CBD: Is It Just Hype?

Maybe you’ve been hearing about CBD for a while now, and you’re curious. 

Perhaps you’ve seen advertisements for CBD-based products that claim to help you sleep, relieve anxiety and stress, or even cure or treat specific ailments.

So is CBB just hype? Or is it as good as people are saying? Let’s take a closer look.

What is CBD and How is it Used?

CBD stands for cannabidiol. It’s extracted from the hemp plant, a form of the cannabis plant. That doesn’t mean that CBD will get you high, though. It doesn’t have the psychoactive properties of cannabis – those come from a different chemical compound, THC.

CBD can be used or consumed in a variety of different ways. Most commonly, it’s taken as a tincture, placed under your tongue. But it can also be used topically (rubbed onto your skin) or even eaten as gummies.

What Benefits Does CBD Have?

Medical marijuana has been around for a while now – and the benefits have been known about since ancient times. 

But CBD has become particularly well known and popular over the past few years. People have ascribed a wide range of benefits to CBD, saying that it can do things like:

• Improve some forms of epilepsy
• Improve sleep disorders and support healthy sleep
• Help your muscles repair faster after strenuous exercise
• Help with stress and anxiety
• Give you more focus and better concentration
• Reduce pain

CBD is also being touted as a business or investment opportunity, with some people claiming that you can get rich selling CBD.

Has CBD Been Over-Hyped?

The jury is still out on the benefits of CBD, but there is widespread expert agreement that CBD is an appropriate and effective treatment for some medical conditions.

Small-scale studies have suggested that CBD is indeed effective against some conditions such as anxiety. But more studies into CBD are needed. For instance, there’s currently conflicting evidence about whether CBD reduces or increases the chance of the patient suffering a stroke.

There does seem to be agreement that CBD is safe, with it being legal in all states, and in many countries around the world. CBD brands will tout its many purported benefits, and you may well want to try it if you think it will help you. 

But for now, there’s still some skepticism about how effective CBD really is, and whether it lives up to the hype, particularly when it comes to self-medication.

Another way in which CBD has been hyped has been as the next big business or investment opportunity. But currently, the FDA has not approved adding it to foods and drinks, limiting opportunities. The CBD industry is not yet mature, and while there may well be huge profits to be made, there are also a lot of risks.

CBD definitely isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme or a magic medication that will cure any and every problem. It’s certainly worth a look, though … and if you’re curious about its benefits, why not give it a try?