What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis, a plant with a rich history as a medicine dating back thousands of years. Today, scientists and doctors around the world are testing and confirming the therapeutic properties of CBD. A safe and non-addictive substance, CBD is one of more than 100 "phytocannabinoids" that are unique to cannabis and give the plant its robust therapeutic profile.

CBD is closely related to another important medicinally active phytocannabinoid: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes psychoactivity that cannabis is famous for. These are the two components of cannabis that have been studied the most by scientists.

Both CBD and THC have significant therapeutic attributes. But unlike THC, CBD does not make a person feel "high" or intoxicated. This is because CBD and THC act in different ways on different receptors in the brain and body.

CBD can actually decrease or neutralize the psychoactive effects of THC, depending on how much of each compound is consumed. Many people want the health benefits of cannabis without the psychoactivity, or with very little of it.

The fact that CBD from the Toronto weed dispensary is therapeutically potent and non-intoxicating, and easy to take as a CBD oil, makes it an attractive treatment option for those who are cautious when trying cannabis for the first time.

CBD: The multipurpose molecule

Many people are looking for alternatives to pharmaceuticals with severe side effects: medicine is more in tune with natural processes. By harnessing how we function biologically at a deep level, CBD can provide relief from chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, depression, and many other conditions.

Extensive scientific research, largely sponsored by the US government, and growing anecdotal accounts from patients and clinicians highlight the potential of CBD as a treatment for a wide range of diseases, including (but not are limited to):

• Autoimmune diseases (inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Neurological conditions (Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington's chorea, stroke, traumatic brain injury)
• Metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity)
• Neuropsychiatric illness (autism, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism)
• Gut disorders (colitis, Crohn's disease)
• Cardiovascular dysfunction (atherosclerosis, arrhythmia)
• Skin disease (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis)

CBD has shown neuroprotective effects and its anticancer properties are being investigated at various academic research centers in the United States and elsewhere. A 2010 brain cancer study by California scientists found that CBD "increases the inhibitory effects of THC on the proliferation and survival of human glioblastoma cells." This means that CBD makes THC even more powerful as an anticancer substance. Also in 2010, German researchers reported that CBD stimulates neurogenesis, the growth of new brain cells, in adult mammals.