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Is CBD Anti-Inflammatory? Cannabinoids & Inflammation
- Author: Paul McDonald
- Medical Content Reviewer: Dr Shane Jackson
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CBD oil is rapidly growing in popularity, being taken in a wide range of forms such as gummies, edibles and lotions, and being used for a wide range of benefits.
One of these potential well being benefits is centred around taking CBD oil for inflammation. This is becoming more and more common globally, and anecdotal evidence is high, but is CBD really an effective way to reduce inflammation?
In this guide, we will break down the scientific evidence versus the hype and help you to make an educated decision for yourself. But first – why is inflammation such a huge deal?
CBD and Inflammation
Inflammation is behind a wide range of illnesses, health complaints, and forms of pain.
When we think of conditions caused by or exacerbated by inflammation, it’s easy to think of the obvious such as arthritis or joint pain.
However, chronic inflammation can lead to conditions you might have assumed had no connection with inflammatory changes, including but not limited to:
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Some cancers
- Asthma
- Osteoporosis
- Depression
- Autoimmune disorders such as Lupus
Of course, many conditions can also cause inflammation, leading to symptoms that are sore or uncomfortable, meaning this immune response is perhaps a lot more common and troublesome than you’d think.
But what is inflammation and why is it even an issue?
Let’s take a look:
Why Should I Worry About Inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural response to injury and infection. It’s used as a signal to the immune system in order to repair and protect damaged tissue, in addition to battling infection and foreign bodies; such as viruses or bacteria.
Most of the time our body orders the immune system to produce an inflammatory response for good reason, such as to protect us from allergens or other foreign bodies.
Other times, our body may produce inflammation when there is no need to do so, for example in the absence of any injury or infection that would benefit from it.
This is the main cause behind a group of conditions known as autoimmune diseases.
The most common forms of chronic inflammation include:
- Arthritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Additionally, inflammation is interlinked with other diseases including cancer.
Current evidence suggests that 20% of all cancers are caused by chronic infection or other types of chronic inflammation. It’s also implicated as a complicator of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
Even for people without any chronic medical conditions, it’s possible you’re battling inflammation right now.
This is because even the most healthy of bodies are constantly under a barrage of environmental factors that are capable of causing an inflammatory response, such as pollution, allergens, or even stress.
These reactions in the correct situation and at the correct time are beneficial – while they may result in some damage to bodily tissue, this is beneficial for the improvements we experience in healing and combating infections or bacteria.
However, when bodily responses are enacted for the wrong reasons, this tissue damage happens for no reason and the immune system can become harmful.
This can be a real issue if somebody is suffering from a chronic condition that causes constant immune response, that interferes with the immune system’s natural processes, or that encourages a response that isn’t necessarily beneficial.
However if this is continuously happening, it can go beyond what’s necessary and spill into harmful behaviour. Free radicals can begin to attack healthy cells, something which leads to oxidative stress – which is thought to be a potential cause of cancer.
Eating a natural, healthy diet that’s full of antioxidants can help to prevent this, but many people look to supplements to help manage their immune response, which is where CBD could potentially support balance through the endocannabinoid system, also known as the ECS.
Is There Evidence Cannabinoids Can Help With Inflammation?
A growing body of evidence suggests that the compounds found in cannabis, known as cannabinoids, are powerful anti-inflammatories.
Cannabinoids have been found to improve pain management without the associated side effects usually felt from non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
It is thought that these results are explained by the endocannabinoid system and its interactions with the immune system. The ECS helps to maintain homeostasis and support immune function by interacting with cannabinoids around the body.
Methods of Action
Cannabis (including hemp) contains over 100 different cannabinoids, of which THC and CBD are the most well studied.
Cannabinoids interact with the two receptors in the human body CB1 and CB2. Whilst the CB1 receptors in the central nervous system regulate the psychotropic effects of THC and overall perception, the CB2 receptors play a crucial role in inhibiting inflammation, and are found abundantly in immune tissue.
All of this is very positive news for those suffering from inflammation, and does strongly suggest that cannabinoids can help reduce inflammation, but with over 100 different cannabinoids present in the hemp plant, how do we know whether CBD specifically could be of use as an anti-inflammatory?
CBD for Inflammation
CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, is gaining ground through preclinical studies as a tool for managing chronic pain originating from inflammation.
There are some studies that have provided strong evidence for this connection and that are a driving force behind the increased use of CBD for this purpose, including the following findings:
CBD Anti-Inflammatory Studies
- Researchers in 2016applied a variety of doses of topical CBD gel on rats suffering from arthritis for 4 days, noticing a significant improvement in symptoms of pain. This provided a strong indication that CBD has therapeutic potential for the treatment of arthritis, via an anti-inflammatory effect.
- A 2017 study in the journal of pain focused on osteoarthritis in rats and the use of CBD to reduce pain and inflammation. This found that CBD reduced osteoarthritis pain and joint neuropathy, by acting as an anti-inflammatory agent and due to its neuroprotective properties.
How Does CBD Help with Inflammation?
In addition to the way in which CBD inhibits prostaglandin production (discussed above), and the way in which it promotes homeostasis via the endocannabinoid system, there are other methods of action in which the cannabinoid is thought to support with inflammation:
- CBD has been found to stimulate the PPARreceptor, which reduces production of the molecules that encourage inflammation and increases antioxidant production.
- Studies on rodents have found that CBD protects joints from damage related to arthritis inflammation by reducing the production of tumor necrosis factor,a natural pro-inflammatory.
This range of interactions is likely to be the reason many people have claimed to have beneficial results from using CBD for joint pain and inflammation, even those with drastically different causes behind inflammatory symptoms.
What Else Can I Do To Reduce Inflammation?
While more research is needed to fully understand how CBD helps to reduce inflammation, the evidence so far is very positive and shows a strong connection between CBD use and reduced inflammatory symptoms.
Despite this, the results you potentially obtain from your CBD use will be even greater if combined with other proven ways to fight inflammation.
The most common of these are:
- Regular, low impact exercise such as swimming, walking, yoga
- Omega-3 fatty acids, either through diet or supplement
- Healthy diets that are high in vegetation and antioxidants
The diet is perhaps the most important aspect as if you are constantly eating foods that are known to cause or exacerbate inflammation, you may be undoing some of the benefits you are achieving through taking CBD oil.
In the same way, eating a good, clean diet can improve the results you get from taking CBD by keeping your body free of inflammation-causing compounds and keep it full of antioxidants.
The basic rules to follow here are:
- Drink lots of water
- Avoid refined sugars
- Don’t overdo it with dairy
- Eat as many leafy greens as possible (kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc)
- Eat as much alkaline foods as possible (apple, banana, watermelon, etc)
Terpenes and Inflammation
Hemp also naturally contains other compounds outside of cannabinoids, including terpenes.
These essential oils are what gives cannabis its strong aroma and flavour, but they are also found in other plants and vegetables such as citrus fruits or mint.
Research suggests that terpenes can partner with cannabinoids and influence the overall effect(s) felt by users of cannabinoids. For example:
- Caryophyllene, has a peppery flavour profile and can be found in cloves or hops. A 2011 research studyanalysed inflammation of the colon, and suggested Caryophyllene had anti-inflammatory effects in mice with colitis. Another study, focused on arthritis in rats and found the terpene significantly decreased arthritis and thus reduced inflammation.
- Pinene, found in pine trees and citrus fruits. Research in 2014analysed the effects of pinene in human cells found in healthy cartilage, finding that the compound had selective anti-inflammatory properties. Another study focused on deriving inflammatory and neuropathic pain models in mice, suggesting “pinene may be of potential interest for the management of inflammatory and neuropathic pain”.
The Best CBD Oil for Inflammation
If you’ve decided you want to try CBD oil to see whether it can help with your inflammatory symptoms, your next question is likely which type do I buy?
It’s a good question because there are countless CBD oil products available, and the lack of regulation around CBD products means they are not at all created equal.
The most important thing is to find a brand you can trust to create a high quality product, and to do this, you should look out for:
- Third party test results. A company that doesn’t provide this likely has something to hide.
- CBD oil that is full Spectrum or Broad Spectrum. This simply means it contains all of the other beneficial ingredients of the hemp plant such as omega-3, vitamins, minerals, terpenes and flavonoids, many of which are beneficial for general well being in their own right.
- Organic CBD oil, as pesticides and herbicides can be toxic or even inflammatory.
As long as you be sure to look out for the above, any CBD oil you do purchase is likely to be a sound choice.
Ahmed is the founder of Nature & Bloom. When he’s not working, you can find him travelling, working out or hanging out with friends and family.
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Disclaimer: Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Nature & Bloom and its staff. This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention for any disease. Nature & Bloom products have not been evaluated by the MHRA.