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CBD Skincare Interest is Rising Fast: What’s the Future of Cannabidiol for Skin Health Look Like?

Since cannabidiol (CBD) was reintroduced as having potential health benefits, the areas that it appears to excel in include pain relief, reduction in anxiousness and attaining a calmer self. The key property in making the previously mentioned benefits a possibility is CBD’s ability to rid inflammation.

As the industry continues to mature, more and more skincare solutions are being infused with CBD and other cannabis’ compounds. With this in mind, curiosity is surely enticed, as consumers now have to assess its true effectiveness.

In a recent post shared by CBD Snapshot, the overall potential of CBD has been explained with respect to skincare. Turns out, it does in fact make a positive difference, however, consumers have been warned to be cautious of their resources.

CBD’s Anti-Inflammatory Properties Creates a Win-win Situation Once Again!
The news outlet referenced a board-certified dermatologist, who argued for the use of CBD for skin health. According to Dr. Jeanette, CBD can be effective in both beauty and skin care because of the very same anti-inflammatory properties that initially helped it to secure a spotlight.

Here’s an extract as to why the latter is so:

“Cannabinoid receptors have been discovered in keratinocytes, or skin cells, and other parts of the skin such as the sebaceous glands, hair follicles, small nerves and immune cells. CBD works on them as part of the skin’s endocannabinoid system.”

Dr. Robert Dellavalle, University of Colorado School of Medicine’s dermatology professor and a co-author of the 2017 study, has noticed how quickly the CBD industry has been developing and is somewhat fearful of consumers’ belief that all skin conditions can be resolved with its use. However, he does not question its general potential, adding that, “I think there’s a lot of promise.”

What is Hemp CBD and How Does It Affect The Body

CBD: What it is, how it affects the body and who it might help.

CBD has exploded onto the market, leaving a lot of confused consumers in its wake. Get up to speed with this beginner’s guide.

BY: DANIELLE KOSECKI

This story discusses substances that are legal in some places but not in others. You shouldn’t do things that are illegal, and this story does not endorse illegal drug use.

If it seems like you’re seeing CBD products everywhere, that’s because you are. Thanks to the passage of the US Farm Bill in 2018, which legalized industrial hemp, and the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis at the state level, CBD products have exploded in availability and popularity over the last year.

Depending on where you live, you can find them at CVS, your local gas station, pet stores — even Carl’s Jr. And the industry shows no signs of slowing down: Sales of CBD products are expected to exceed $5 billion this year, a 706% increase over 2018, according to the Brightfield Group, a cannabis-focused research firm.

The only thing spreading faster than CBD appears to be confusion over what exactly it is and who it’s for. Whether you’re already a user or are just CBD curious, this primer will help you cut through the misinformation and get up to speed.

What is CBD?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical compound from the cannabinoid family that naturally occurs in the cannabis plant. Scientists have isolated 108 different types of cannabinoids in cannabis.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is probably the best-known thanks to its psychoactive properties — it’s the one that gets you “high” — but CBD is quickly gaining ground due to its potential therapeutic benefits.

How does CBD work?
CBD (and THC) work by interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system, a regulatory system made up of naturally occurring cannabis-like molecules. These endocannabinoids, as they’re called, work like neurotransmitters, shuttling messages through the body to help maintain homeostasis. Cannabinoids like CBD and THC interact with the endocannabinoid system at two known receptors: CB1 and CB2.

Here’s Why Gen-Z Are Turning To CBD Skincare

Zoe Wong Contributor

Health trends come and go but one wellness phenomenon that shows no sign of slowing is CBD. CBD, otherwise known as cannabidiol, is indisputably one of the hottest health topics right now, with CBD products now available on the high-street in food and beverages and no longer restricted to supplements from a pharmacy. According to the Cannabis Trades Association U.K., the number of CBD users has doubled over the past year from 125,000 to 250,000 and the acquisition of This Works, the British beauty and wellness brand, by Canopy Growth, the world’s largest cannabis company, is just one of many examples highlighting the growing presence of CBD in the U.K. market.

Used for a variety of ailments from pain relief to anxiety and depression, CBD oil should not be confused with cannabis use, which has previously been linked with causingdepression in teenagers by the NHS. Shiona Redmond, CBD expert and creator of Graces London, a luxury CBD oil beauty and lifestyle brand, explains that CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid from the cannabis plant, whereas tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the psychoactive cannabinoid that creates the “high” commonly associated with marijuana use. Because CBD contains less than 0.2% of the psychoactive THC it is, therefore, legal to buy and consume in the U.K.

The increasing popularity of CBD in the U.K. is perhaps a delayed reflection of the success in the U.S., where legal sales of marijuana products surpassed $10 billion in 2018. Bolstered by a growing cohort of Gen-Z consumers, who are twice as likely to use CBD than the national average, it’s no surprise that CBD uptake in the U.K. has grown so quickly, given that 1 in 5 young adults have a diagnosable mental health disorder.

CBD as a Superbug Antibiotic?

June 24, 2019 — Cannabidiol, or CBD, already being researched and used for anxiety, insomnia, epilepsy and pain, may be the next superbug fighter for resistant infections, a new study suggests.

The researchers tested CBD against a wide variety of bacteria, ”including bacteria that have become resistant to the most commonly used antibiotics,” says Mark Blaskovich, PhD, senior research officer at the Centre for Superbug Solutions at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland in Australia.

The development is important, as antibiotic resistance is reaching dangerously high levels, according to the World Health Organization.

What the Research Shows

CBD is a non-psychoactive compound taken from cannabis and hemp; it does not produce the high that regular marijuana does. To date, the FDA has only approved CBD for treating rare and severe forms of seizure, although it is promoted for many other health benefits.

Blaskovich presented the research Sunday at the American Society for Microbiology annual meeting. The research includes work in test tubes and animal models. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

“The first thing we looked at is CBD’s ability to kill bacteria,” he says. “In every case, CBD had a very similar potency to that of common antibiotics.”

The researchers tested the CBD against some strains of staphylococcus,which cause skin infections, and streptococcus, which cause strep throat.

They compared how effective CBD was compared to common antibiotics, such as vancomycin and daptomycin. “We looked at how quickly the CBD killed the bacteria. It’s quite fast, within 3 hours, which is pretty good. Vancomycin (Vancocin) kills over 6 to 8 hours.”

The CBD also disrupted the biofilm, the layer of ”goop” around bacteria that makes it more difficult for the antibiotic to penetrate and kill.

Finally, the lab studies showed that “CBD is much less likely to cause resistance than the existing antibiotics,” Blaskovich says.

The CBD ”is selective for the type of bacteria,” he says.

He found it effective against gram-positive bacteria but not gram-negative. Gram-positive bacteria cause serious skin infections and pneumonia, among other conditions. Gram-negative bacteria include salmonella (found in undercooked foods) and E. coli (the cause of urinary tract infections, diarrhea, and other ailments), among other bacteria.

In another study, also presented at the meeting, the researchers tested topical CBD to treat a skin infection on mice. It cut the number of bacteria after 48 hours, Blaskovich says, although it did not clear the infection. That research is ongoing.

The Endocannabinoid System is all about balance

You & Your Endocannabinoid System

Most people have heard an earful about the health benefits of CBD — its effects on stress-response, inflammation & immunity, pain, mood, and more — but the question of how and why CBD works opens a window onto a vast & complex system that science is still making sense of: the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

The outlines of the ECS emerged during the 1960s and 70s, from research into the effects of cannabis on the human body.

Scientists were able to isolate numerous phytochemicals from the cannabis plant — phytocannabinoids (“phyto” means “plant”) — and by studying their effects revealed a web of receptors, enzymes, and biochemical pathways involved in manufacturing & using the body’s own form of cannabinoids: endocannabinoids (“endo“ means “originating within the body”).

Although research focused primarily on humans and other mammals, it turned out that we share these neurochemicals with most members of the animal kingdom, including mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, and even sea urchins. It’s now clear that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) evolved almost 600 million years ago.

Because the ECS arose so early, as animals evolved into more complex beings it became connected to many different physiological and neurological functions — which we’ll explore more in future articles. For now, here is a brief introduction to this vital system…

Stars of the Endocannabinoid System

Endocannabinoids (eCBs)
Cannabinoid receptors (CB receptors)
Enzymes that synthesize and break down eCBs

Endocannabinoids (eCBs)

Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are chemical messengers of the nervous system. Similarly, endocannabinoids (eCBs) are the messengers of the ECS, and are produced throughout your body.

The two key eCBs circulating in your body are anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Just like the phytocannabinoids in cannabis, these neurotransmitters are built from lipids (fats or oils). (The lipid-based structure of cannabinoids is the reason why THC and CBD are fat-soluble…and why your typical cannabis or hemp extract is delivered in an oil base like coconut or butter.)

Anandamide was discovered in the 1990s and gets its name from the Sanskrit word ananda, or “bliss.” This molecule operates throughout the endocannabinoid system and is involved with appetite, memory, and pregnancy, to name just a few of its functions. It’s even been identified as the source of the “runner’s high” experienced during or after intense exercise.

Study Finds CBD helps with Anxiety and Cravings of Heroin Addiction

CBD Eases Anxiety and Cravings of Heroin Addiction, New Study Finds

Every day, more than 130 people in the U.S. die after overdosing on opioids, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report from 2018. Addressing the opioid crisis with all the resources possible must be a top priority for government and scientists. The misuse of and addiction to opioids – including heroin, pain relievers, and synthetic opioids – is a snowballing, serious national crisis that affects public health.

A new study finds cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in hemp and marijuana, could treat opioid addiction.

“The intense craving is what drives the drug use. If we can have the medications that can dampen that [craving], that can greatly reduce the chance of relapse and overdose risk,” noted Yasmin Hurd, the lead researcher on the study and director of the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai. The study found that CBD immediately helped reduce cravings among heroin users, and it also noted the effects seemed to last seven days after the subjects were administered CBD, well beyond the time the drug is expected to be present in the body. The results of the study are published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

A team of New York-based scientists suggest CBD may have a role in helping to break the cycle of addiction. Researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York found a promising new use of CBD: a reduction of cravings and anxiety in individuals with a history of heroin abuse. This is certainly welcome news as CBD may help break heroin drug addiction.

“To address the critical need for new treatment options for the millions of people and families who are being devastated by this epidemic, we initiated a study to assess the potential of a nonintoxicating cannabinoid on craving and anxiety in heroin-addicted individuals,” explained lead study author Yasmin Hurd.

Endocannabinoid System

CBD Skincare Interest is Rising Fast: What’s the Future of Cannabidiol for Skin Health Look Like?

Here’s Why Gen-Z Are Turning To CBD Skincare

CBD as a Superbug Antibiotic?

What the Research Shows

You & Your Endocannabinoid System

Stars of the Endocannabinoid System

Endocannabinoids (eCBs)

CBD Eases Anxiety and Cravings of Heroin Addiction, New Study Finds

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