The Wellness Properties of CBD: Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammation, and Antioxidant
The wellness anti-bacterial, anti-inflammation, and antioxidant properties of CBD, what does this mean and what is their significance to wellness?
CBD, short for Cannabidiol is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. It is non-psychoactive and is known for its wide range of benefits including remedy from chronic pain, anxiety, and depression.
In this article, we will look at the wellness AAA properties of CBD to show you how CBD is revolutionizing the wellness sector.
1. The Anti-Inflammation Properties of CBD
To appreciate the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, we need to understand what inflammation is and its significance in our well-being.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation occurs as a natural immune response to an onset of an infection or when your body is harmed.
In short, inflammation is the body’s way of telling your immune system to initiate the healing and repairing of damaged body tissues.
So in essence, inflammation is a necessary evil that only becomes undesirable if it’s experienced for extended periods or for no apparent reason.
Types of Inflammation
There are two types of inflammation; chronic and acute.
i. Acute Inflammation
This form of inflammation occurs following an infection, injury, or illness. Your immune system sends immune cells to the affected area to offer protection. This may cause the affected area to swell and develop redness.
ii. Chronic Inflammation
This refers to a prolonged inflammatory response in the body, leaving your immune system in a constant state of alert.
This may lead to the overproduction of free radicals, resulting in oxidative stress. When unchecked, this can lead to an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants, which may harm body tissues and organs.
According to research, chronic inflammation could also contribute to health complications such as cancer and asthma.
Chronic inflammation is often accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, mouth sores, fever, abdominal pain, rashes, and chest pain.
These symptoms which can range from mild to severe can last for several months, or even years.
Causes
Chronic inflammation can be caused by several factors, including;
- Autoimmune disorders- Causing the immune system to attack healthy tissues.
- Untreated causes of acute inflammation, eg, an injury or infection.
- Lifestyle diseases e.g. obesity and stress can also cause chronic inflammation.
- Long-term or constant exposure to irritants such as polluted air or harmful chemicals can also contribute.
How Chronic Inflammation Impacts the Body
Chronic inflammation may cause your immune system to start fighting or damaging healthy cells, tissues, and body organs. This may lead to internal scarring, tissue, and DNA damage. These effects are associated with deadly diseases including:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Obesity
- Asthma
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Type 2 diabetes.
In short, chronic inflammation is the root cause of all major diseases affecting humankind.
The Anti-inflammatory Properties of CBD
Chronic inflammation is typically controlled using Steroids and Nonsteroids anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). However, long term use of these medications is associated with severe side effects such as high blood pressure, vision problems, peptic ulcer disease, etc. Not mentioning the addictive nature of some of these drugs.
Could CBD be an alternative?
CBD has shown great potential as a natural anti-inflammatory compound.
According to a 2015 inflammatory study, CBD was found to reduce inflammation through several body pathways. The authors of the study described CBD as a potential natural remedy for many health conditions which stems from inflammation.
In another study, CBD was seen to help with chronic pain by reducing inflammation and impacting the endocannabinoid receptor activity.
Yet another 2017 study seems to support this claim. In this study, topical CBD was administered to arthritic rats. At the end of the trial period, CBD was found to reduce chronic inflammation in the joints. CBD also helped inhibit the development of joint pain and nerve damage.
While we don’t know exactly how CBD may impact inflammation, experts and anecdotal evidence suggest that Cannabidiol could be a potential anti-inflammatory agent for inflammatory disease, vascular inflammation, arthritis, nervous tissue inflammation, etc.
The best thing about CBD for inflammation is that it’s a natural compound, derived from plants, and hence not likely to cause damage as most pharmaceutical drugs would.
2. CBD As An Antioxidant
Maybe you have heard that foods such as veggies, nuts, wild fish, and fruits are great for our health because they are rich in antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, and E. What if I told you that CBD oil is another rich source for antioxidants?
But what are antioxidants and why do they even matter?
Antioxidants are natural substances that inhibit oxidation, hence preventing oxidative stress.
Oxidation is the process by which waste substances are produced in the body. During this process, free radicals are produced. If left uncontrolled, free radicals can damage our body cells leading to a myriad of infections and diseases.
Antioxidants are especially popular when it comes to reducing the visible signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. They are said to revitalize dead skin cells, giving you a radiant and youthful skin glow.
While the body naturally produces its antioxidants such as CoQ10 and Glutathione, they are not always enough especially because they diminish with age. This means that we need to get antioxidants from other sources such as CBD oil.
The Antioxidant Properties of CBD
This 1998 CBD antioxidant study was the first to suggest that Cannabidiol may be rich in antioxidants. According to the authors of this study, CBD may actually surpass Vitamins C and E as a source of antioxidants.
Authors of another study suggested that CBD could be up to 50% stronger in antioxidants than both vitamin C and E.
In another study conducted on rats, CBD was found to reduce hydroperoxide toxicity in neurons. This can be credited to its antioxidant properties.
How come CBD is such a strong antioxidant source?
This is where your high school chemistry catches up with you, seems it was not a waste of time, after all!
The CBD chemical structure contains a free oxygen atom. It’s this atom that is donated to the free radicals. So in simple terms, the free oxygen atom in CBD helps neutralize the free radicals.
3. The Antibacterial Properties of CBD
Is CBD antibacterial? Research suggests yes.
According to the World Health Organization, antibiotic resistance is reaching extremely high levels. Can CBD help reverse this trend? Possibly.
Mark Blaskovich, Ph.D., senior research officer at the Centre for Superbug Solutions at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland Australia, says that, when tested against a wide range of bacteria, CBD has shown great antibacterial properties.
Presenting their findings, Blaskovich said that, ‘ In every case, CBD had a very similar potency to that of common antibiotics.’
Compared to other common antibiotics such as daptomycin and vancomycin, the researchers found CBD to be more effective since it killed the bacteria within three hours while common antibiotics take between 6-8 hours.
What’s more interesting, however, is the discovery that CBD may be less likely to cause resistance than most common antibiotics.
It’s not clear how CBD may kill bacteria, but Dr. Blaskovich suggests that it may be using other mechanisms not used by existing antibiotics.
While we might have to wait a bit longer before we can use CBD as an antibiotic, the future looks promising.
Best CBD Products to Use In 2020
CBD may have all these unique and powerful properties, yes, but it all comes down to the specific product that you use.
Feel free to check our premium S.O.L CBD Anti-Aging Cream With Apple Stem Cells or S.O.L CBD Moisturizing Body Butter for maximum protection against inflammation, oxidation stress, and bacterial infection.
Our products are doctor-formulated to combine CBD with the most advanced and proven beauty and wellness products such as Retinol, Dead Sea Mud, Apple Stems, and Vitamin C.
We also have a wide range of topical CBD products such as our CBD Massage Oil collection to help hydrate, moisturize your skin, giving you that natural glow that will make you proud.
Get rid of those annoying fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of premature aging by using the best CBD beauty products, which have been backed up by science.
Final Words on the AAA Properties of CBD
It appears that CBD has an impact on the three factors responsible for most diseases and medical conditions affecting us today.
What does the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties of CBD mean for wellness?
When applied topically, the antioxidant properties of CBD can help improve the appearance of your skin by protecting you from free radicals such as the sun’s UV rays, environmental damage and smoke.
Free radicals have often been associated with various skin conditions such as wrinkles and fine lines. CBD may help reverse these conditions of premature aging.
The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of CBD may help protect you against a myriad of infections and diseases including chronic pain, acne, and arthritis.
