If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen an ad somewhere for CBD oil, especially if you use social media, like 196 million other Americans. CBD is a rapidly growing industry and businesses and it seems like products are popping up every few minutes.

Why are people flocking to buy these new products and try CBD oil? This is not a huge mystery, CBD works. CBD from hemp has a way of working to help block signals in the body from the reaching the brain. That is an overly simplified explanation, but true. The uses of CBD are almost endless because of this one seemingly simple act. It isn’t simple in reality. There are a lot of metabolic functions that are working to cause this reaction in the body, but in a nutshell, this is what it does.

Let’s take a look at 20 uses and benefits of CBD

Pain Management

Pain is caused by the body sending signals to the brain, along the neural pathways which are part of the central nervous system. CBD works to block all of these signals from reaching the brain, which means the brain never gets them, or most of them. CBD works very well for taking the edge off terrible pain and in some cases, can completely alleviate pain associated with chronic conditions or simply from aging. Athletes can use CBD oil without fear of failing a drug test. For that matter, so can anyone else who is worried about a workplace drug test. While it is possible to trigger a positive test result, it is highly unlikely due to the amount of CBD that would need to be consumed. The tests look for THC, not CBD. There are traces of THC in CBD oil, but less than .03%, so you won't get high from CBD.

Cancer support

CBD oil is full of antioxidants, thanks to being so rich in omega fatty acids. These fatty acids are what form the lipids in the body that move along the neural network, blocking signals of pain, but they also form antioxidants in the body which are like soldiers that go and seek-out free-radicals. Free-radicals are known to be the cause of cancer, attacking cells within the body. Antioxidants fight these and CBD has been proven to slow the growth of tumors in lab rats. Using CBD after chemotherapy has also shown to help cancer patients with the nausea and pain related to their treatments.

Epilepsy/seizures/tremors

Those who suffer with conditions such as epilepsy have found that using just a few drops of CBD throughout the day can lessen and even eliminate seizures. The brain is not able to act on the signals that cause the tightening of muscles, contractions and cramping. Seizures can be life-threatening and constant seizures is painful, leaving the victim with sore and cramping muscles. CBD oil can be ingested in different ways, such as dropped under the tongue and absorbed or vaped directly into the lungs, ensuring that a dosage is never missed if you are too sick to eat, which can cause seizures to happen within hours. CBD is also natural and will not cause the harm that many epileptic medications will, with long-term use. CBD is so effective for helping epilepsy that a purified form of CBD has been made as a prescription drug for epilepsy, called Epidiolex. This lends to the hope that medications will be developed for so many other conditions and illnesses.

Fibromyalgia

Those who suffer with ‘fibro flares’ understand what it feels like to have a condition that is not only misunderstood, but until rather recently they were often told by the medical community that it was a mental condition and all in their heads. Some in the medical community fervently argued that fibromyalgia didn’t exist. CBD has been shown to help those with this very debilitating condition to live their lives out of a bed again. CBD helps block the signals to slow the pain, reduce and diminish the flare and help them back on their feet. With regular use, CBD can make the incidents of flares greatly reduced. Many with fibromyalgia become very depressed and hopeless. CBD oil can also give them a secondary line of defense in this issue, making them happier and more readily able to move forward with getting well. Mentally fighting your way through an illness is often half of the battle and for this, CBD is wonderful.

Crohn’s Disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

CBD works exceedingly well for nausea and gut-related issues. The receptors in the body that CBD binds to are partially located in the gut of our bodies, as part of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and helps with cramps, nausea, indigestion and ulcer pain. For those who suffer with cramps, diarrhea and bloody stools that accompany Crohn’s disease flares, CBD can help dramatically.

Addiction

Since CBD works within the neural pathways and blocks messages to the brain, cravings can be combated with the use of CBD. CBD has shown great promise in being able to help break the cycle of addiction from everything including cigarettes to opioids. It isn’t a miracle drug, but it can curb the cravings and reduce the horrible withdrawal symptoms that people go through, making it difficult to quit an addiction. Irritability, pain, rage, cramps, sweating, nausea, chills, tremors, vomiting and other things that are all part of withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid addiction, can be alleviated with CBD oil. For those hoping to use CBD to combat drug addiction, tobacco and smoking addiction, CBD can reduce and even diminish cravings of cigarettes altogether to help people overcome tobacco dependence.

Parkinson’s Disease

The tremors associated with Parkinson’s disease are greatly reduced with CBD oil. When used along with other treatments for Parkinson’s, those afflicted with the disease are able to live far more comfortably with less shaking as associated with the condition.

Diabetes

CBD works well to help the body’s normal metabolism and ability to produce insulin to help maintain normal sugar levels. It doesn’t replace insulin treatments and will not restore function of the pancreas, but it can work to help lesson your dependence on insulin and help the body maintain homeostasis. CBD works best for diabetes type 1 but also has advantages in helping those with type 2 diabetes.

ADHD/ADD

Those who suffer from attention deficit disorders are able to focus and have far more clarity of thought when using CBD oil. This is because the rush of thoughts constantly streaming to the brain are slowed and interrupted so that sufferers are able to focus one thought at a time and stay sharp.

Depression/Mental health

CBD has an ability to also interact with serotonin receptors as well as cannabinoid receptors in the body. Serotonin and dopamine both work together to regulate moods and mental health. If serotonin levels become too high or too low, dopamine will over-produce or under-produce. This can actually cause depression and seems to play a key role in mood disorders in general. CBD can help assist those levels come back to normal levels and even helps the body to maintain these levels going forward. CBD also takes affect nearly immediately, whereas most drugs prescribed for mental health use can take weeks to work in the body.

Weight loss

CBD has been shown to help turn fat cells into ‘brown fats’ instead of ‘white fats’ which is particularly important when it comes to the way the body stores fat. Brown fats are readily used by the body and burned-off quickly. White fats are stored and become that saddle bag you see in the mirror. CBD can help turn white fat cells to brown fat cells, making it easier for your body to convert them to fuel.

Insomnia

For those suffering with insomnia, CBD will allow you to relax and sleep. Working by blocking the thought patterns that keep the brain from winding down and allowing you to fall asleep, CBD will help you also stay restfully asleep once you doze-off. Women who are experiencing the normal hormonal readjustments during perimenopause can have bouts of insomnia that feel quite intense. There is no reason to lose days of restful sleep. CBD can help alleviate this issue and is safe to also use with children who experience problems with going to sleep and staying asleep. There are versions of CBD made for children and sleeping.

Anxiety/Panic attack

The thoughts you have can trigger anxiety, so can subconscious responses to outside triggers that happen around you. A smell that you are barely aware of, if at all, can trigger a response in your body that causes panic and anxiety to hit. Both issues are similar except that anxiety can be general and ongoing, just under the surface at all times. Panic attacks typically come on suddenly and may even mimic signs of heart attack. For those who suffer these issues, CBD can dramatically reduce the triggers from ever reaching your brain for reaction. Enjoying life is possible again. Many of those who suffer generalized anxiety stop socializing and going out with friends. Some will withdraw completely from doing things outside of work and home. CBD can help reduce this anxiety and allow people to begin participating in their lives again.

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

Much like panic attack, PTSD is triggered by events that remind someone of a time that they were traumatized. Many men and women who served in the military suffer from this condition, but it can also be attributed to those who’ve suffered abuse in a marriage or a child who was abused. A trigger causes the mind to go back to the time and place, causing outward physical symptoms and sometimes a temporary form of insanity as people act without thinking, due to their extreme duress. CBD can help stop the triggers in their tracks. Getting the brain to not react is the key to helping those with PTSD and when used with or without therapy, CBD can have excellent results.

High Blood Pressure

CBD has a positive impact on blood pressure because it is a natural blood thinner, which helps reduce the pressure in the veins and arteries, but it is also full of omega oils that are heart healthy. Omega fatty acids help keep the veins and arteries in your body from becoming hard, reduce plaque inside them and help your blood pressure stay lower.

Heart health

For the same reasons as it is good for blood pressure, CBD oil can keep your heart muscle healthy as a rich source of omega fatty acids, reducing free-radicals in the blood stream, keep the entire cardio-vascular system in good working order. Many people use CBD oil as a daily supplement when they have a family history of heart disease.

Neural protector

CBD helps protect the neural pathways from degeneration. This is sometimes seen as a side-effect for those who have epilepsy and may also play an important role in helping those with mental illness such as schizophrenia.

Alzheimer’s Disease

Patients with Alzheimer’s benefit from using CBD because it can prevent the onset of social recognition deficit in patients. Those in early-onset are able to recognize the faces of people they know for longer, when using CBD. There is much hope that this will lead to break-throughs in treatment, prevention and cures for those who suffer.

Acne

CBD has been studied and shown to reduce the production of oils in the sebaceous glands that causes acne. For those who suffer with acne and wear the results of the issues on their face in the form of scars many years later, this gives an opportunity to not have to live scarred for the rest of their lives.

Eye Health

CBD is showing promise in research that is ongoing for helping patients with glaucoma and other issues, like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Cannabinoids are going to likely be incredible in improving night vision and vision loss in adults who have these issues as they age.

It can be said that everything on this list is still receiving more research and it is likely that this research will lead to more discoveries for the use of CBD. Those in the science community are encouraged by their findings so far and are being led to new discoveries and implications for the use of CBD.

CBD seems to have the ability to be a major contributor in the fight against inflammation of all sorts. Inflammation is the most likely cause of thousands of health problems, so the door is wide open for research and applications of CBD in our lives to maintain health and vitality.

Who Should Use CBD Oil?

CBD is safe for everyone with only one caveat. If you are taking blood thinners, you should avoid CBD products because CBD is also a known blood thinner. Otherwise, CBD is fair game for nearly every person on the planet and every single human being can benefit in some way. CBD can help your eyes stay healthy, ward-off the free-radicals that cause cancer, plus it can make your moods and patience far better than they have ever been.

CBD is simply one of those things that enhances your life in so many ways that there is no good reason that you don’t want to be taking it. CBD is not addictive. Children and pets can use CBD oil under adult supervision. You’ll likely need to be at least 16 to buy the products in most states and in others the minimum age could be 18. Those under those ages will need an adult to get their CBD oil and administer it.

Children can be given CBD for teething, for sleep improvement, for stomach pain and nausea and a myriad of childhood symptoms. If you are a parent, you know that it is a new bug every week with children. CBD is safer than most over-the-counter medications and it will not build toxic levels in your child’s system. If your child has a chronic condition, you can safely administer CBD oils without concerns.

Potential Side-Effects With CBD

Taking too much CBD oil at one time will likely lead to diarrhea, potentially with blood. Stop taking your doses for a day and then begin again with a lower dose, increasing it very gradually and this should completely subside.

Other potential issues that could arise are headache or stomach pains/cramps. Again, these are rare and generally are an issue with the amount of CBD taken. Some people who are new to CBD use start with too much or increase their doses too quickly. When this happens, side-effects are likely. Slow down the amount, taper slowly and all negative effects should subside within hours. No long-term issues will linger.

If a child or pet were to get into your CBD and take an entire bottle, medical care is advised because the onset of diarrhea and cramping could be severe. As long as these are treated rapidly, there will be no lingering effects, but it is always wise to use precaution in such cases when using CBD oil.