Why CBD is for everyday

There’s a lot of hype surrounding CBD right now. So much so that one could be led to believe that taking CBD just once will ease all our ails and turn us into some bullet proof, high achieving super human. 

That’s a lot of pressure for one little molecule from the humble hemp plant. The truth is, CBD is like any other nutritional supplement that should be consumed on a consistent basis to reap any rewards.  

CBD And Hemp
To understand why, it’s important to understand just where CBD comes from and how it interacts with our bodies.

CBD, otherwise known as cannabidiol, is abundantly found in hemp. For hundreds of years, hemp was a major crop across Europe, the Americas and Asia. It was prized as a source of durable fibre, with whole navy fleets going to war on sails made from hemp. Its seeds were turned into nutritious oil, which also powered lamps and made soaps. Hemp flowers (where CBD is found) were also used in recipes, such as a rather delicious sounding tortelli found in an Italian cookery book from 1884 — a delightful dish served up to Pope Martin V in which boiled flowers and leaves were added to onion and breadcrumbs, and a 20th century Lithuanian traditional dish called “šnitka” (source European Industrial Hemp Association). 

In the spirit of hippocrates’ adage ‘let food be thy medicine,’ many other countries such as Poland, Germany and Ireland used hemp to make healthy tonics and brews for various ailments or as general tonics. 

Little did our ancestors know that by eating or drinking hemp, their overall wellbeing was benefiting from regularly consuming cannabinoids such as CBD. Unfortunately, fast forward to the 1930s and this all stopped with the worldwide prohibition of hemp and cannabis. Suddenly it was as if hemp had never existed, until CBD came onto the scene in the last decade. 

Hemp, CBD and the Endocannabinoid System
Back in the day when our forefathers sipped their hemp tea or munched on a hemp flower ravioli (if we happen to be of Italian origin), they would have been unknowingly feeding their body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). 

Discovered in the 1990s, the endocannabinoid system is a vast network of receptor sites in our brain, central nervous system, immune system, and organs that are activated by cannabis-like chemicals called endocannabinoids. Likened to an internal dimmer switch, endocannabinoids are produced when there is too much or too little cell activity in order to bring about homeostasis, which is another word for balance. 

The ECS is involved in all biological activity — sleep, appetite, pain perception, mood, inflammation, reproduction, and memory. And is dynamic in nature. 

Special compounds in cannabis and hemp called cannabinoids, which include CBD, interact with our endocannabinoid system, increasing the signalling between the endocannabinoids and their receptors and even boosting the production of the endocannabinoids themselves. 

A few hundreds of years ago, we would have been supplementing our ECS by consuming hemp in our diets. These days many people do it by regularly consuming CBD.

But why supplement our ECS in the first place?

Leaving aside whether you’re from a part of the world where hemp was regularly eaten, modern day life with its high stress levels, poor diet, excessive alcohol, and lack of sleep is playing havoc with our endocannabinoid system with an overall tendency to becoming endocannabinoid deficient. 

Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency was first described by Dr Ethan Russo (a neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher) who found subnormal endocannabinoid levels in patients with IBS, fibromyalgia, migraines and MS —  all conditions where there is some dysregulation in pain perception. It’s likely though that endocannabinoid deficiency could contribute towards everything from depression, anxiety and even autism.

Treat CBD just like any other health supplement
So in the same way that many of us take a vitamin D supplement in the winter months, perhaps we should all consider doing the same thing with CBD to replenish our endocannabinoid system. 

To use the vitamin D analogy – if we are are vitamin D deficient we might show symptoms such as low energy, depression, and a greater susceptibility to colds and flus, whereas if we are low in endocannabinoids we may experience unexplained bouts of fatigue, anxiety, and sensitivity to pain. It’s a good idea then to give our ECS a helping hand to do its job by supplementing it on a daily basis with CBD.

Get your daily CBD dose with MEDA  
Much is still to be discovered about the endocannabinoid system, in fact to this day, most medical schools don’t include the ECS in their syllabus. Not only that, until recently measuring endocannabinoid levels involved a painful lumbar puncture to get a sample of cerebrospinal fluid, which was doubly difficult as endocannabinoids are only produced on demand and immediately broken down as soon as their work is done.

It’s almost impossible to say whether someone is actually endocannabinoid deficient, or how much CBD we should take a day in order to keep our ECS topped up. However, data suggests that taking between 10-20 mg of CBD daily is sufficient for wellbeing purposes. 

We’re biased of course, but we believe including a MEDA CBD drink containing 15mg of Micro-Liposomal Broad Spectrum CBD into your daily wellness routine is the perfect way to support optimum endocannabinoid functioning —  giving your body and mind the best chance of enjoying balance, wellbeing, and vitality. Plus you get to enjoy the benefits of all the other nootropics, adaptogens and nutrients in our CBD drink range. 

Why not give yourself a pick-me-up and sign for a MEDA subscription so that you can enjoy the benefits of taking CBD consistently. You will get a 10% discount on all MEDA products and be secure in the knowledge that your supply of CBD will always arrive safely at your door.