonin receptors in your brain. CBD interacts with both.
The CBD in CBD pills activates the adenosine receptors to help them work properly. This lessens the anxious, paranoid feelings so common with anxiety disorder. The CBD in CBD pills also activates the serotonin receptors to produce an antidepressant effect. That makes CBD pills a promising treatment for a wide variety of mental disorders.
5) Inhibit Cancer Cell Growth
Laboratory studies are showing that CBD inhibits certain body functions so that cancer cells can’t spread. Those same studies are also showing that CBD somehow interferes with cancer cell growth and may even cause those same cells to die.
6) Treat Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia, are treated by increasing serum anandamide levels in the brain. Pharmaceuticals do exist to help with this, but they often have significant side effects.
CBD pills, on the other hand, also increase serum anandamide levels—without the debilitating and life-altering side effects of clinical pharmaceuticals. That’s a significant step in the right direction for brain-based disorders that are notoriously difficult to treat.
7) Suppress Seizure Activity
Seizures are disruptions in your brain’s electrical activity that result in violent shaking and loss of body control. Like psychotic disorders, anxiety, and depression (all brain-based disorders), seizures can be extremely difficult to treat.
CBD pills stabilize your brain’s electrical impulses and keep them from running amok. This results in a significant decrease in seizure frequency.
Charlotte Figi is a prime example of the effectiveness of CBD. Charlotte suffers from Dravet syndrome and would experience upwards of 300 seizures a week. That had a serious impact on Charlotte’s young life. After starting a course of CBD treatment, Charlotte had just one or two seizures per month.
Now that we’ve discussed some of the uses for CBD pills, let’s look at some of their many benefits.
CBD Pills: Benefits
If you still haven’t found the way to consume cannabis that works best for you, give CBD pills a try. Here’s why they may be just what you’ve been looking for.
1) Discreet Consumption
As we mentioned earlier, CBD pills are very discreet. Everyone’s taking pills, so you won’t stand out when you take your CBD medication. Just pop the pill in your mouth and take a drink of water. It’s quick, easy, and painless.
2) No Psychoactive High
CBD doesn’t interact with the receptors in your brain the same way that THC does. Because of that, CBD pills won’t produce a psychoactive high.
That means it’s now easier for medical users who need to take advantage of CBD’s medical benefits during the day and don’t have time to stop to let a high wear off.
3) Counteraction Of THC’s Intoxicating Effects
The intoxicating effects of THC are well-known. They include:
- Altered perceptions
- Lethargy
- Couch lock
- Paranoia
- Memory loss
- Drowsiness
CBD pills keep those intoxicating effects from becoming too extreme.
4) Non-Addictive Treatment
The cannabidiol in CBD pills—or any cannabidiol, for that matter—is not addictive. This is because cannabidiol doesn’t stimulate the cannabinoid receptors in your brain like other psychoactive chemicals.
Because those cannabinoid receptors aren’t activated (no high is created), there’s no uncontrollable drive to keep coming back for more. So, basically, because the cannabidiol in CBD pills doesn’t produce any kind of psychoactive effects, it isn’t addictive.
5) Powerful Results
Because of the way your stomach processes CBD, CBD pills are more powerful than more traditional consumption methods (like smoking, dabbing, or hitting a bong). That means that you’ll need less to feel the same effects.
For example, you might have to smoke a full joint to get the medicinal benefits that come with just one CBD pill. With CBD pills, you get more bang for your buck, so to speak.
6) Longer-Lasting Effects
Digestion is a relatively slow process. So when you take a CBD pill, the effects last longer than they would if you used a CBD cream or smoked a CBD blunt. That means that you’ll need fewer CBD pills over the course of a day.
So far, we’ve highlighted the many uses and benefits of CBD pills. Now, let’s discuss the side effects.
CBD Pills: Side Effects
Unlike THC, the cannabidiol in CBD pills produces only two side effects.
1) Dry Mouth
CBD suppresses the activity of your saliva glands. This can cause your mouth to feel dry. Thankfully, it’s not a been-through-the-desert-on-a-horse-with-no-name type of dry mouth. Instead, it’s usually just a mild dryness that you can reduce by staying hydrated.
2) Decreased Ability To Metabolize Medication
Cannabidiol and CBD pills can interfere with your liver’s ability to process other medications. This could have unintended consequences if the CBD pills you’re taking aren’t meant to completely replace another medication.
For example, let’s say you’re taking medication for high blood pressure. Then you start taking CBD pills to combat pain and inflammation. Cannabidiol does not affect blood pressure (other than tempering anxiety), so the CBD pills can’t act as a substitute for your blood pressure medication. So the problem, then, is that the CBD pills essentially negate the effects of your medication without replacing them.
On the other hand, let’s say you’re taking medication for depression. Then you start taking CBD pills to combat pain and inflammation. Cannabidiol DOES positively affect anxiety and depression, so in this case, it doesn’t matter if the CBD pills negate the effects of your medication.
Regardless of the medications you are currently taking, be sure to consult a doctor before adding CBD pills to your daily routine.
Are CBD Pills Right For You?
We get asked this question all the time. While each individual’s needs are different and we can’t speak specifically about your situation, the Honest Marijuana answer is always, “Try them and see.” That’s really the best advice when trying any new consumption method.
One of the best things about CBD pills (or any CBD product, for that matter) is that there really are no downsides to experimentation. It’s very hard to take too much CBD, and the side effects are basically non-existent.
So talk to the budtenders at your local dispensary and see if they can recommend a CBD pill you can try. If for some reason you don’t like getting your CBD that way, you can always switch to another method. That’s the beauty of marijuana—there are more ways than we can count to get your ganja on and relieve whatever is ailing you.
For more information on all things cannabis and to check out our 100-percent all-natural marijuana products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.
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Author: Anthony Franciosi
