5 Myths and Misconceptions around CBD
CBD is massively popular. The world is finally taking notice of the promise it holds for the health and wellbeing of us and our pets.
But as with anything that’s this popular and promising—and, of course, this new and exciting—there’s bound to be an excess of information around it. And not all of it true and accurate.
So how does one get to the goods? How does one filter through the sludge of fiction to get to the clean and clear facts?
Well, this article is a good place to start.
CBD gets you high
Myth.
You must be thinking of THC, CBD’s bad boy cousin.
THC gets you high by activating the CB1 receptor in our endocannabinoid system (ECS). That’s right, just like our circulatory system and our nervous system, we have an internal structure called the ECS that plays a role in regulating a range of functions and processes, including:
- sleep
- mood
- appetite
- memory
- reproduction and fertility
The ECS is a cell-signalling system that works with the cannabinoids that our body naturally creates. But when you introduce external ones, like THC, it deals with them too.
The fact is, unlike THC, CBD is really, really bad at activating the CB1 receptor. CBD is psychoactive, but it’s not intoxicating. CBD does not get you high.
In fact, something called the entourage effect suggests that CBD actually interferes with the activity of the CB1 receptor, especially in the presence of THC.
CBD doesn’t work
Myth.
We’ve all heard this one. We’ve all got a friend who’s taken CBD and didn’t feel any better. Thing is, did they have something they were trying to treat? Did they have a condition that CBD could have helped?
Taking CBD when you’re fine is… fine, but it’s like taking an aspirin when you don’t have a headache.
Before you try CBD (and before you go around telling people it doesn’t work), assess if there’s anything you need relief from. There’s a whole slew of things that CBD can help with. Now it’s up to you to decide for yourself if it works.
CBD works the same for everyone
Myth.
This one should be a no-brainer. Everyone’s different, and everyone reacts to external stimuli differently. Will you and your grandma feel the same after you each have a beer?
How your body reacts to CBD, and how much it absorbs, will depend on a number of physiological factors, including:
- metabolism
- biochemistry
- genetics
Remember the ECS? Well, everyone’s is a little different. While your bestie might suffer from anxiety and respond really well to CBD drops, your receptors might already be more sensitive to endocannabinoids (the ones that your body produces naturally) that combat stress, so your body doesn’t need the added benefits of CBD.
Bottom line is people are different, so they react differently to things they expose themselves to. The only thing you can do is try it for yourself, and remember to always start low and go slow.
CBD is addictive
Myth.
The world is full of harmful substances that our bodies and minds can become dependent on. CBD is not one of them.
According to a World Health Organization report, “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential… To date, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”
That includes addiction.
CBD oil is all the same
Myth.
CBD is CBD. That’s true. But not all CBD oil products are made up of the same stuff.
Some oils are called isolate. This means that the oil is roughly 99.9% pure CBD. To get to this level of purity, the original plant material has to go through a number of steps that remove all the other compounds found in cannabis.
When you don’t extract all those other compounds, you get something called full spectrum CBD oil, so called because it contains multiple plant extracts, including essential oils, terpenes, and other cannabinoids. So, yes, technically some full spectrum oil might have THC in it, but the levels will be so low as to be unnoticable.
Isolate and full spectrum both have health benefits, but they tend to treat different conditions. Do your research and take a look at the labels before you buy.
