What’s All the “Buzz” About CBD
By Robert M. Murphy, ND
the “Buzz” or psychoactive/euphoric effect which its THC contain- ing close cousin Cannabis does. CBD is a phytocannabinoid and as such, is plant derived. There are also synthetic cannabinoids such as the prescription drug Marinol. The third division of can- nabinoids are the endocannabinoids that are part of the “endocan- nabinoid system”(ECS), which functions inside our bodies as a homeostatic regulator.
Y History of CBD Reportedly the cannabinoids THC and CBD were fi rst isolated
in 1940 by R. Adams at the Washington, DC Narcotics Laboratory, but the medicinal use of these compounds as Cannabis are found over 5,000 years ago in the Chinese pharmacopea. Cannabis was also used in Greek and Islamic medicine and was listed in the US Pharmacopea from 1850-1937. The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act made cannabis exorbitantly expensive and by 1970 it was placed on Schedule I as a restricted drug with the DEA.
es, there’s been a lot of talk more recently about CBD, the cannabinoid derived from Cannabis and Hemp plants. Ironi- cally, Hemp derived CBD or Cannabidiol does not provide
The grandfather of cannabinoid research the Israeli scientist
Raphael Mechoulam discovered the chemical structure of CBD in 1963. He would go on in the late 90’s with fellow researcher Ben- Shabat to discover the “entourage effect” that CBD had with other compounds found, for example, in hemp oil such as terpenes and biofl avonoids, which in combination with the CBD have a more profound physiological action. It was also discovered in the late 1990’s that our human bodies, like all vertebrates, had an endo- cannabinoid system complete with its own endocannabinoids (AEA and 2-AG) and cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2).
The Endocannabinoid System
The author Ethan Russo, MD states, “Taken together, the three components of the ECS, the endocannabinoids, their regula- tory enzymes and receptors, can be thought of as a key mediator of physiological homeostasis, thus ensuring that various bodily systems function within tight parameters with neither a defi ciency nor excess of activity.” The Endocannabinoid system is active throughout the body including the central and peripheral nervous, gastrointestinal, immune, endocrine, musculoskeletal and integumentary systems.
To date, there are many studies in animals, in vitro (test tube), human anecdotes and case studies which demonstrate the wide range of potential medicinal actions of cannabinoids including CBD. It should be kept in mind that we do not have the number of large human clinical trials that we need to prove the wide po- tential of applications which may be derived from these cannabi- noids. Some of the human studies have involved combinations of CBD and THC, like the prescription drug Sativex for MS muscle spasm and there has been recent FDA approval of GW Pharma- ceuticals’ new drug Epidiolex containing purifi ed CBD for the treatment of two rare seizure disorders in children.
The educator and physician Stefan Kuprowsky, ND, a na- turopathic doctor in Vancouver, BC, points to the wide array of potential conditions we may treat with CBD owing to the broad homeostatic and regulatory actions the ECS has on the body. These include CBD’s potential to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, antipsychotic, anti-ischemic (improve blood fl ow), reduc- tion in seizure activity, anti-infl ammatory, relief of Crohn’s disease, neuroprotection (after a stroke or concussion), joint and muscle pain relief, antidiabetic, relief of psoriasis and bone stimulant.
26 Natural Nutmeg - March 2019
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