The History of CBD
Our understanding of CBD has been quietly building for over 50 years, ever since a young Israeli scientist named Raphael Mechoulam took the world by storm in the early 60s by discovering both CBD and THC. Fast forward to today and Mechoulam is known as the godfather of CBD research. Along with countless other brilliant minds, he’s ushered in a new wave of highly controlled, highly telling CBD studies. And while these studies are diverse in their topics and methodologies, they seem to be testifying to something more singular: CBD works. It usually works in a way you can feel!
CBD and Mood
Who isn’t stressed from time to time? Anyone? It’s practically a part of the human condition. More often than not, the feeling of stress seems to be a trickle-down effect of a stressful lifestyle. Just think, who’s more stressed: the businessperson juggling client calls while stuck in traffic, or the retiree chilling on the beach? “It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it,” endocrinologist Hans Selye explained decades ago. [1]
The good news is that CBD may help deal with stress. A 2019 study found as much when it looked at CBD’s impact on stress; older studies show CBD may tangibly reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Research on rats has unveiled CBD’s ability to reduce the formation of fear-induced memories...hopefully clinical research on humans will soon back this fascinating feature up! [2][3]
Another clinical study backed by Mechoulam and other leading researchers looked at a very different (but equally intense) source of stress: simulated public speaking. [4] Public speaking is scary, as many clinical psychologists have pointed out, because it leaves one’s inner being totally exposed to the judgment of others.
Could CBD be the catalyst needed to release the real you without fear or shame?
That may sound cryptic, but the research is promising. The study above, for instance, exposed 57 people to simulated public speaking and found that a single high dose of CBD was enough to make speakers calmer, less self-conscious, and more confident — both on the perceptual and objective (i.e, hormonal) levels. A nearly-identical study from 2011 summed things up best: “Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced [...] cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance.” [5] This amazing effect seems to go back to CBD’s activation of endocannabinoid and serotonin receptors, both of which are known to stabilize mood.
Other research implies that a deficiency in internal cannabinoids like anandamide may predict emotional health, but boosting anandamide is as simple as eating well, exercising, and taking CBD. [6] To sum things up: CBD usually feels deeply calming and relaxing.
CBD and Sleep
Related to humanity’s stress problem is the difficult relationship it has with sleep. Thankfully, CBD may help in this area too — mostly indirectly, by setting the stage for a calm, collected bedtime routine. It may also benefit your body’s circadian rhythm. What’s that, you might ask? Good question. Circadian rhythm refers to our body’s own internal clock, and it sets the stage for when we eat, when we sleep, and what times of the day we feel our best. Recent research has shown that circadian rhythm (like virtually everything else!) is overseen by the endocannabinoid system. The implications of this biological match are only just beginning to be validated by human research. A 2019 Review Study affirmed what we know so far: [6]- Higher servings of CBD (160 mg) increased the duration of sleep
- Cortisol levels decreased with oral CBD intake, leading to a “sedative effect”
- Higher servings of CBD is more sedating than lower servings of CBD or no CBD at all
How to find CBD that makes you feel good
If you’d like to experience what the latest research is saying, we’re here to help. At Medterra we’ve made it easy to feel CBD’s full power by creating truly full spectrum CBD products — products that allow CBD to synergize with hemp’s other amazing ingredients.
For a product to be truly Full Spectrum, it needs to include meaningful amounts of terpenes, flavonoids, and minor cannabinoids. Most companies use isolate to increase the amount of CBD in their products, thereby diluting every other part of the hemp extract. We do it differently...and you're going to feel the difference.
