You’ve probably heard about CBD, you might even have tried it. But do you want to know what CBD actually is? You’ve come to the right place. We’re scientific experts in the subject. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it comes from the extract of the flower of the cannabis plant. But we’re not the first humans to recognize its medicinal properties. For that we have to go back thousands of years…
Let’s go back to 2800BC, when the father of Chinese medicine, the Emperor Shen Nung listed the cannabis plant in his pharmacopeia. It gets honorable mentions in the ancient texts of the Indian Hindus, Assyrians, Greeks and Romans for treating an array of problems such as arthritis, depression, amenorrhea, inflammation, pain, lack of appetite and asthma*. (*University of Sydney; Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics)
Today, more and more scientists and doctors around the world are confirming the therapeutic qualities of cannabidiol. It’s a safe, non-addictive substance, one of more than a hundred phytocannabinoids that are unique to the cannabis plant. it’s closely related to THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance that makes you feel intoxicated. But because THC and CBD act on different receptors on the brain, CBD does not make you feel ‘high’. And because it’s therapeutically potent, it’s great for the widest range of people, particularly as a treatment option for people cautious about trying cannabis for the first time.
HOW DOES CBD BENEFIT US HUMANS?
Humankind has been harnessing the benefits of the cannabis plant for millennia. Today, there’s a growing number of ordinary folk looking for a natural alternative to harsh pharmaceuticals. The CBD we produce is all plant, hence our name, PHYTO. It taps directly into our biological function on a deep level, providing relief from chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, and a whole range of other conditions. If you want the science-y bit, read on…
The Science
There’s been a lot of research into the therapeutic effects of CBD, most of it done by the U.S. Government. It can be used for treating these ailments, among others:
- Autoimmune diseases (inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis)
- Neurological conditions (Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, stroke, traumatic brain injury)
- Metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity)
- Neuropsychiatric illness (autism, ADHD, PTSD, alcoholism)
- Gut disorders (colitis, Crohn’s)
- Cardiovascular dysfunction (atherosclerosis, arrhythmia)
- Skin disease (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis)