CBD & Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural bodily response to injury, infection & irritation. It is part of the body’s healing mechanism, protecting you while allowing for damaged tissue to heal. Inflammation helps to fight off bacterial threats, remove damaged cells & help the body begin a healing process.

Inflammation may become problematic when, for example, it becomes chronic as a result of conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and auto-immune disorders. Many controllable factors either cause, or exacerbate inflammation. Factors such as; stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, smoking & untreated infections.

Although inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process, sometimes the body continues to produce an inflammatory response when there is no lasting injury or infection. This form of chronic inflammation can occur; in the joints (which leads to arthritis), in blood vessels (leads to heart disease), & can even cause insulin resistance (leads to diabetes). [1]

Excessive inflammation is when the body has a disproportionate response, this occurs in conditions such as sepsis & allergic reactions. It’s not always clear that the inflammatory response might be the cause of health issues as symptoms include common discomforts such as fever, fatigue, unexplained weight loss & digestive issues.

Other symptoms that are more obviously linked to inflammation are joint stiffness, sore heat around joints, and swelling that persists after an injury has healed.

Supporting Inflammation Naturally

When dealing with inflammation, the best line of defence for your physical health is to eat healthy, nutrient dense foods with sufficient antioxidants (ie. blueberries & leafy greens) & healthy fats (ie. extra virgin olive oil & avocados). [2]

Processed foods, refined sugars, trans fats & excessive alcohol will all contribute to an unhealthy, increased, and possibly overactive inflammatory response.

Turmeric & Ginger are two fantastic anti-inflammatory ingredients you can add to your diet. Regular exercise can help reduce inflammation by improving blood circulation & immune system function. This can be achieved even with gentle exercises such as Thai Chi, Yoga & even simply taking a walk in the morning. [3]

We must also remember to sleep consistently, and get enough hours in each night for our bodies to reach the restorative state of homeostasis. [4]

How CBD May Help with Inflammation

In addition to these steps, modern science has demonstrated that CBD can reduce & manage inflammation in a number of ways, as well as reduce the painful symptoms of inflammation.

Studies such as the one that appears in volume 69 of the pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics demonstrate that CBD & CBG treatments have been demonstrated to provide anti-inflammatory activity to the recipients, especially in regards to inflammation of the lungs. [5]

But how exactly does CBD affect inflammation?

Taking CBD modulates the way CB1 & CB2 receptors behave. This modulation of the endocannabinoid system helps to prevent the risk of excessive inflammatory responses.

Excessive inflammation occurs when the immune system is overacting in offence against foreign compounds. CBD has been demonstrated to reduce overactive immune systems by decreasing the release of cytokines. [6]

CBD works as a direct antioxidant due to its chemical structure (hydroxyl groups). CBD neutralises reactive oxygen species (ROS) and acts as a reducing agent.

CBD can also reduce oxidative stress by positively regulating endogenous antioxidant enzymes (e.g., SOD, glutathione peroxidase), which prevents an elongation of chronic inflammation.

In addition to a reduction in stress, CBD can cause an improvement in sleep, which is essential for the body to enter homeostasis and combat inflammation naturally.

Poor sleep causes the body to take on a pro-inflammatory state, therefore sustained poor sleep will perpetuate inflammation for those dealing with health issues. Even a single night of poor sleep can cause or exacerbate inflammation. [7]

To learn more about how CBD affects sleep see our recent blog – link –