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CBD
NATURE’S MEDICINE
Cannabis sparks global boom in
health products market
A
new generation of health-conscious
and wellness-oriented consumers are
driving a shift towards natural living,
opting for natural foods, natural body and
skincare products, natural fabrics and natural
remedies.
This demand has helped to thrust cannabidiol
or CBD into what is potentially one of the
biggest health trends in our lifetime.
CBD, a naturally-occurring, active non-
psychoactive compound found in the cannabis
or hemp plant’s resinous flower, has been
used for its natural medicinal and therapeutic
benefits for thousands of years, but it is only
recently that interest in its potential health
benefits has skyrocketed.
To better illustrate this growing trend, a study
published on the JAMA Network Open online
platform measured Google searches that
mentioned “CBD” or “cannabidiol” in the US
from 2004 to April 2019. The findings reveal
that CBD searches accelerated from 2014,
rising 125.9% year-on-year from 2016 to 2017,
and 160.4% in 2018 compared with 2017.
But isn’t cannabis an illegal
drug?
Given that CBD is derived from hemp – it’s one
of over 100 compounds found in the plant –
which is a close relative to marijuana, you may
be skeptical about using it.
Rest assured that CBD products are not illegal
and do not cause a “high”. The psychoactive
compound that creates marijuana’s ‘high’
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Ride For Sight | 15 February 2020
is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and all CBD
products in South Africa must contain less than
0,001% THC to comply with local regulations.
These regulations were implemented in May
2019, when the South African Department of
Health amended the Medicines Act to exempt
from scheduling all products that contain a
maximum daily dose of 20mg of CBD and are
intended for general health enhancement or
maintenance, or relief from minor symptoms
not related to a disease or disorder.
This effectively made it legal to sell compliant
products directly to the public without the need
for a prescription. However, any product that
contains a daily CBD dose more than 20mg
is still considered a scheduled substance
according to the Medicines Act and would
require a prescription to legally purchase it.
A World Health Organization report also affirms
that “CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any
abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there
is no evidence of public health related problems
associated with the use of pure CBD.”
What you may not know is that CBD also
occurs naturally inside the human body, in the
form of endocannabinoids.
How does CBD work?
Cannabinoids interact with endocannabinoid
receptors (there are two types – CB1 and CB2)
in our body, which have various physiological
effects and can positively impact on our health
and wellbeing.
CB1 receptors in the brain are associated
with emotions, mood, appetite, coordination,
movement, and pain. CB2 receptors are found
mainly in the immune system and throughout
tissues of the spleen and tonsils.