What is CBD Oil?

Let’s start at the start: I was basically born an anxious freak-show.

Anxiety disorder & frequent panic attacks run in my family. Genetics, man.

When I talk about anxiety, I’m speaking on something different from stress. Actually, I’m quite good at handling stress, & I work well under pressure. Stress & anxiety, in my case, are kind of mutually exclusive.

Most of the time, if I’m really stressed about something ( or scared, nervous, etc. ), my anxiety takes a back-burner. It’s odd. In my younger years, I used competitive gymnastics as a way to cope with anxiety. I competed at a high level at a relatively young age, because I was always the first to try a new skill. I must say, I was afraid of basically everything else EXCEPT for things that could realistically hurt me, LOL.

Since then, I use staying BUSY as a way to cope. If I sit still for too long, anxiety takes over. It’s not a stress or a fear I’m feeling, but a general feeling of being on-edge & unable to breathe.

I can do a whole post on my history with anxiety if any of you with the same issues are interested. I’ve gone through therapy, been medicated, & dealt with it off of medication. Lemme know if y’all want me to speak more on that!

Okay, so, I’ve been using CBD Oil, as of late, to treat anxiety on a daily basis. What is CBD oil, you ask?

what is CBD oil?

CBD oil is a cannabinoid, like THC, that is found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, CBD is a non-psychoactive compound, meaning it doesn’t get you high. ( source )

Most CBD oil is farmed from hemp, which is the least-processed form of the cannabis plant.

Medical News Today breaks down the scientific mumbo-jumbo behind CBD simply:

All cannabinoids, including CBD, attach themselves to certain receptors in the body to produce their effects.

The human body produces certain cannabinoids on its own. It has two receptors for cannabinoids, called CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors.

The CB1 receptors in the brain deal with coordination and movement, pain, emotions and mood, thinking, appetite, and memories, among others. THC attaches to these receptors.

CB2 receptors are more common in the immune system. They affect inflammation and pain.

It used to be thought that CBD acts on these CB2 receptors, but it appears now that CBD does not act on either receptor directly. Instead, it seems to influence the body to use more of its own cannabinoids.

You can learn more about CBD oil & specific studies on its effects here.

Besides treating anxiety, the benefit I’m most interested in is CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation plagues my daily life, whether its in my digestive system or my skin ( hi, acne ). Chronic inflammation is a root cause of MANY serious diseases ( including cancer ).

CBD oil ( as well as the rest of the cannabis plant ) is legal for recreational use in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, & Washington.

There has been a MAJOR CBD trend going on in the chic coffee shops & juice joints around Los Angeles. I’ve seen CBD-infused cold brew, CBD oil in smoothies, & TONS of foods containing CBD.

I use LEEF Organics Thrival CBD Extract most days to chill me out. I put two drops in my water or tea a couple times a day ( usually morning & night ). LEEF Organics warns against taking more than 8 drops per day.

As far as the effect it has on me, it’s subtle BUT definitely noticeable. I feel over-all more calm & like I’m able to breathe easier ( which is pretty huge, for me ). It’s not a high feeling AT ALL. Smoking or ingesting weed usually makes me MORE anxious, so I’m team CBD!

LEEF Organics sells a baby bottle of this extract for you to try if you want to see how you react. They also have a balm & soap for those of you with chronic pain or inflammation to soothe your skin, muscles, &/or joints. I haven’t tried either of these products yet, so I can’t go into detail about their effects.

If you want to try a LEEF product for yourself, they’ve given me a 25% off discount code for H+H readers to use at checkout! Use code organic25 for your fancy little discount, which is valid until this Sunday, May 13!

Should I do some CBD oil recipes next??

Talk soon, xx