Cannabis consists of hundreds of medicinal compounds, also known as cannabinoids. The two most widely-studied cannabinoids include cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The fundamental difference between CBD and THC is the chemical properties and how they interact with your body. THC is known for its psychoactive effects. Those psychoactive properties are the reason THC is popular with recreational marijuana users. On the contrary, CBD produces no psychoactive nor intoxicating effects.

Surprising Benefits of Cannabis

• Pain Management

  
  

Cannabis treats pain by impacting the functions of your endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system’s ability to be effective relies on the pain signaling mechanisms between the endocannabinoids and the endocannabinoid receptors.

How effective a cannabis product is in managing pain depends on the chemical properties of the individual cannabinoids. For instance, THC binds to the CB1 receptors, located near the brain and central nervous system. So, THC’s pain-relieving effects have a lot to do with its ability to alter your state of mind.

On the other hand, cannabidiol acts on pain by interacting with endocannabinoid receptors known as CB2 receptors located on peripheral organs. CBD alters the chemical structure of CB2 receptors. As a result, your endogenous cannabinoids can bind more readily to your endocannabinoid receptors.

Research suggests CBD can improve anandamide signaling by destroying the enzymes that trigger the degradation of anandamide. Anandamide is a popular endocannabinoid that plays a significant role in pain relief.

• Boosting Sexual Performance

  
  

The interaction between cannabis and your endocannabinoid system doesn’t just result in pain treatment. Those positive interactions also help with various other medical conditions, including low libido. 

There are various ways cannabis can bring out the sexual animal in you. It is accessible by visiting a local cannabis store if its legal in your country, state, or region.  

First, cannabinoids like CBD are renowned vasodilators. As a vasodilator, cannabidiol relaxes the muscles in your blood vessels. Therefore, more blood can flow to your sexual organs, resulting in more durable and longer erections. 

Secondly, various studies have linked cannabis use to an increased libido. By boosting your libido, cannabis makes you more receptive to your sexual partner. 

Lastly, cannabinoids like THC and cannabichromene (CBC) are famous for their effects against fatigue. In particular, THC acts as a stimulant at low doses, supplying you with the bursts of energy required for an explosive sexual experience. 

• Anxiety Relief

  
  

Cannabis relieves anxiety by boosting your brain’s sensitivity to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin, which is considered the happy hormone, is an important chemical that plays a significant role in signal transmission between the nerves. A deficiency in this neurotransmitter has been linked to stress, depression, and anxiety disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

Numerous studies conducted on the antianxiety benefits of cannabis on rats have delivered some positive findings. According to these findings, cannabinoids offer anxiolytic effects similar to those of conventional antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. 

Though these studies were conducted on mice, they apply to humans too. That’s because all animals have a near-similar endocannabinoid system. In fact, according to this 2015 review , cannabinoids can help people battling with a social anxiety disorder.

• Management of Inflammatory Conditions

  
  

Inflammatory diseases come in various shapes and forms. Examples include skin conditions like acne and eczema, gastrointestinal problems like inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, cancer remains the primary inflammatory condition that experts recommend cannabis to manage. 

Generally, inflammation is one of your body’s first lines of defense against a physical injury or invasion by disease-causing microorganisms. It occurs when the body responds by releasing bradykinins, prostaglandins, and histamines to the target tissues. The release of these chemicals triggers the leakage of fluids into the injured tissues, leading to inflammation. 

However, certain types of inflammation are indicative of a more severe medical condition. Such are the kind you can treat using cannabis. Test tube studies conducted on animals have proved that cannabidiol contains anti-cancer properties, including the ability to trigger apoptosis in cancerous cells. 

In addition to inducing apoptosis, CBD can also help relieve some common side effects of chemotherapy, such as pain, nausea, and vomiting. Another way CBD keeps inflammatory conditions at bay is by lowering the body’s inflammatory messenger activity. 

• Skin Conditioning

  
  

Dry skin is a concern that we all face at one point or another. It doesn’t matter whether your skin dries out due to excruciating summer heat or changes in humidity. You deserve a great product that can help your skin keep all the moisture intact. 

Unfortunately, most skin care products fall short in preventing our skin from becoming dry and scaly. Worse yet, some of these regular beauty products are laden with synthetic additives. That makes them unideal for people with sensitive skin types. Fortunately, you won’t go wrong by swapping your regular skin moisturizer with cannabis products like CBD oil.  

Besides its antioxidant properties that can help keep skin conditions at bay, CBD oil is also a natural remedy against dehydration. When applied topically, the oil forms a healthy layer around your skin pores, preventing excessive water loss. What’s more, cannabis extracts do not generally cause skin hypersensitivity.

• Treatment of Neurodegenerative Conditions

  
  

Neurological and neurodegenerative disorders are some of the most debilitating medical conditions.  They interfere with your brain’s functions, but they could also lead to physical paralysis. 

Research on the role of cannabis compounds in mediating neurodegenerative diseases’ severity is still a work in progress. However, the findings already suggest that extracts from the herb might help with conditions like epileptic seizures and multiple sclerosis. 

The CBD-based drug, Sativex , is used to reduce spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis. Also, the FDA has since approved a CBD-based drug, Epidiolex, for the treatment of rare but severe forms of seizures.

• Improving Sleep

  
  

The National Sleep Foundation suggests that between 50 and 70 million U.S adults experience one or more sleep disorders. 

If you fall among these statistics, maybe it’s about time you incorporated cannabis into your sleep routine. Cannabinoids like CBD, THC, and cannabinol (CBN) have shown to improve sleep quality and duration. 

CBD improves your sleep in two ways. First, it relieves some of the most nagging symptoms of insomnia, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. 

CBD also eliminates the rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep. Rapid eye movement is when you’re most physically at rest but mentally alert. So, eliminating this stage ensures a peaceful, prolonged sleep. 

According to this 2008 study , THC plays a role in eliminating REM. It’s also a popular sedative at high doses, a property that it shares with Cannabinol (CBN). Those sedative effects are useful in inducing sleep. 

CBN not only treats sleep disorders. It’s also associated with providing relief from various eye conditions like glaucoma.  

In terms of its therapeutic properties, cannabis is undoubtedly the power-herb. In addition to its health benefits, there are plenty of other ways you can benefit by incorporating the herb into your life.