By now you’ve most likely seen the term “CBD” over the past couple of months and wondered what all the hype was about. Late last month, Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp for the first time in over 80 years. Why is this significant? Hemp-derived CBD is no longer part of the Controlled Substance Act. Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is a powerful non-psychoactive plant extract that has been used medicinally for over a thousand years. CBD is one of at least 113 cannabinoids extracted from the cannabis plant. Many people still confuse hemp and marijuana as being the same, however they are very different. Marijuana has high amounts of the psychoactive compound THC, or delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that causes a high. Hemp on the other hand has trace amounts of THC. In fact, in order to be legally cultivated, hemp must contain less than 0.3% THC. Until the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, the laws treated hemp as if it were the same substance as its THC-laden relative. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp has rightfully been removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and is now considered an agricultural product.
CBD is Going Mainstream
CBD is quickly becoming a mainstream ingredient within the wellness community as the benefits that are being reported range from reduced anxiety, less stress, less arthritic and joint discomfort, better mood, a more peaceful state of mind and restful sleep. CBD was approved for the treatment of epilepsy earlier last year by the FDA. Athlete’s Best™ founders father and son Dr. Jim & Kris Vigue, added CBD into their product line after successfully eliminating their golden retriever’s epilepsy with CBD. This inspired them to seek out and eventually provide what they believe are the highest quality CBD products available on the market.
Types of CBD Oil Products
Everyone is different with how much CBD they will need. Most research suggests starting with a small amount and increasing the dosage until the desired results are achieved.
The most common types of CBD products on the market include the following:
Tinctures/Drops: Tinctures are the most popular method to use CBD Oil as it’s easy to gauge exactly how much CBD you are ingesting. With a tincture, you simply use a dropper and place drops under the tongue for 60 seconds. These are typically the most pure products on the market and offer quick relief with benefits appearing as soon as 15-30 minutes after consuming. Tinctures are a great way to gradually increase the dosage.
Athlete’s Best CBD Tinctures 500mg | 1000mg | 1500mg
Capsules: Capsules are a convenient way to get an exact dosage of CBD. Dosages vary, but typically they will contain 10-25mg of CBD per capsule. Look for water soluble CBD capsules as they offer 4-8x greater absorption over typical capsules. Unlike tinctures where you can control your dosage with just a few drops, the capsules are an exact dosage.
Athlete’s Best 25mg Water Soluble CBD Capsules
Topical Balms: These are meant to benefit skin, joint and muscle help by being absorbed via the skin and through the dermal layers. This allows the cannabinoids to be delivered directly into the bloodstream by bypassing the metabolic process. This is a great way to get a direct dosage of CBD at the area in which it is applied. This works great on skin related issues and precise muscle & joint discomfort.
Athlete’s Best CBD Recovery Balm 500mg | 1000mg
Edibles: CBD edibles are more of a novelty item as the amounts of beneficial CBD are negligible at the point of consumption. Gummies, coffees, and chocolates may be a satisfying way to use CBD oil, but it’s very difficult to judge the quality or actual amount of CBD you’re ingesting.
Hemp Oil vs CBD Oil
Hemp Oil and CBD Oil are often confused as being the same. Hemp oil does not contain the beneficial cannabinoids such as CBD, and are the only products currently being sold on Amazon. You cannot purchase CBD oil from Amazon – the products are not allowed to be sold on there at this time. Even if you search “CBD OIL” on Amazon, it will produce hundreds of results, but again, these are NOT products that contain the beneficial cannabinoids or terpenes. The hemp seed oil you might have seen in local stores is extracted from the seeds of the plant. Hemp seed oil is popular because it serves as a source of important nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids and proteins, but does NOT contain CBD or other supporting cannabinoids.
Is CBD Oil Legal?
As mentioned earlier, under the strict regulations of the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD products that are derived from industrial hemp with less than 0.3% THC are being sold legally. The Farm Bill reworked the federal government’s definition of hemp to include its “extracts, cannabinoids and derivatives”, meaning that cannabidiol (CBD) is now legal in the United States.
How Does CBD Effect The Body?
CBD is effective in its many applications because there are specific receptors throughout our bodies that react and bind with CBD. These receptors comprise what is called the endocannabinoid system (ECS for short). There are two types of receptors within the ECS that react to cannabinoids: CB1 and CB2.
Cannabinoids and their receptors (CB1 and CB2) work much like a lock and key.
This collection of cell receptors and corresponding molecules are located throughout our body – in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. Though it performs different tasks in each tissue, its goal is always homeostasis, or optimal balance within our body.
CB1 receptors are abundant in the central nervous system while CB2 receptors are more often found on immune cells, in the gastrointestinal tract, and in the peripheral nervous system.
Because cannabinoid receptors are found in so many places in the body, they are crucial for optimal health. In fact, they play a significant role in regulating many bodily functions like:
- Sleep
- Appetite, digestion, hunger
- Mood
- Motor control
- Immune function
- Reproduction and fertility
- Pleasure and reward
- Comfort
- Memory
- Temperature regulation
When CBD is taken, the cannabinoids act as keys that fit within the CB1 and CB2 receptors and tell our body when to get these processes started and when it’s time to stop. When this system is disrupted, you may experience dysfunction in some or all of the bodily processes listed above. This is where CBD comes in to help.
As a general rule of thumb, those looking to boost your mood, improve sleep, relieve headaches or nausea, or reduce stress can take smaller daily doses. If you’re looking to reduce inflammation, improve arthritis symptoms, combat anxiety or relieve symptoms of epilepsy, go with a larger daily dose.
Potential CBD Oil Benefits with Studies
1. Relieves Discomfort & Inflammation.
CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammatory markers in rodents in this study from 2012.
2. Reduces Anxiety
CBD has shown to reduce anxiety in patients with social anxiety disorder and researchers suggest that it may also be effective for panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22729452
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079847/
3. May Treat Seizures & Other Neurological Disorders
Our story of how we cured our golden retriever’s epilepsy with CBD is just one example.
4. Nausea Relief
A 2012 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology found that CBD has anti-nausea effects.
5. Lowers Incidence of Diabetes
A 2006 study found that the incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice went from 86% in non-treated mice to an incidence of 30% in CBD-treated mice. CBD benefits also showed a significant reduction of plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Resource: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16698671
6. Promotes Cardiovascular Health
A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that CBD protects against the vascular damage caused by a high glucose environment, inflammation or the induction of type 2 diabetes in animal models.
Resource: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22670794
Not all CBD Products are Created Equally
Quality is of the utmost importance when it comes to CBD. According to the American Journal of Medicine, there are around 700 different CBD branded products currently on the market. Only 30% of those tested accurately for the levels that were stated on the labels. Most brands contained too little CBD to provide any potential medicinal benefit, and others had too much THC that would produce a high. The industry is not regulated, which has lead to a lot of “cannabis cowboys” pop up with low quality and potentially dangerous products.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the cannabis plant absorbs a great deal from its environment. The quality of soil, air and water are all essential when it comes to cannabis.
Athlete’s Best™ has been in the supplement industry for over a decade and produce all of their products in an FDA Inspected Facility with Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and provide Certificate of Analysis and Lab Reports. Their CBD products are made with the highest quality Full Spectrum phytocannabinoid-rich hemp oil. They contain no solvents, no THC, no heavy metals, no pesticides, no bacteria or mold. All products come from organically grown cannabinoid-rich hemp plants that are naturally high in CBD. Their unique strains of hemp contain high amounts of CBD along with other beneficial cannabinoids, which provide them with naturally Full Spectrum 0.0% THC products. Most Full Spectrum CBD products on the market today contain trace amounts of THC, which can still lead to a false drug test. Professional athletes, first responders and those in the military cannot afford to have a false test. Athlete’s Best™ extraction process removes 100% of the THC from the finished product, yet leaves all other beneficial cannabinoids & terpenes in tact. This means that all of the synergistic compounds found in the plants have evolved naturally to support a high amount of cannabinoids.
With the 80 year ban on hemp having been lifted in December, many more studies will be released in the following years demonstrating the benefits and clinical potential of CBD.
If you’re ready to give the highest quality CBD a try, Athlete’s Best offers a 45-Day 100% Money Back Guarantee!
