You will have heard a lot about CBD (‘Cannibidiol’) as a health-enhancer. It exists in topical remedies, food supplements, cosmetics, and vaping pods.  Social media posts most commonly talk about  pain,  anxiety  disorders,  sleep disorders, and  stress as conditions possibly treatable with CBD. 

Systematic pharmaceutical study is underway across a range of possible therapeutic areas. The FDA has approved one CBD drug already, Epidiolex®, for seizures associated with Dravet Syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. More drugs are in the development pipeline.

This is timely. Some widely available products are of unknown composition, and their effectiveness in particular conditions isn’t always clear, whatever popular culture may believe. Because CBD does have undeniable pharmacodynamic effects, people are self-treating with capsules, oils, creams, and e-liquids for numerous medical and psychiatric conditions. As yet untested, and unregulated, these products may or may not be effective, may actually contain no CBD, may contain THC, the inebriating ingredient in cannabis, or may even contain chemicals that arehazardous.

Data shows that pure, pharmaceutical-gradeCBD is safe (we  use  only  PureForm CBD™ in Diolpure products),  with limited side effects, though this does yet need to be generalized across the whole population, especially for children and the elderly, and across the different kinds of formulation. Six studies have been done on this to date, and none have raised danger signals. Nor is CBD  habit-forming. Participants in two safety studies have reported that it  felt good to be on CBD, but this was likely because of THC contaminants. (CBD, as used to be feared, does  not transform into THC in the body.)

Drug development will be complicated, because the two cannabinoid neural receptors are located all throughout the body, from central nervous system to immune cells, and exactly what CBD does at those sites still needs to be understood. It’s becoming clear, for example, that diet can influence the molecule’s  bioavailability, and there are reports of at least some drug-drug interactions. The reasons for this are not completely known yet. 

The therapeutic promise of CBD

Beyond the safe and effective products you know from DiolPure, CBD now seems especially appropriate for other pharmaceutical-grade development elsewhere too. 

Compelling evidence exists that CBD helps treat  epilepsy and other forms of seizure.

For  pain, studies are beginning to show relief in multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, and generalised neuropathic discomfort. CBD may make a very good topical analgesic.

In  autoimmune disorders as well, possible clinical applications are beginning to emerge, notably in gastrointestinal inflammation, ulcerative colitis, ocular hypertension and glaucoma, graft-versus-host disease, and diabetes.