The Benefits of Hemp Oil for Pain

The cannabis plant has, historically, been recognized as a medicine. Records of use even date back thousands of years. Today, science is giving validation to old beliefs. Legal in all 50 states, the extracted oils are exploding across the country appearing in health stores, online markets, and even gas stations. Availability is increasing fast as people begin the recognize the innumerable health benefits of this natural, over-the-counter medicine.

Physical Pain

The most widely known, and most psychoactive substance in the plant is called THC. This is what gives the user a “stoned” feeling. Conversely, CBD, the active substance in hemp oil, will not create these mental effects. However, much more profound medical properties seem to come from the unlikely, non-psychoactive candidate: CBD. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in 2010 tested cannabinoids on intractable pain, and made some surprising finds. They administered a THC extract to one group, and a CBD/THC extract to another. Surprisingly, the only group that had a significant reduction in pain was the one given CBD. THC alone did not treat the pain at all, suggesting that CBD is the primary cause of pain reduction and that hemp oil for pain is an effective treatment.

Not every function of CBD on pain has been discovered, but one way the extracts treat pain is by reducing inflammation. One study found that hemp oil is an effective treatment for arthritis, and that use carries no side effects. Another study that looked at CBD’s effects on Alzheimer’s found that the substance reduced neuronal inflammation, and even led to the growth and development of brain cells.

Gastrointestinal Pain

CBD can also mediate pain by controlling nausea and vomiting. When the CB-1 brain receptor is agonized by the chemical, the recipient will be freed from the urge to relinquish their stomach contents. The available treatments for severe nausea are very few and ineffective, making hemp oil’s efficacy in the matter absolutely astonishing. It has even become one of the most promising treatments for chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Psychological Pain

Those who have it know that mental pain can be just as debilitating as the physical. Thankfully, treatment using hemp oil for pain is not limited to the physical. A study, published in CNS & Neurological Disorders – Drug Targets, explored the effect of CBD on situationally stressed mice. The mice dosed with the drug were found to have fewer symptoms of anxiety and fewer symptoms of depression.

Restating the facts, we know from human trials that CBD is not psychoactive, and carries no known side effects, meaning this drug could be a miracle for those who don’t want to take dangerous and intoxicating prescription medicines. As more research is conducted on hemp oil, it would not be surprising if more medical benefits were discovered. Already known to treat pain, inflammation, seizures, nausea, anxiety, and much more, the plant extract is the closest thing we’ve discovered to a panacea.