Before buying any hemp product, you have to determine what are the pros and cons of CBD oil. Given that this is the underlying substance behind every hemp product, a user has to determine if cannabidiol (CBD) suits their wellness goals. 

Industrial hemp is full of things called cannabinoids and terpenes. By extracting them for the hemp plant and incorporating them into products such as CBD edibles, CBD vape pens, CBD creams, and more, you can help your body's endocannabinoid system regulate crucial processes that ensure our wellness like managing pain and stress and helping with sleep. 

Regardless of hemp’s beneficial effects, there is still a bad stigma surrounding CBD. Most people associate CBD with marijuana and THC and get worried because they believe that hemp-derived CBD will cause psychoactive effects. In other words, they think that CBD can get them high even though this is not the case.

In this article, we will go through the pros and cons of CBD oil and why you should feel safe using these wellness items. 

How do we use CBD oil?

CBD oil, or CBD tincture, is the liquid form of the compounds that we get from hemp. When we perform the hemp extraction, initially we will get a full-spectrum CBD extract. This is a viscous, honey like substance.  Through additional processing, we can pull out specific compounds to form derivatives of the full spectrum oil such as broad-spectrum CBD extract and CBD isolate. 

CBD extracts are commonly infused in other products. This is the precursor that companies use to make CBD gummies, CBD lotions, CBD vape oils, and various other medical hemp applications. Cannabinoids can be found in various other everyday plants like black pepper, cocoa, broccoli, but only in small quantities making these substances not very common in nature. This is why companies need to use hemp as the best natural source of these chemicals. Their low THC content mixed with high CBD content makes them optimal candidates. 

In order to keep the CBD extract as natural as possible while improving taste and increasing bioavailability, these extracts are mixed into CBD tinctures. A CBD tincture is the result of mixing hemp extract with some sort of carrier oil like MCT oil, hemp seed oil, olive oil, etc... These oils bind to the cannabinoids and help them get absorbed through the body’s membranes while also acting to dilute the extract for improved taste and texture. Not only do these carrier oils increase the potency of cannabinoids, but they can also have beneficial properties of their own.

When it comes to how CBD works with our internal mechanisms, we still have a lot of questions, but science has been making great breakthroughs. Most experts believe that these compounds work by interacting with the cannabinoid receptors in our body’s endocannabinoid system. By binding to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, cannabinoids can improve biochemical signaling throughout our body which helps to regulate important internal processes. The endocannabinoid system has been shown to play an important role in sleep, pain management, cellular and muscular regeneration, stress management, etc...

CBD has been shown to exhibit exceptionally strong anxiolytic properties, meaning that it can be a very effective way to help reduce stress levels. A lot of people who currently use CBD describe it as a crucial component to their daily routine and that without it they definitely notice heightened feelings of anxiety and discomfort. 

The truth is, our knowledge of cannabinoids and how they interact with us is still somewhat limited. What we do know is that CBD has a very high correlation with quality of life improvements in surveyed individuals and that in clinical studies cannabinoids have been shown to improve our internal biochemical signaling abilities helping us remain healthy. While not yet approved by the FDA, CBD has started to become extensively researched for its medical benefits, especially for its benefits in individuals with epilepsy.

What are the CBD oil pros?

There are a lot of potential pros to using CBD, but listed below are the most prevalent reasons people use hemp products. 

The serious CBD brands, such as Sivan CBD, utilize the purest organic hemp for their items. This hemp is quality controlled and grown in optimal conditions to ensure consistency. Additionally, every batch of end product is thoroughly tested for pesticides, heavy metals, toxins, chemical residuals, etc… in order to guarantee safe consumption. Nothing is synthetic and everything can be found organically in nature. 

Cannabidiol has a broad range of therapeutic benefits. By interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system and helping our organs communicate effectively with each other, CBD can have a wholesome impact on the human body. Not only can certain formulas target specific benefits more closely, but the CBD and other cannabinoids can have knock-on effects that aid in restoring a more general homeostasis throughout our body. 

The great thing about medical hemp is that it rarely causes side effects and the side effects users do report are short lived and minimal. It is nearly impossible to fatally overdose on CBD as well, so even taking the products in higher quantities won’t cause any serious effects. As such, you can, and should, use CBD every day as it allows your body to accumulate the compounds in your system making the treatments more effective. This is why CBD is a prime candidate for people dealing with chronic pain problems.

Unlike medical marijuana, medical hemp won’t get you high. The product is capped at 0.3% THC, which means that you won’t experience any psychoactive effects unless you take an abnormally large dose. Usually 5 - 7 servings in one sitting is what is needed to begin to even start inducing mild intoxication. 

What are the CBD oil cons?

There are a few things you need to pay attention to when considering hemp products. Some of the cons listed below aren’t necessarily related to CBD oil itself, rather they are referencing external factors of the industry itself.

Due to the fact that the cultivation of hemp and CBD oil extraction is pricey, this is often reflected in the price of hemp products. Users can expect to pay anywhere around $1.50 to $8.00 per serving of quality CBD depending on dosage size and application. The constant usage required inorder to appreciate the full benefits of CBD can make this a pricey solution. At the same time, however, you’re paying for a much safer and natural product to deliver targeted remedies with additional knock on effects. A lot of users have reported that hemp actually cut their medical bills DOWN after subtracting all the other treatments they were able to eliminate after using CBD. 

Although cannabinoids are generally regarded as safe, they can still cause minor problems in certain individuals. For example, it has been reported to cause drowsiness, dizziness, changes in blood pressure, appetite loss, and dry mouth for some. Most of these issues, however, were reported to be very mild and short lived, going away within as soon as 3 hours. Most people will never experience these symptoms, but some more sensitive individuals may encounter them and they should be mentioned nevertheless. 

The US government is doing its best to legalize and regulate the safe production of hemp and hemp products in the country, but due to how legislation is passed and enforced by states it is a long and messy process to get done. This lack of oversight leads to some companies taking advantage by producing cheap synthetic products, false advertising, spreading misinformation about hemp’s properties, etc... Because of this, a lot of people end up getting something closer to snake oil than hemp oil and unfortunately it ruins their impression of cannabinoids. This is why finding a reputable manufacturer, like Sivan CBD,  is absolutely crucial.

References: 

Corroon, J., Phillips, J., (2018), A Cross-Sectional Study of Cannabidiol Users, Cannabis and cannabinoid research, New Rochelle, NY, the USA

Outline: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043845/

Huestis, M., Solimini, R., Pichini, S., Pacifici, R., Carlier, J., Busardò, F., P., (2019), Cannabidiol Adverse Effects and Toxicity, Current neuropharmacology, Sharjah, U.A.E.

Outline: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7052834/