Cannabidiol (CBD) came out to the world in a big way after this simple plant chemical stopped an epileptic seizure in its tracks on U.S. national television. In the time since, many enthusiasts have realized that this miracle compound can stop spasms, calm anxiety, and soothe those in chronic pain. But, what is CBD and how does it work? How is it different from THC? Here is everything you need to know about CBD:
What is cannabidiol (CBD)?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the most prevalent chemical compounds in the cannabis plant. Unlike the more famous molecule, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD is completely nonpsychoactive.
Don’t expect to get “high” off of this organic chemical, however. CBD is all relaxation without intoxication.
While CBD still has an effect on your body, consuming CBD by itself isn’t going to send you on the cerebral adventure associated with THC. For decades, medical professionals and the general public overlooked CBD because psychoactive cannabis took center stage.
Now, the medical potential of CBD has taken cannabis to mainstream audiences. Preclinical trials over the past four decades have found that the cannabinoid shows promise as an:
- anti-inflammatory
- antioxidant
- neuroprotectant
- anxiolytic
- antidepressant
- analgesic
- anti-tumoral agent
- anti-psychotic
CBD is often used by patients in the form of an oil. Patients with more chronic conditions such as cancer and epilepsy often use medical cannabis oil extracted from high-CBD varieties of cannabis.
How does CBD work?
Most predominant inside the resin glands (trichomes) of the female cannabis plant, CBD is one of over 80 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are agonists that bind to special receptors on your cells, called cannabinoid receptors.
Certain receptors are heavily concentrated in the central nervous system while others are found in almost every organ of the body. Cannabinoid receptors are even found in the skin, digestive tract, and even in the reproductive organs.
You can think of agonists as keys and cannabinoid receptors as locks. By consuming cannabis, you are taking in agonists that interact with different locks on cells in the body. Together, these cell receptors make up a larger endocannabinoid system (ECS).
The ECS is a vast network of cell receptor proteins with many functions. Some describe the ECS as the greatest neurotransmitter system in the body. It lends a hand in seemingly just about everything, including:
- mood
- memory
- motor control
- immune function
- reproduction
- pain perception
- appetite
- sleep
- bone development
Four primary purposes of the ECS include:
1. neuroprotection
2. stress recovery
3. immune balance
4. homeostatic regulation (the system that creates optimum energy balance in the body).
Somehow, CBD seems to tap into this balancing system to produce its therapeutic effects. CBD is able to interact with cells in our bodies because the molecule has a similar composition to similar chemicals that the human body produces naturally, called endocannabinoids.
Endo means inside and cannabinoid refers to action on cannabinoid receptors. In contrast, the cannabinoids in the cannabis plant are technically called phytocannabinoids.
It’s not often that a plant compound can make headlines over and over again. However, CBD is a phytocannabinoid with some serious life-saving potential.
CBD vs. THC
As mentioned above, THC is psychoactive while CBD is not. While both compounds are cannabinoids, they each interact with the body in different ways. THC directly engages the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), which is concentrated largely in the central nervous system.
CBD, however, doesn’t engage CB1 in the same way. As explained by neurologist and medical researcher Dr. Ethan Russo in an interview with Project CBD:
[CBD] doesn’t tend to bind directly to what’s called the orthosteric site [on cannabinoid receptors] where THC binds. Rather, it binds on what’s called an allosteric site, another site on the receptor, and so it alters the binding of both THC and the endogenous cannabinoids, the endocannabinoids.
So, what’s the verdict in a THC vs. CBD mashup? CBD and THC both connect on receptors in different locations. While THC directly engages the cannabinoid through the orthosteric site, CBD seems to regulate or fine tune that interaction by connecting to a separate receptor location.
This fact is perhaps what enables CBD to modulate the psychoactivity of THC. Simply stated, if you’re feeling a little anxious after some cannabis, it could mean too much THC and not enough CBD. Evidence suggests that CBD reduces the psychoactive high from THC.”
As Russo suggests, CBD also alters the ability for the body’s own endocannabinoids to engage with the primary binding site. This is theorized to alter “endocannabinoid tone”, which could be quite beneficial for certain medical conditions.
In a 2008 paper, Russo hypothesizes that some people may experience an “endocannabinoid deficiency”. He speculates that this deficiency is one of the culprits behind migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
Should more trials of CBD show positive results, the cannabinoid may prove to be a powerful, therapeutic tool for conditions related to the ECS.
How else does CBD work?
There is still much to learn about CBD. However, scientists have discovered that the compound does a lot more than engage cannabinoid receptors. The effects of CBD in the body are broad and far-reaching. Thus far, the cannabinoid is known to also directly or indirectly affect the following:
- Vanilloid receptors (important for pain modulation)
- Adenosine receptors (important for the sleep-wake cycle)
- Serotonin receptors (important for mood and stress management)
What is CBD used to treat?
The therapeutic value of CBD is almost unbelievable. For decades, outdated laws have banned a plant that produces what may become one of the most important medicines for modern disease.
CBD is polypharmacological, meaning that it can affect multiple different pathways in the body at once. This makes it extremely difficult to study, as it is almost impossible to tell what effect these different interactions have upon each other. However, regardless of a lack of high-quality human trials, many medical cannabis patients find relief with this calming cannabinoid. Here are a few of the common reasons patients use CBD:
