So why is CBD so popular? We’ve seen a sudden grown of CBD oil in the health industry over the past two years or so, from a fringe herbal extract to one of the most sought after supplements ever. CBD is now being used in food, drinks, cosmetics, and even medicine for destructive neurological conditions like epilepsy.
It is now being used all over the country by peoplewith issues like chronic pain, anxiety, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, and many more conditions affecting Americans today. It’s easy to see the appeal, because for many users, the alternative is pharmaceuticals – which are expensive and have potential downsides.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a naturally-occurring compound, and more than that, it is one of many cannabinoids found in cannabis, and has been used throughout history by different cultures as medicine. The fact that cannabis has been part of human history for as long as we know may be the reason some people are more willing to try the compound; although misconception about marijuana in general has held back a few hardliners from trying cannabidiol.
To better understand why CBD is such a big deal, we have to know who is using it and why. Here’s a recent Harris Pollon the top reasons for people using CBD in America:
- Relaxation
- Stress, anxiety
- Sleeplessness
- Muscle pain
- Chronic pain
- Joint pain
- Recreational use
- Treat migraines
- Spiritual use
- Skin care
- Sexual enhancement
- Menstrual relief
More than half of the people surveyed said they used CBD to relax and to treat stress and anxiety. The combined total of people using it for pain and sleep disorders comes second, and also on the list are migraines, nausea, PMS, etc.
But is there proof that it works?
First of all, with so many Americans suffering from anxiety, chronic pain, and sleeplessness, it makes sense that CBD sales would soar. But even though there are not enough human studies on CBD, many of the people using it are thoroughly convinced that it works; and it would be difficult to convince them otherwise, because of the way cannabinoids work as subjective drugs. The user experience is entirely unique to every person, but generally speaking, most people report positive effects from their first contact with cannabidiol.
The kind of research needed by the established medical experts requires extensive studies over decades, and involving as many people as possible. But that kind of research requires tons of money, and organizations have only recently started putting money aside for CBD studies. It might be a while before we start to see those rigorous, double-blind controlled studies that researchers are bound to.
Ultimately, consumers don’t care much about what medical science says – as soon as they experience the effects, they make their own conclusions about whether it works or not. It would be difficult to convince a person who’s taken pain medication for 20 years and is still living in pain, to stop using CBD or cannabis because it hasn’t been tried and tested by the same people who swear by the effectiveness of pain medication.
After all, CBD has been around since way before medical science was a thing, and even then, people had to find solutions for anxiety and chronic pain. Perhaps if anxiety medication and pain killers weren’t so addictive and destructive for some people, then the general public would be more hesitant when experimenting withCBD. It’s like nobody has anything to lose, and it’s not easy to find an over-the-counter supplement that seems to treat everything by targeting the complex endocrine system.
Most free thinking health experts are extremely excited about CBD, and see it as a product that can genuinely change the way we think about our health and how the body really works. Elevated energy levels allow athletes to run faster, jump higher, and perform better overall; but the energy part isn’t even that interesting when you consider things like faster recovery, reduced inflammation, enhanced sleep, and improved mood.
All these things combine to make CBD a very interesting compound – and one that millions of people are asking why the health sector (and indeed the government) demonized for so long. There could be more to CBD than we realize, but more money needs to go into research, and the FDA must show a willingness to listen to the public and create policies to protect consumers from low-quality CBD strains, and for the purposes of keeping them informed.
So you see why CBD is gaining ground? Everyone is stressed and neurotic and in need of something other than pharmaceuticals, and since 40% of Americans drink too much, we’re going to need a decent cure for hangovers, headaches, stress, and basically everything that comes with this day and age.
