Your Family – September 2019

72 yourfamily.co.za

FEATURE: CAITLIN GENG PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR GP OR A DOCTOR FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR HEALTH.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

HEALTH FOCUS

WITHTHELEGALISATIONOF

CANNABIDIOL(CBD)EARLIER

THISYEAR,HERE’SWHATYOU

NEEDTOKNOWABOUTTHE

USES,BENEFITSANDSAFETY

OFONEOFMARIJUANA’S

MOSTEFFECTIVE

ACTIVEINGREDIENTS

I

fyou’rehesitantaboutusingaproduct

derivedfrommarijuana,you’renotalone.

AlthoughCBDwaslegalisedforcertainuses

andinspecificamountsasofMaythisyear,

manystillhavetheirreservations.ButCBD’s

gainingpopularityasacommoningredient

inskincare,healthandbeautyproducts(the

LifeRetreatLifestyleShopnowsellsarange

ofCBDbalms,creamsandtinctures)and

foods(Col’Cacchiorecentlyannounced‘Green

Goddess’and‘Not-So-PlainMaryJane’pizzas,

developedwithleadingAfricanCBDbrand

Africanpure).Sowhatdoyouneedtoknow?

CBDwon’tmakeyouhigh

CBDisoneofmanychemicalcompounds

foundincannabisandhempplants,

knownascannabinoids.Anotheris

the main psychoactive ingredient,

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which

provides the ‘high’ typically associated

with smoking, vaping or ingesting

cannabis. CBD isn’t a psychoactive

compound like THC, however, and

doesn’t produce the same results.

According to a report from the World

Health Organisation, there are no health-

related problems associated with the use

of pure CBD and no indication that it has

the potential for dependence or abuse.

CBDhasarangeof potentialhealthbenefits

Althoughmoreresearchisrequired,CBDisregardedasapromisingnew

developmentinvariousareasofhealthcare:

CBD may cause side-effects

While CBD is generally considered safe, it does have potential side-effects,

including fatigue, irritability, nausea, and – like grapefruit juice – could raise

levels of certain other medications in your blood. There’s also concern about

CBD being sold primarily as a supplement instead of a medicinal product,

which means it may not be strictly regulated or ‘pure’. Moreover, there aren’t

yet any strict guidelines for the amount of CBD needed to effectively treat

specific medical conditions. Consult your doctor before using it and ensure it

doesn’t interact with any medications you’re currently taking.

DEPRESSIONANDANXIETY

Studiesconductedinrelationto

anxietydisordershaveshown

greatpromise,withparticipants

beingabletocompleteanxiety-

inducingtasks,suchaspublic

speaking,withsignificantly

reduceddiscomfort,cognitive

impairmentandanxietyafter

takingCBDoil.It’salsobeen

showntohaveaneffectsimilar

toantidepressantmedication,

whichhasbeenlinkedtoitsability

toactonserotoninreceptorsin

thebrain.

HEARTHEALTHAND

LOWERINGBLOODPRESSURE

StudieshaverevealedthatCBD

couldeffectivelylowerblood

pressureandminimisethe

amountbywhichbloodpressure

risesduringstressfulevents.

Thisisthoughttobeduetoits

anxiety-andstress-reducing

properties.Testingonanimals

hasalsodeliveredencouraging

resultsregardingheartdisease–

CBDcouldeffectivelybeusedto

reducecelldeath,oxidativestress

andinflammationassociatedwith

heartdisease,andprevent

cardiacdamage.

PAINRELIEF

Whileresearchconductedon

animalshasfoundCBDtobean

effectivepain-reliever,human

studieshavefoundacombination

ofCBDandTHCtobemost

effective.Thetwocannabinoids

canbefoundintreatmentsfor

multiplesclerosisandarthritis-

relatedpain.

CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS

CBD may be helpful in reducing

symptoms related to cancer, as

well as common side-effects of

cancer treatment such as pain,

vomiting and nausea. During

studies, a number of cancer-

sufferers claimed CBD to be

more effective than the standard

treatments for these symptoms

alone, to which some people

are resistant.

ABOUT CBD