Before considering any hemp supplement regimen, it’s worth asking if CBD oil is safe for long-term use. The short answer is yes. While there’s a lot of testing that remains to be done, what we know so far is promising. CBD oil has produced no toxic side effects and is very difficult to overdose on.
When people think about long-term consequences, they may consider things like memory loss, lack of dopamine production, or even prolonged fatigue. It’s worth knowing whether CBD oil could have an effect on these areas over time.
So, is CBD oil safe for long-term use? Is it something you want to be putting in your body day after day? What causes long-term consequences? Let’s take a look at what CBD oil does and how it works over long periods of time.
Cannabidiol Is a Naturally Occurring Substance
Your body is made up of many different systems that work with each other to keep you healthy and happy. When they are working properly, you feel balanced and energized. When they’re off or not working right, the effects can be devastating.
One of those bodily systems is the endocannabinoid system (ECS). With hubs all throughout the body, the ECS can be shown to aid in the reduction of inflammation, anxiety, and sleep problems. Many people now take a daily CBD oil supplement to regulate their circadian rhythm and get a better night’s rest.
When you take CBD oil, you activate your body’s ECS and allow it to stay active for longer periods of time. Part of the reason it is considered as safe as it is has to do with its ability to inhibit enzymes that stop the ECS when the right time comes. Instead, CBD oil keeps these enzymes at bay, allowing the body to continue producing endocannabinoids and keeping the effects going.
Unlike other drugs which can flood the brain with hormones to the point of causing long-term damage, CBD oil only keeps the door open for a little longer than the bodily normally would on its own. This is likely why cannabidiol is a candidate for medical applications like the treatment of severe epilepsy.
CBD Oil Is Non-Toxic
Because CBD comes from the cannabis plant—the same family that marijuana comes from—people are sometimes worried about toxic effects. Will CBD get you high? Is it dangerous in any way? As more and more research is performed, it turns out that the side effects of this drug are minimal. It does not affect blood pressure or heart rate, and in most cases just leads to a little extra relaxation.
As far as toxic doses go, you would have to take tens of thousands of milligrams of CBD oil before your body would react in an adverse way. This is a lot different from drugs like Fentanyl or OxyContin that can put people into near-fatal states of bradycardia (slowed heart rate) with just a couple extra doses.
CBD also differs substantially from its counterpart cannabinoid, THC. While THC can be dangerous to animals in small doses, CBD is a great option to give pets as a way to treat stress and help them relax. As long as the dose is reasonable (no more than 2-3 mg per pound of fluffball), there is no risk of harming your dog or cat.
CBD Tends to Aid Bodily Functions
While the body of research for CBD could stand to put on a few pounds, the studies that already out there are promising. Tests performed on mice show CBD helping to reduce acute anxiety (triggers within about 20 minutes of the dose), and even reduced symptoms that can lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s. All of this is done with minimal side effects.
In the sleep cycle, CBD oil does a fantastic job of reinforcing the circadian rhythm, helping people to fall asleep at nighttime and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed.
As an anti-inflammatory, CBD is a great candidate because it helps to support cell mobility so that inflammation is less severe, rather than simply flooding the brain with pleasure chemicals similar to more heavy-hitting painkillers.
CBD even works great as a daily multivitamin additive. It’s an easy way to get the day started without the dramatic effects of a stronger drug.
Side Effects Associated with CBD Oil
All the research we have suggests that CBD is a great, safe wellness supplement that can help the body’s systems run more smoothly. However, there is potential for side effects when it is combined with other drugs.
Those enzymes we mentioned earlier that put a stop to the ECS? They are triggered by a brain structure called a cytochrome. These are special electrical bodies that help to send messages along the brain’s surface. When they work properly, they send out a signal for enzymes to put a stop to other processes.
When CBD is introduced, these cytochromes are inhibited from being able to do their job. For most people, this is a good thing. However, for those taking certain blood-thinning medications, this can have the effect of either permitting too much medication to be absorbed in once or to slow the medication to where it’s not effective. This can be a problem.
The simple solution is to ask your doctor before taking any CBD doses. You can also check your medication label for what is called a grapefruit warning. Because grapefruit can affect cytochromes the way CBD does, these warnings can help you know whether or not your body is likely to suffer from those kinds of side effects.
Other than that, though, there really aren’t any known side effects of CBD oil. Of those, none seem to affect people in the long term. Is CBD oil safe for long-term use? It sure seems like it.
Finding Good, Safe CBD Products
Quality matters when it comes to CBD. Because it isn’t regulated by the FDA, there are many vendors out there that get away with selling cheap, ineffective supplements. In some cases, their products don’t even contain real CBD. These pose potential health risks and should be avoided.
So how can you know if you’re buying a good product? First, only buy organic. While there aren’t restrictions on how CBD can be formulated, there are restrictions on how organic products can be grown. Organic growers don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides that pose potential health risks and weaken the overall product.
Organic products are also more likely to contain the terpenes that the hemp developed as it grew its cannabinoids. These compounds help the CBD in various ways, so it is best for them to be kept together.
Still, even organic labels can be misleading. The best way to know what’s in a product is to obtain lab reports. These documents tell you how the percentage of cannabinoids is present, as well as the presence of synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins.
Because lab reports cost money, vendors that provide them are usually legitimate. Shop there. Once you find products that work best for you, you’ll have a great vendor that you can count on for years to come.
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