Are you aware of the role that CBD is currently playing, and will continue to play, in the naturopathic medicinal industry? If so, are you interested in using a CBD-based naturopathic or herbal product to improve your overall health and well-being?
What is CBD?
CBD or cannabidiol is one of the two most prevalent ingredients found in any cannabis plant. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the most common ingredients found in marijuana. Both CBD and THC are cannabinoids; however, CBD is not psychoactive, which THC is.
CBD is mainly found in the industrial hemp plant, a cousin of the marijuana plant while THC is found in many different cannabis plant varieties.
It is also interesting to note that CBD (C??H26O?) and THC (C??H??O2)have a similarchemical structure. If we consider both CBD and THC’s chemical makeup, the only difference between the two is that CBD has fewer hydrogen molecules than THC (26 versus 30 respectively).
Why is this relevant?
By way of answering this question, let’s consider the following points.
- Both CBD and THC are cannabinoids; therefore, it makes sense that they have a similar chemical makeup.
- Secondly, CBD is able to combat the psychoactive effects of THC. Thus, the way to reduce the psychoactive effect of marijuana products like edibles is to add CBD with the THC instead of just adding the THC.
The benefits of using CBD
In summary, CBD is well-known for the following health benefits:
- Acts as a natural anxiolytic in people who suffer from PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Helps people who battle with insomnia fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Successfully treats some of the “cruellest childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically don’t respond to antiseizure medications.”
- Chronic pain and inflammation caused by arthritis are treatable by applying CBD on the skin.
COVID-19: The primary reason why CBD is poised to do so well in 2020/2021
As described above, CBD-infused naturopathic remedies are successful in treating stress, PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia.
These four conditions are prevalent in the world today.
Why?
Succinctly stated, the SARS-CoV-2 or novel coronavirus has swept its way through the world’s communities, resulting in 43 572 million infections and 1.16 million deaths.
Note: The global pandemic is far from over. For instance, the USA is on its third wave, while European countries like UK, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy are heading into their second wave. This virus is known as the novel coronavirus because it is new. The world has never seen anything like it. Consequently, not only is it highly contagious, but no one has any immunity to it.
Therefore, the best way to control and prevent its spread is social distancing or social isolating. In other words, individual people must stay away from each other. People are social creatures. We are not designed to live in isolation for months at a time. And this is what the pandemic is expecting us to do.
Consequently, there has been a marked increase in the number of people with acute and chronic mental illnesses such as the four conditions highlighted above: stress, PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia. As an aside, major depression and suicide ideation is also prevalent.
The kcl.ac.uk website reports the following in its article titled, “COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased anxiety and depression in the UK.”
“People are experiencing significantly more stress, anxiety and depression since lockdown began, with women and young people the most affected, according to a major new study led by University of Nottingham and King’s College London.”
Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the number of people using CBD as a natural remedy to treat the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. And wholesalers and retailers like VSAVI stand to benefit.
This assumption is backed by the article by David Prosser in his article titled, “UK Demand for CBD Products Soars Amid Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Prosser reports that evidence suggests that “more than 8 million Britons are now buying CBD products, with spending exceeding £150m in the first four months of 2020 alone.”
Secondly, this article goes onto note that this revenue (£150m) “puts the market on target to achieve revenues of £450m over the year as a whole, which would represent 50% growth compared to 2019.”
Final thoughts
It seems as though the global pandemic is here to stay. The world, as we know, it has disappeared, and no one is entirely sure whether “normal,” as we know it, will ever return. Partnered with the increasing virus infection rates, comes even higher stress and anxiety levels than what was generally experienced in the first six months of 2020.
Italy was the first European country that was hit by the virus in early 2020. Statisticsshowed that age played a significant role in the Italian death rate. On the one hand, 0.5% of the population aged between 40 and 49 years old. While on the other end of the scale, 30.8% of 80 to 89 years old died and 31.3% of all residents 90 years and older died.
Therefore, the mental health consequences of COVID-19 are also going to increase. Consequently, the numbers of CBD users are set to rise exponentially.
