How To Use CBD For Pain: Which Products To Try

CBD and medical marijuana are both illegal, which can make it hard to choose and use the right product. For more information on medical marijuana for pain, check out cbd rapid pain relief. Here are some things you might find when you look around the market.

Get to Know the CBD Isolate, Broad, and Full Spectrum Products

Scientists are still trying to figure out how CBD might help fight diseases and ease pain and its symptoms. They are also still trying to figure out how CBD works as a single compound instead of as a whole plant. For example, you might see terms like “CBD isolate,” “Full Spectrum CBD,” and “Broad Spectrum CBD” when reading about a product.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet but note that efficacy of each is still up for debate.

CBD isolate is the name for a product made from the marijuana plant that is only made up of the CBD compound. Both hemp and other types of marijuana can be used to make CBD isolates. Remember that it must come from the hemp plant for it to be legal in the United States. CBD isolates can be bought at a marijuana dispensary in states where medical marijuana is legal. Also, some CBD isolates are made in a lab, like the ones used in the drugs Marinol and Syndros, which are FDA-approved to treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and to help people with AIDS eat more. ³

Full-spectrum CBD products contain the full range of cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant. These include THC, CBDa, CBG, and CBN, as well as terpenes and other compounds like flavonoids, proteins, phenols, sterols, and esters. Technically, full spectrum products can have 0.3% or less THC if they are made from hemp. However, the best CBD oil for pain relief made from marijuana that isn’t hemp tend to have a wider range of cannabinoids and terpenes.

Broad-spectrum cannabis products have all of the characteristics of the plant, but most of the THC has been taken out.

Be Aware of the Entourage Effect

People who like full-spectrum cannabis products talk about something called the “entourage effect,” which means that the chemicals in marijuana work together.

¹¹ Think of marijuana like a plant (which it is). CBD isolates may not have the same benefits as whole-plant extracts, just like vitamin supplements don’t have the same benefits as eating whole foods. ¹²

But it isn’t that easy. CBD has been shown to reduce how high THC makes you feel. This means that if a full spectrum extract has more THC than CBD, you might not feel as high. Everyone reacts to marijuana differently, so there will be a lot of trial and error.

Even though CBD is usually well tolerated, THC may make CBD less likely to have negative side effects. By making CBD’s effects on the endocannabinoid system stronger, THC may also be an important part of CBD’s pain-relieving effects.

The entourage effect also takes into account the terpenes, which can be different in different strains of marijuana and add to the effect of the plant. Some recent studies show that this compound is good for you (think aromatherapy).

On top of that, the entourage effect may offer benefits that a CBD isolate doesn’t, but CBD isolates can still be used to treat many medical conditions, especially pain, especially when applied topically.