The cannabis revolution has taken over many parts of the world.
Today, it’s federally legal to grow, consume, and sell hemp products in the United States. Some states have also legalized marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use.
This step sets the industry much further than it was ten years ago when using cannabis in any form brought forth societal stigma and, sometimes, jail time.
Thanks to this legalization wave, people have become more receptive to hemp extracts such as CBD, which anecdotal evidence suggests may be beneficial to the human body.
A poll conducted by Gallup in 2019 found that 14% of adults in America consume CBD for one reason or another. Similarly, according to this report, the CBD market is expected to grow by 20% to 23% every year for the next five years. This proves that the industry is here to stay, and it’s just about getting on its feet.
If you’re familiar with CBD, you’ve probably come across numerous articles online touting it for its medical benefits. If you’ve never tried them before, you must be wondering, does CBD really work? What’s the best way to consume it? What’s the ideal dosage?
There are just so many questions surrounding this industry. This article will focus on CBD gummies – what are they and how do they work?
First Off, What Is CBD?
CBD is a cannabinoid- a hydrocarbon that occurs naturally in cannabis plants. CBD is an abbreviation of cannabidiol, a chemical compound that is believed to imbue a sense of calm, peace, and relaxation. CBD is one of the numerous cannabinoids present in cannabis, alongside THC, CBG, CBN, and terpenes.
Unlike THC, CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it won’t alter your state of mind.
The Farm Bill of 2018 stipulates that for CBD products to be considered legal for sale in the United States, CBD must be extracted from industrial hemp. They must also contain no more than 0.3% of THC.
Now that we know what CBD is, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of this seemingly magical cannabinoid.
What Are The Medical Benefits Of CBD?
The FDA has only approved one CBD-based medication, Epidiolex, which is now being used to manage and treat various types of drug-resistant epilepsy. Even then, the media is awash with news about CBD being helpful in combating other ailments as well, key among them being insomnia, anxiety, appetite disorders, and allergic skin reactions.
The compound is also known to help relieve the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia, arthritis, backache, and toothache.
Considering how much-limited research there is on this subject, it’s difficult to state with certainty whether CBD actually lives up to these claims.
What we do know, however, is how CBD interacts with the human body; studying these interactions is the surest way to understand how exactly the compound brings about the effects it’s famed for.
CBD And The Endocannabinoid System
When CBD is introduced into the body, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system. This is a network of cannabinoids, receptors, and homeostatic enzymes that are responsible for many normal body functions, including appetite, sleep, mood stability, arousal, and even bowel movement.
The ECS relies on endogenous cannabinoids- that is, cannabinoids naturally produced inside your body – to ensure all these processes are going on in a state of homeostasis.
The ECS may sometimes fall out of balance, meaning the system has fewer endocannabinoids than it requires to operate optimally; this may lead to negative symptoms like insomnia, loss of appetite, anxiety, and stomach disturbances.
Ingesting CBD products such as gummies under such circumstances may help the ECS regain balance, doing away with these symptoms for the most part.
So, do CBD gummies work? What are their effects? How long do they take to kick in?
Do CBD Gummies Work?
Gummies are a quick, effective, and convenient way of consuming CBD. For one, they are much more discreet than smoking. Edibles also allow you to consume a specific dosage of CBD, unlike smokables – which may leave you feeling unsure of the amount you’ve taken.
The effects of CBD are similar whether smoked or taken in an edible. However, while smoking generally leads to a quicker kick-in, CBD gummies have to be digested before you can feel their effects. This may take up to an hour. That said, the effects of edibles are known to last much longer.
So, What Exactly Do CBD Gummies Do?
Even though CBD gummies are not as intoxicating and sometimes disorienting as THC edibles, they may perceivably alter your state of being. This is because, unlike THC, CBD doesn’t bind directly with cannabinoid receptors in the body. It does, however, influence how these receptors respond to signals such as pain, lethargy, sleeplessness, and anxiety.
By correcting these negative symptoms, CBD may help bring the user a sense of calm, manage insomnia, and relieve anxiety and pain. These are the effects of CBD gummies.
For this reason, the cannabinoid has found permanent space on the shelves of athletes and business people alike. If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms and would like to embark on a pain-free, stress-free life, you may consider saving a spot for CBD on your cabinet.
Do CBD Gummies Work For Anxiety?
Many people looking to try CBD for the first time are so inclined because the cannabinoid is famed for helping tame anxiety. According to this study from 2011, participants exhibited reduced levels of anxiety after receiving 400 mg of CBD.
Many other studies have also shown that CBD may help tackle the many symptoms of anxiety, including panic attacks, sweating, and increased heart rate.
People suffering from anxiety have been found to have higher serotonin levels than their less-stressed counterparts. By altering how the chemical receptors in your brain respond to the serotonin in your system, CBD helps combat mood disorder symptoms such as stress and anxiety.
Nonetheless, it’s important for us to mention that people suffering from depression and anxiety hit great strides when they combine their CBD doses with some form of psychotherapy. It would, therefore, be a good idea to consult your therapist before embarking on your cannabidiol journey.
How Long Do CBD Gummies Take To Work?
Some people have this experience with CBD edibles – you take half a bite, wait for five minutes, then start complaining about how weak they are. So you take another bite, and then another, and then another. Half an hour later, you’re spaced out on the couch, begging the spirits to spare you. (It’s important to note that although CBD doesn’t get you high, consuming too much of it may leave you feeling sleepy or dazed.)
When you eat CBD edibles, they go down your digestive tract to your stomach, where they are digested and absorbed. They are then metabolized by the liver, after which the active ingredient, CBD, is absorbed into your bloodstream and pumped to your heart, brain, and other body organs. At this point, the calming effects of CBD gummies kick in.
Since the gummies need to go through all these processes, their effects take a while longer to kick in than they would have if you were smoking. Most people tend to feel the effects after about 30 minutes to an hour. However, depending on your metabolism, they may creep in after one and a half hours.
Introducing CBD Gummies Into Your Health Regimen, Worth A Shot?
What do CBD gummies do? Are they useful in managing anxiety? How long do CBD gummies take to work?
We have answered these questions and others you may have regarding CBD in this article.
Even though there isn’t enough empirical data to back these claims, given how CBD interacts with the human endocannabinoid system, CBD gummies may help manage several chronic conditions, including anxiety, pain, and insomnia.
Touching and improving lives remains our company’s mission. Through our products, we hope to change the experiences of millions of people suffering from insomnia, anxiety, and pain.
If these conditions are handled more effectively all over the world, we believe people would be more productive – at work, in their relationships, and in parenting. And what a blissful utopia that would be!
