The abc's of CBD
The Short Story
As strange as it seems, after decades of demonizing marijuana, people are storming the doors of even the most unseemly places to buy what is being perceived as a miracle cure.
A couple of thoughts: 1. People are, indeed, storming the doors where there's a shingle hung outside with the letters CBD on it. 2. CBD, despite what people insist, is not a miracle cure. CBD does possess some impressive properties and peculiarities but put in perspective, it's a raw material, like so many before it.
Well ... maybe not.
The following short overview describes the peculiar properties of CBD and some assets it provides. This is not intended to be comprehensive. In its THC free state, we view CBD as a dietary supplement with extraordinary potentials, most of which, by FDA rules, should not be published with inappropriate claims. Having spent the past 30 years in the vitamin/mineral/dietary supplement and OTC sectors, this is the first time we've seen a product/single raw material with so much upside and little to no downside.
Primary CBD Properties
CBD is the acronym for cannabinoids, which is the main non-psychoactive component of cannabis sativa (hemp). What separates CBD from what is common in cannabis is the absence of THC (thetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound of the hemp plant. There is a common misconception that is hemp oil and CBD oil are the same and the terms are used interchangeably but this is, in fact, not the case. Hemp oil is oil derived from hemp seed, which contains essential fatty acids and other key nutrients and maybe only trace amounts of CBD. CBD oil, on the other hand, is derived from the whole cannabis plant and is rich in both CBD and THC although today CBD strains are specially bred with high concentrations of CBD and low THC amounts. The THC is then extracted via proprietary extraction engineering to produce either THC free oil or oil with less than .3% THC, which is the federal legal limit for THC. The role of CBD is to interact with the body's endocannabinoid system to produce a variety of beneficial effects, particularly in the central nervous system and the autoimmune system. 
Discovered over 30 years ago, the human endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a vital molecular system for helping maintain homeostasis via CB1 and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are concentrated in the brain while the CB2 receptors are spread throughout the rest of the body. These receptors act as cellular agents helping to modulate the vital systems that keep the human body on an even keel. Because of its crucial role in homeostasis, the ECS is widespread throughout the animal kingdom. Its key pieces evolved a long time ago, and the ECS can be found in all vertebrate species.
Endocannabinoid Regulation of Brain Cell Firing
Brain cells (neurons) communicate by sending electrochemical signalsto each another. Each neuron must listen to its partners to decide whether it will fire off its own signal at any given moment. However, neurons don’t like to get too much input. If they get overloaded by signals, it can be toxic. That’s where endocannabinoids come in.
Endocannabinoid signals regulate how active our brain cells are.
Under normal circumstances, a given brain cell (neuron) will get just the right amount of input from its partners—not too much, not too little. However, some of its partners can become overactive, and send an excessive number of signals. The neuron that’s listening will detect this, and release endocannabinoids that tell the other neuron to quiet down. This kind of mechanism helps maintain homeostasis because it helps prevent neurons from sending out too many signals. Endocannabinoids allow receiver neurons to regulate how much input they’re getting, and they do this by sending retrograde signals (endocannabinoids) back to overactive sender neurons.
Sources:
Leafly.com
