CBD Benefits for Mental Health
The powerful benefits of CBD, or cannabidiol, and how it can play a part in a healthy and balanced lifestyle. By Nick Osipczak
Reading time: 4 minutes
CBD is the hot topic of plant-medicine right now, but I want to be clear and say that there are many plants which can do incredible things for us. It’s just that the majority of the known powerful plants are made ‘illegal’ in the interest of governments and pharmaceutical companies who seek to swap health for profits.
CBD comes from the hemp plant, which has co-evolved with our species over thousands of years at least. This means that we have an intimate relationship with hemp, which has been used to clothe, feed, shelter and heal us for millennia. Hemp has helped us in many ways, supporting the proliferation of our population, and we have helped spread hemp around the planet too... a like-for like mutually beneficial arrangement.
What is the essence of the hemp plant? Homeostasis. This means balance. Maintaining and restoring balance. It restores balance to the environment. There cannot be an organism unless there is simultaneously an environment, so you could say there only exits organism/ environment relationships, and never either one of these individually. The environment grows the organism, and the organism creates the environment. The environment that hemp grows in, and rebalances, is the same environment that we grow in – planet earth.
Hemp, more so than us, is connected to the earth. That is because of its roots that grow down into the earth, whilst the stem simultaneously reaches for the stars. We, on the other hand, are susceptible to losing awareness of our connection to the earth, and forgetting that we come from the earth and one day will return to the earth again, literally.
When we consume the hemp plant, in particular the flowers of the hemp plant, which contains the magical cannabinoids such as CBD (there are over 100 identified cannabinoids), we strengthen our connection to the earth. The CBD enters our endocannabinoid system, and begins regulating our homeostasis.
What is CBD?
CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. This cannabinoid is in the spotlight worldwide, as awareness of its far-reaching health benefits is rapidly expanding. It is considered a powerful antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-nauseate, sleep aid, muscle relaxant and sedative. Cannabinoids, such as CBD, interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, a complex system that controls a variety of biological processes like appetite, immune responses, mood, and sleep and is found in all mammals.
Whatever is ‘out-of-balance’ can be helped. Need more sleep? CBD helps. In pain? CBD reduces the inflammation. Hormones? Yes. Our awareness shifts away from the incessant thinking of the brain, and deposits more into the feeling of our bodies as a whole. This helps bring us more into the present, reducing anxiety levels and increasing feelings of calm and peace. As the background white-noise of tension and fear reduce, we are able to more clearly see the woods for the trees and can choose more wisely how to spend our time and energy.
So, we are gifted a helping hand in resetting our state, but now it lies with us to deploy our strategy based on (newly received?) information: what choices will we make today? Will we choose to move well, eat well, and proceed bravely towards our goals and aspirations, or will we succumb to feelings of doubt, inadequacy, fear, and restrengthen old habits that enslave us and deplete us? This ability to choose is what makes us human. Choose wisely.
You are more powerful than you realise and your choices lead to actions which have bigger knock-on effects than you can imagine. Choose a life of no regrets. Live boldly.
Benefits
A quick search on PubMed brings up over 11,000 search results for "CBD", showing this is a very well studied cannabinoid. Humans across the globe have been using cannabis to heal and treat a variety of conditions for millenia.Here is a summary of some of the key potential benefits highlighted in a recent Harvard paper:
Insomnia: There have been studies suggesting that CBD may help with insomnia, both in falling asleep and in staying asleep.
Pain relief: The reason CBD is so popular amongst professional athletes is due to it's pain relieving properties. Being such a powerful anti-inflammatory, CBD also help reduce recovery time from injuries.
Anxiety: Clinical trials and studies are now exploring common claims that CBD can help to reduce anxiety.
Addiction: There is some research to suggest that CBD can help to lower cravings for tobacco and other substances. Again, research on animals has further shown that it can help lessen cravings for alcohol and stimulants.
* If you're on pharmaceutical medication and are considering using CBD oil, you should speak to your healthcare professional to ensure compatability. Nick Osipczak is the founder of Raised Spirit hemp lifestyle brand (raisedspirit.com)
Om Magazine
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