According to a Swiss study published in 2018, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men, suffer from various gastrointestinal disorders. This can include Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO), Ulcerative Colitis and leaky gut. These ailments are also exacerbated by stress and anxiety, causing pain and disruption in the quality of life for people worldwide.
Why are many people with these conditions beginning to find relief from using CBD? It is all due to our endocannabinoid system (ECS) and how CBD works with that system to support a healthy inflammation/immune response in our body. Understanding the endocannabinoid system is key to answering why it is important to a healthy digestive system and how CBD can help.
The discovery of our endocannabinoid system began in 1988, when two scientists discovered that receptor sites in the brain respond to compounds found in cannabis. These cannabinoid receptors turned out to be the most prevalent type of neurotransmitter receptor in the brain.
This, and other discoveries led scientists to a previously unknown molecular signaling system which was then named the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Our ECS is involved in many physiological functions within our bodies, working to keep our physical systems in balance, regardless of environment or external factors that might throw them off. This state of balance is referred to as homeostasis. When our internal environment is in a state of imbalance, our body synthesizes endocannabinoids which then interact with our cannabinoid receptors to create a chemical response working to return us to homeostasis.
A condition known as Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency causes a lack in ECS signaling. This condition occurs from a variety of causes: our body is not integrating enough endocannabinoids, our body isn’t producing enough cannabinoid receptors, too many enzymes that breaking down cannabinoids, or environmental causes such as foods and medications that decrease ECS signaling.
By taking CBD, phyto-cannabinoids contained in cannabis can be used to offset these deficiencies by working with our CB receptors to bring a system lacking the proper levels back into balance.
Our brains and our digestive system are riddled with CB1 and CB2 receptors, which may explain why CBD addresses both the inflammation within our gut and the anxiety people with gastrointestinal disorders often have.
CBD from hemp is high in cannabinoids with very low levels of THC, eliminating psychotropic effects on our brains. That makes it an attractive option for people desperately looking for answers to help improve their quality of life.
It is important to understand that if you decide to treat your symptoms with CBD you should consider the following:
- Always consult with your doctor before adding CBD to be sure it does not interfere with current medications.
- Use CBD that is organic and mixed only with other organic ingredients.
- Make sure that the CBD provider you use has third party lab testing.
- Start with a low amount (25 mg maximum) before bedtime and add another 25 mg in the morning if the CBD is well tolerated. Increase incrementally if needed but proceed slowly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5787318/Epidemiology of gastrointestinal symptoms in young and middle-aged Swiss adults: prevalence’s and comorbidities in a longitudinal population cohort over 28 years
