Over recent years, CBD has been steadily gaining interest among healthcare professionals and wellness enthusiasts. Despite the promising developments, a considerable number of people are, however, yet to understand CBD. Questions remain: How does CBD affect the body, and how long do CBD effects last? This article aims to answer these and a few more burning questions.
What Is CBD?
While most people might already be familiar with THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive component of a cannabis plant, CBD (Cannabidiol), is another cannabinoid extract of the cannabis plant.
The difference between CBD and THC is that CBD isn’t psychoactive. This difference means that it does not get you high. Though CBD will not alter your state of mind when you use it, it still has specific effects on your body.
How Does CBD Affect the Body?
Your body produces two receptors; CB1 and CB2. CB1 receptors are found throughout your body, most of them in your brain. They are responsible for coordinating thinking, movement, emotion, mood, memories, pain, and other functions. CB2 receptors are mostly found in your immune system, and they mainly affect pain and inflammation.
All cannabinoids interact with these cannabinoid receptors, producing specific effects in your body. While THC attaches itself to CB1 receptors, CBD stimulates them, causing your body to create its own cannabinoids, referred to as endocannabinoids. This production reduces inflammation and pain and helps your body relax.
Though CBD produces a calming and relaxing feeling without any mind-altering effects, how CBD can affect you will vary depending on the type of extraction. For instance, unlike hemp-derived CBD, marijuana-derived CBD could contain THC that would intoxicate you.
You could also choose between full and broad-spectrum CBD. Full-spectrum CBD has a range of cannabis plant compounds like terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinoids, and THC content. Alternatively, broad-spectrum CBD only contains non-intoxicating compounds such as flavonoids and terpenes, among others. Broad-spectrum CBD begins as full-spectrum, undergoing an additional process meant to eliminate the intoxicating compounds.
How Long Do CBD Effects Last?
CBD effects offer people relief from pain, anxiety, stress, and several other conditions. How long CBD effects last, however, varies considerably. That’s because several different factors determine the duration of CBD effects, as explained in our article.