Does CBD Really Work and What CBD Product Is Best for Me?

As we continue to study the hemp plant and its properties, we learn more about the different cannabinoids and their benefits to the human body. Cannabinoids are substances produced in the cannabis plant, and recent research suggests that the plant itself contains about 100 different cannabinoids.

Each cannabinoid is different, and it interacts uniquely with the receptors in your endocannabinoid system. Although in this post we will briefly touch on the endocannabinoid system, make sure to check out the article written by Dr. Felecia L. Dawson that we shared on our blog to learn in-depth about this wonderful cell-signaling system!

Research on the plant has come a long way in a short time, thanks hugely in part to the 2018 Farm Bill, which allowed for the industrial hemp industry to take off.

In this post, we will focus on:

What is CBD and how does it work?
CBD and the endocannabinoid system
Proven benefits of CBD
Choosing the best CBD product for you and product recommendations

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant (the specific variety is called Sativa L., which can be both hemp and marijuana). A cannabinoid is a chemical compound produced by the plant that has specific properties and benefits.

CBD became widely popular in the last couple of years. Before that, not many people knew what a cannabinoid was. “Weed” was just something some people smoked back then to get high—and it had been illegal for a long time. Fun fact: the intoxicating chemical that makes people high is called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and it is the most common cannabinoid in marijuana.

Since about 2018, however, you may remember that CBD started to pop up everywhere, advertised as the “wonder,” “miracle,” or “magic” cure for everything. According to these claims, CBD could heal you from stress to migraines to cancer.

While this put CBD on the map and many people began to feel relief by using organic CBD products, it also led to many less-than-reputable operations to make false and misleading claims about the products they were selling and the benefits of CBD overall.

How Do I Know Which CBD Claims Are True?

Fortunately, many companies are very transparent about their farming and distribution/packaging practices. They prove it through record-keeping, third party certifications, and genuinely clean and impressive operations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Nonetheless, since federal and state regulation is still being designed and implemented, there are still CBD operations that do not comply and who do not have the consumers’ best interest in mind.

To illustrate, at Appalachian Growers we have achieved four different third-party certifications, which show that our practices, crop, and products adhere to these high standards of quality, safety, and transparency.

Our hemp certifications are:

Read our post about the importance of Food Safety in any industry and to learn more on what these certifications are.

How CBD and the Endocannabinoid System Work Together

Very much like our nervous, skeletal, and respiratory systems, we all have an endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system was not very researched until the 90s, and now we are beginning to understand how powerful it is.

The endocannabinoid system performs important roles, such as keeping our body in balance (also known as homeostasis). In addition, it has been linked (at least partially) to the following functions:

Appetite and digestion
Chronic pain and inflammation
Sleep and mood
Motor control and memory
Skin and nerve functions

We all have CB1 and CB2 receptors which are part of our endocannabinoid system. Although CBD does not actually bind to these receptors, it “activates” them and affects them indirectly. This process is how we can begin to feel the benefits of CBD. Nonetheless, every person’s endocannabinoid system is different, based on factors such as:

Genetics
Gender
Age
Habits

Learning about the endocannabinoid system is useful to understand why CBD affects us all differently. Some people feel the desired benefits (such as pain relief or relaxation) shortly after beginning to take CBD oil, tablets, drops, or whichever product they choose. Other people may need to set a daily CBD schedule for one or two weeks to begin to feel a difference. Patience is key when introducing a new substance to the body. It is also paramount to know how your hemp is grown, processed, and extracted –the higher the quality, the better it will be for you.

CBD and Endocannabinoid System

Proven Benefits of CBD

Is there evidence to back up the CBD health benefits? Are there proven benefits to CBD? These are some of the most frequently asked questions today. Luckily, the answer is yes!

According to Harvard Health Publishing, the strongest scientific evidence for the efficacy of CBD is in treating childhood epilepsy, like the Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut (LGS) syndromes. While these children do not usually respond to medication, different studies cite that CBD reduced their numbers of seizures or even stopped them.

Does CBD Help with Pain and Sleep Management?

There are several studies that cite the proven and potential benefits that CBD offers in treating chronic pain and sleep management:

In a 2020 study in New Zealand, 400 cancer patients began to use CBD, with self-reported improvements in their quality of life and pain management.
In a 2019 study, patients with fibromyalgia that used CBD experienced significantly less pain that those who were given a placebo.
A study from the European Journal of Pain showed that CBD that was applied to the skin of an animal lowered the pain and inflammation due to arthritis.
Another promising study showed that CBD could prevent inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
The article “Cannabinoids in the Management of Difficult to Treat Pain” in the Journal of Therapeutics and Risk Management states that in 2005, a cannabis-derived oromucosal spray (containing equal parts THC and CBD) was approved to treat central neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis, and in 2007 for cancer pain.
In a 2020 study, patients reported that CBD helped them to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The article “Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders” by the journal Neurotherapeutics states that there is some clinical evidence to suggest that CBD can help with a myriad of anxiety and stress disorders, including PTSD, OCD, and general anxiety.

Which CBD Product is Best for Me?

Now you have an in-depth understanding of CBD, what it is, how it works, and what to look for as far as consumer safety goes. In this post, we will highlight 3 of our best-selling, organic, local CBD products so you can choose the item that best suits your needs.

3000mg Full Spectrum Cannabinoid Tincture: CBD oil is one of our consumer favorites. If you have never tried CBD before (or even if you have), we are pleased to recommend our 3000mg oil. This is our highest concentration of full spectrum hemp oil, which means that you can start with a low dose and still receive the synergistic effects of different cannabinoids.

Appalachian Growers 3000mg Orange Citrus Tincture

How much you need to take will depend on your lifestyle and genetics, and you may need a higher dose at night than in the morning. Our 30ml bottle is designed to take a dropper a day for 30 days, but some people receive benefits with only half of a 3000mg dropper. We cannot legally suggest a specific dose for our customers, but we do suggest that you experiment with a few products until you find the one that you like best.

If you already take (or have taken) CBD oil, try the 3000mg concentration and let us know how it works for you!

750mg Full Spectrum Hemp Drink Drops: Our CBD drink drops are perfect for putting in your morning coffee, tea, or water so you can go out and seize the day (customers have even reported that putting a couple of CBD drops in their coffee helps to soothe those caffeine jitters!)

We love the drink drops because the water form allows for absorption without having to be digested first. Plus, the drink drops are perfect for an “on-the-go” solution that you can throw in your purse, gym bag, or briefcase.

Try our CBD drink drops today! If you cannot take full spectrum hemp products due to your work or other reasons, we also offer completely THC-free CBD drink drops. THC-free means that only THC is removed, but the rest of the cannabinoids are there.

50mg Full Spectrum Hemp Instant Release Tablets: One of our recently launched products, our Instant Release CBD tablets will become one of your favorites!

Appalachian Growers Instant Release Tablets

The instant release allows for immediate absorption in the gut for quick relief. The concentration is 50mg of CBD per tablet, but each tablet contains a breaker bar if you only want half a dose. The tablet is easy to carry and it is also a great option if you are on the go.

We also offer instant release tablets that contain a combination of CBD/CBG. CBG stands for Cannabigerol, and it is a cannabinoid that is currently being studied for its properties in helping with digestion and other stomach conditions. Although both tablets provide a unique set of benefits, taking the CBD/CBG tablets together will have more powerful anti-inflammatory effects in your body.

Get now your CBD Instant Release Tablets or give our combination of CBD/CBG Instant Release Tablets a try!

Conclusion

Although now we know more about the cannabis plant than we ever have before, we are still discovering new benefits, applications, and potential treatment routes. Remember that since there is so much information and different products out there that are still unregulated or lowly regulated, it is crucial for the consumer to become educated on finding trustworthy, quality CBD products.

At Appalachian Growers, consumer safety, proven by our farm and packaging certifications, is always at the forefront of our minds. In fact, seeing the benefits that CBD had in direct family members (and their increased quality of life), is the drive and inspiration that created Appalachian Growers in the first place!

Remember that CBD affects everyone differently. It is very possible that you will also experience the benefits of CBD that you find online or that a friend might tell you about, but in the end it depends on a combination of genetics and lifestyle.

Test different quality products and find the right one for you!

Written By:

Pamela Jertberg