17 Conditions CBD Oil Might Help With [NEW Studies!]

With the recent full-scale FDA approval of Epidiolex, there is little question regarding CBD’s medicinal value. Multi-stage clinical trials for epilepsy clearly show that it does.

However, CBD oil remains squarely in the spotlight for far more than epilepsy treatments. Many acknowledge CBD oil for its anti-inflammatory properties. They also recognize its ability to help with anxiety, insomnia, and pain symptoms.

Already, there is a significant body of scientific research outlining the multitude of possible CBD oil benefits. This article focuses on 17 medical conditions that cannabidiol could help with, although there are potentially many more.

What Conditions Does CBD Help With?

CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in marijuana and hemp. As a result, people of all ages use it to try and combat a wide variety of medical issues. According to a study in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, CBD has several important properties:

POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF CBD

Understanding the Legal Status of CBD Oil in the United States

Most CBD oil that consumers buy online or in stores comes from industrial hemp containing a maximum of 0.3% THC. This is the maximum permitted amount of THC per the 2018 Farm Bill, a piece of legislation that removed hemp from the list of controlled substances. As a result, companies like Premium Jane can ship their products to most states with no issues.

However, residents of Idaho should note that the state’s maximum THC limit for CBD products is 0.1% THC. In Kentucky, CBD products must contain no THC whatsoever.

Any cannabis plant containing more than 0.3% of the intoxicating compound is classified as a federally illegal substance. Consequently, only residents of states where recreational marijuana is legal, or individuals with MMJ cards living in states with medical marijuana programs, can purchase CBD from such plants.

Now that we’ve clarified the legal status of CBD let’s check out how it could help with the following 17 medical conditions!

17 Conditions CBD Oil Could Help You With & Scientific Research

Please note that CBD oil itself is not FDA-approved for any medical condition. At present, the FDA only approves Epidiolex, a pharmaceutical drug, for Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients aged 1+.

Therefore, we must point out that CBD is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any medical condition. Further clinical research is required for CBD to be considered a practical medicine, although existing data is promising.

1 – Symptoms Relating to Cancer Treatment

CBD should not be considered a cure for cancer, no matter what you have heard or read about online. However, several studies suggest CBD has properties that may help with related symptoms such as pain and nausea.

“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid from the Cannabis species [that displays] chemopreventive activities … and may increase the uptake of various cytotoxic agents in cancer cells.”

U.S. National Library of Medicine

2 – Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders

On June 25, 2018, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex label became the first-ever natural CBD-based medication to gain approval from the FDA. It is currently only prescribed for Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and TSC, but many non-diagnosed epilepsy/seizure patients have self-medicated with CBD oil.

“[Epidiolex] is the first FDA-approved drug that contains a purified drug substance derived from marijuana … It is also the first FDA approval of a drug for the treatment of Dravet syndrome.”

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

3 – Anxiety and Depression

Given that psychiatric disorders can’t specifically be attributed to any single neurological deficiency, it is tough for researchers to explicitly state the effects of cannabis on things like anxiety and depression. However, research has been performed on the potential of CBD as an alternative treatment option, with positive results observed in patients.

“CBD is a constituent of Cannabis sativa with great psychiatric potential, including uses as an antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like compound.”

CNS and Neurological Disorders Drug Targets

4 – Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Insomnia is another condition wherein it is very difficult for doctors to pinpoint an exact physiological cause. However, it is believed that CBD’s interaction with the body’s endocannabinoid system may play an important role in maintaining a healthy sleep-wake cycle, thereby promoting the natural onset of REM sleep.

“The acute administration of CBD appears to increase total sleep time, in addition to increasing sleep [during] the day of administration.”

Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2013

5 – Pain and Inflammation

Along with anxiety and insomnia, one of CBD’s most popular uses is as an analgesic (pain-relieving) treatment. There is a lot of research relating to the cannabis compound’s specific role in this regard.

“CBD is a cannabinoid with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and chemopreventive activities.”

U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH)

6 – Diabetes and Diabetic Nerve Pain

One of the main side effects of diabetes is lower extremity nerve pain brought on by obesity and poor blood sugar regulation. Over the years, many studies have shown CBD to effectively improve blood glucose stability and reduce nerve pain and neuropathy in diabetic patients.

“CBD lowers incidence of diabetes [and suppresses inflammation] in non-obese diabetic mice.”

Autoimmunity, 2006

7 – Cardiovascular Disease

It may sound odd to talk about the effects of cannabis – and specifically CBD – on cardiovascular disease and heart disease. However, several important research publications have highlighted its positive effects on blood pressure and general heart health.

“…beneficial effects have been demonstrated in studies showing that cannabis or marijuana use attenuates [reduces] common cardiovascular disease risk factors.”

Journal of Thoracic Disorders, 2017

8 – Arthritis

Behind pain and anxiety, arthritis relief may be the third most popular reason for using CBD. Effective joint pain relief has been experienced in both oral CBD oils and topical CBD creams and massage lotions that you can administer directly to the site of joint inflammation.

“The transdermal [use of] CBD reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviors in rat models of arthritis.”

European Journal of Pain, 2016

9 – Muscle Spasms

Muscle spasticity and spasms can result from dozens of disorders, including diabetes, kidney disease, spinal cord injury, hormone issues, and nervous system disorders like ALS and MS. Even though chronic muscle spasms are one of the rarer conditions on this list, a surprising amount of scientific research has been performed on the effects of CBD for muscle spasms.

“[The use of medical cannabis] relieves muscle spasms … and can also enhance the effects of other anti-spasticity medications like baclofen.”

2014 Spinal Cord Injury Wellness Summit

10 – Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative autoimmune disorder wherein the body’s immune system attacks its own nerve cells and deteriorates them – often to the point of paralyzation. Surprisingly, the use of cannabis extracts has been known to offer relief for MS patients for decades.

“Several studies suggest that cannabinoids and endocannabinoids may have a key role in the pathogenesis and therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS).”

Neuropsychiatric Disorder Treatments, 2008

11 – PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is described as “poor adaptation to a traumatic experience.” Dozens of different underlying causes could result in the onset of PTSD. The condition commonly includes severe anxiety, depression, and sudden mood swings. It is known for responding positively to the apparent therapeutic benefits of CBD.

“The effects of CBD on the different stages of aversive memory processing make this compound a candidate for [supplementary] PTSD therapy.”

Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2018

12 – Stress Relief

The term “stress relief” can have various clinical and non-clinical implications. Still, the fact remains that one of the primary non-medical uses of CBD oil is for general day-to-day stress reduction. Cannabidiol possesses many calming, sedative effects. Therefore, it is quickly becoming preferable to dangerous prescription medications among thousands of patients.

“Chronic stress can lead to depression-like symptoms … investigation into the role of the endocannabinoid system may give insight into possible therapeutic manipulations [for the treatment of] stress-related conditions.”

Stress, 2011

13 – Opioid Addiction

There is an acknowledgement that the United States is in the grip of an opioid epidemic. An estimated 48,000 Americans died from overdosing on synthetic opioids (not including) methadone) between July 2019 and June 2020.

One study found that CBD could help reduce cue-induced craving and anxiety in drug-abstinent people with heroin use disorder. Furthermore, there were no major effects on cognition or serious side effects.

“CBD’s potential to reduce cue-induced craving and anxiety provides a strong basis for further investigation of this phytocannabinoid as a treatment option for opioid use disorder.”

The American Journal of Psychiatry, 2019

14 – Acne & Other Skin Disorders

There is a growing belief amongst researchers that CBD could help with skin issues such as dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Furthermore, CBD could prove effective in combatting acne for the same reason. A study determined that the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol could help decrease oil production. By reducing inflammation of the sebocytes that produce oil in the skin, CBD could help target the source of acne directly.

“Collectively, our findings suggest that, due to the combined lipostatic, antiproliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects, CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne vulgaris.”

The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2014

15 – Lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common form of this autoimmune disorder. It happens when the immune system attacks its own internal organs and tissues. The result is chronic inflammation and tissue damage that can have serious consequences for different bodily systems.

Standard lupus treatment options involve reducing inflammation and pain. Research suggests CBD could have a similar effect, although research that directly looks at the cannabinoid’s effect on lupus is hard to find.

However, researchers did discover that CBD helps protect against pathological T-cell invasion after a spinal cord injury. T-cells aid in the fight against infection, and there is a possible link between lupus and abnormal T-cell activity.

“CBD treatment attenuated the development of thermal sensitivity following spinal cord injury, and this effect may be related to protection against pathological T-cell invasion.”

Cellular Immunology, 2018

16 – Brain Health

CBD could also help improve brain performance. A systematic review looked at 17 studies featuring over 100 participants. The goal was to see how effective CBD was in improving brain function. The researchers wrote that neuroimaging studies showed an improvement in the performance of volunteers with an underlying psychiatric disorder and individuals classified as healthy.

“Neuroimaging studies have shown that acute CBD induces significant alterations in brain activity and connectivity patterns during resting state and performance of cognitive tasks in both healthy volunteers and patients with a psychiatric disorder.”

Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021

17 – Reduces Obesity Risk

In one study, researchers injected rats with CBD for two weeks. One group of rats received 1.1mg of CBD per pound of body weight, while another received 2.3mg per pound. While both sets of rats showed weight loss, the group that consumed the larger amount lost more weight overall.

“The results suggest that CBD has the ability to alter body weight gain, possibly via the CB2 receptor.”

Neuroscience Letters, 2011

Final Thoughts on CBD Oil for Various Medical Conditions

To summarize, CBD hemp oil has become one of the next big things in the world of clinical research. It is broadly tolerated in virtually every American state, as long as it comes from industrial hemp and contains a maximum of 0.3% THC.

However, to take advantage of the compound’s list of potential benefits, purchasing a high-quality product from a trustworthy company is an absolute must.

If searching for a natural path towards a healthier life or simply looking to reduce one’s reliance on prescription medications, we suggest brands such as Premium Jane, Joy Organics, and CBDistillery. These brands have an extensive product range and offer a variety of premium, lab-verified products that people use for a range of medical conditions.