CBD Oil for Digestive Issues

CBD is not just another buzzword or fad in the world of wellness. Instead, it is a time-tested remedy that truly helps in a range of health conditions. People have used cannabis to manage a number of health issues for centuries. In addition, many of the well-known lifesaving medications are derived from cannabis.

CBD Oil for Digestive Issues

CBD may have a limited role in overcoming infectious diarrhea or dysentery, but these days very few people are affected by such infections due to improved hygienic conditions. However, in the western world increasing number of people are experiencing functional gastrointestinal disorders.

It appears that digestive issues faced by people are quite complex. In some, they are due to stress and anxiety, while in others due to food intolerances, autoimmune conditions, allergies, and so on. It appears that CBD can help due to its diverse range of activities.

What Causes Digestive Problems?

There are hundreds of digestive problems commonly faced by people. However, some issues are more common than others. Here we especially look at the digestive problems that are widely prevalent, and CBD may help in these conditions.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

It is a complex disorder with very different kinds of symptoms that continue for a long. It may cause stomach upset, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, malnutrition, etc. However, researchers are unsure what causes IBS.

Nevertheless, experts think that it occurs due to many reasons. For example, in some, it could be due to hyperalgesia. It means that some visceral nerves become too sensitive to various stimuli. Thus, such people may experience stomach upset in response to different foods. Generally, what may cause this hyper-response is challenging to guess and, consequently, difficult to treat. However, medications or supplements with calming effects may help some individuals.

In other people, it may occur due to inflammatory issues of the gut. This inflammation may happen due to stress, some genetic issues, intolerance to certain foods, and other factors.

Food intolerances

Some have so-called mild intolerances toward certain foods. This could be due to a lack of digestive juices, allergic reactions, hypersensitivities. In many cases, CBD may help due to its impact on immune response and the ability to suppress allergic reactions.

Here it is vital to understand that CBD works in these complex issues because most of the immune cells reside in the gut. The gut is not just a digestive tract, but it also produces neurotransmitters, has most nerve cells outside the brain, and has a massive density of immune cells. The truth is that science is still trying to understand other non-digestive functions of the gut.

Nonetheless, it is clear that various disorders, changes in immunity, brain health, and other health disorders can impact gut health and cause changes in digestive health. Furthermore, it is due to the complex nature of digestive issues that they are so challenging to manage.

Reduced mucosal defense and leaky gut syndrome

Another common cause of chronic digestive issues is the changes in the mucosal defense and consequent leaky gut syndrome. Such individuals continue to have flares of gastrointestinal problems, especially during periods of stress. However, doctors often struggle to identify the cause. It appears that CBD may help boost mucosal defense, reduce inflammation, and assist in many such conditions.

CBD for digestive health

The Link Between Anxiety and Digestive Issues

It is something that deserves a separate discussion, as digestive issues due to emotional disorders and common, and CBD excels in helping in such conditions due to its effect on the gut-brain axis.

People describe digestive issues due to anxiety in various ways, like feeling “butterflies” in the stomach or as if the stomach is “tied in a knot.”

Anxiety generally causes both emotional and somatic/physical symptoms. Thus, there are fluctuations in mood, worry, fear, along with physical symptoms like indigestion, stomach cramps, changes in appetite, and gastric motility.

Many researchers think that chronic anxiety is one of the leading causes of various issues related to gut health like IBS, IBD, flares of autoimmune conditions, and much more. In addition, anxiety may also alter the production of digestive enzymes and thus leading to indigestion.

CBD For Anxiety: Does It Work?

The truth is that anxiety is unavoidable these days. This is because people are constantly living with so many fears and worries. Nonetheless, one can learn to manage anxiety naturally. Thus, one can use methods like practicing mindfulness and using supplements.

Another way to control anxiety is using supplements. It appears that CBD is particularly good for managing anxiety disorder. CBD oil seems to have a calming effect on the brain and helps stabilize the mood. Additionally, CBD appears to act due to its influence on the endocannabinoid system.

There is sound evidence that CBD may help with anxiety-related disorders. There are now many clinical studies to show that CBD works. In one of the systemic reviews, researchers identified 6 clinical trials using different dosages of CBD, from 6 mg to 400 mg. They found that CBD was effective in most cases and was generally well tolerated.

CBD in gut health

Can I Use CBD For Digestive Issues?

Yes, one can use CBD for digestive issues but with certain precautions. For example, one would need to exclude any severe infection or ensure that digestive problems are not a sign of some more severe health issues.

Although CBD would help even in infectious digestive issues, in such ailments, one may need to take other medications as primary treatment and use CBD as a supportive measure.

However, CBD would help better in functional gastric disorders or issues caused secondary to some severe mood disorders or anxiety. It may be particularly good for chronic and difficult to manage digestive problems. However, one may need to take CBD consistently for an extended period to experience the benefits.

Experts generally recommend starting taking CBD from a minimum dosage when living with chronic gastrointestinal health issues. Here it is vital to understand that CBD has some accumulative effect, and thus it would generally take a few days to achieve its maximum effect. However, if it does not help adequately after 3-4 days, one may gradually increase the daily dosage.

To conclude, most people living with digestive issues are likely to be living with non-infectious disorders. Many of these digestive issues are the result of anxiety, altered immune responses, food intolerances, visceral hyper-responsiveness, and other changes in visceral nerve endings or in the brain. Thus, CBD may help due to its influence on the endocannabinoid system and its calming effect.

If you want to learn more about what kind of CBD products we have to offer for digestive health, you can check here.