The Story About CBD (A 3-part series)

Welcome to our 3-part series on CBD. Here we’ll tackle all the questions you’ve had about CBD but didn’t know who to ask.

On to part one: CBD Basics!

CBD Basics

CBD seems to have something for everyone. It may be hard to believe, but if you have been following the news media, you know that CBD has myriad benefits.

You may have heard how it helps with anxiety, depression, pain, sleep, inflammation, blood sugar balance, digestive issues, seizures, memory, PMS, and much more.

So, where’s the catch? Is this for real, or just the latest fad, to be debunked on the next round of news articles?  In fact, when I first heard about CBD, I thought it was just an excuse to get high. I have learned a lot since then, which I am happy to share here!

I can tell you, there is no catch – it’s just biology. 

Let’s start with the basics. Both the hemp and marijuana are derived from the cannabis sativa plant and each has each been bred for specific purposes—one for CBD (Cannabidiol) and the other, for THC (delta 9- tetrahydrocannabinol), both being the most abundant of the over 100 cannabinoids in the plant, along with therapeutic terpenes that give the plants their distinctive smell.  

We are generally more familiar with marijuana, commonly referred to as cannabis, known for its preponderance of THC which produces its distinctive “high”. Hemp, on the other hand, contains far less THC, and CBD products derived from it must contain 0.3% or less of THC to be sold outside of legally licensed dispensaries.   

It turns out that a lot of the medicinal benefits attributed to THC are in fact due to CBD. In fact, the plants have been bred over the years to maximize THC and minimize CBD, so we’ve been missing some of its benefits. No more.

We now have over 8000 studies and it’s growing rapidly.  CBD has entered the world of medical care, as well. In fact, there is now a plant-derived CBD pharmaceutical called Epidiolex for children with intractable seizures. More on this later.

But just as marijuana has been widely misunderstood as a medical treatment, plenty of misconceptions now surround the use of CBD.

Read part two in our CBD series: “How CBD Works and Its Uses.”