WHAT DOES TOPICAL CBD FEEL LIKE?

What is CBD topical? How does an individual feel when using CBD topical? What are the after-effects of using CBD topical by an individual? What are some of the types of topical CBD in the market? This article explains CBD topicals and how an individual feels when using them.

When talking about topical CBD, the reference is made to CBD applied directly to the skin. The type of topical to be used varies with the client's intended purpose. Topical comes in different kinds that is it can be either lotion, CBD cream, salves, and balms. CBD brings a calm and relaxing sensation when applied or stimulating feeling depending on what the body requires at the time. Some studies have also shown that CBD consumption triggers sleep for the users.

What Is CBD Topical?

Baswan et al. (2020) explained that CBD topical' is a classification of CBD products made for the skin. The skin can absorb the nutrients from the topical cream and deliver them into the bloodstream and surrounding areas. Then, the endocannabinoid system can respond to CBD use by offering effects like pain relief or inflammatory responses.

How Does It Make You Feel?

Topical CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is an ingredient that has been used in cosmetics and skincare products for quite some time. It is made from concentrated cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from cannabis plants. The ingredient targets specific receptors in the skin cells, thus producing positive effects on the skin. Rodin, 2020 explained that CBD topicals are made with various ingredients, including coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, and other essential oils that help moisturize your skin while delivering CBD to your bloodstream. Like most natural products, the sensation varies from person to person. But in general, you'll experience a cooling sensation that lasts about an hour after application. It's not a strong feeling — just enough to make you feel comfortable without feeling numb or high.

Will You Feel Numb Or High?

CBD, unlike THC, another compound found in the marijuana plant, does not lead to the feeling of high. However, CBD has a CBN compound, which alters the body's motor function. Let us look at how CBD is felt on the following:

Body Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system has been shown to play an important role in regulating many physiological functions, including appetite, pain-sensation, memory, mood, and sleep cycles, as well as inflammatory responses. The ECS regulates many bodily processes such as immune function and inflammation response—and its dysfunction has been linked to various diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Pain Relief.

Eskander et al. (2020) explained that CBD topicals could help reduce pain by blocking some of the body's endocannabinoid receptors, which regulate pain signals. CBD is known to interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS), a group of endogenous cannabinoid receptors throughout the body. The ECS helps maintain homeostasis by regulating physiological processes such as mood, sleep, appetite, and metabolism.

Inflammation reduction

According to Pellati et al. (2018), CBD interacts with receptors in our immune system called CB2 receptors, which regulate inflammation and other processes in the body and brain. The most common way to use CBD topically is by applying a CBD-infused lotion or salve to the affected area. You can also make your own with coconut oil and other ingredients in this guide.

What Will You Feel If You Use High Doses?

If you have joint or muscle pain, but the results are not to your expectation, you resort to high doses for quick recovery. CBD topicals effect behaves in u- a shaped fashion, which means that the use of the product will only increase the effect of the product up to a certain level in which, after reaching the brim, the effect will deteriorate. In addition, the effect of CBD topical can broaden while looking at the popular term known as the 'entourage effect". To understand the effect, let us discuss the different spectrums of CBD topicals.

Full-Spectrum CBD Topicals?

Full-spectrum CBD topical is the most common CBD product on the market. It contains all cannabinoids in the hemp plant, including CBN, CBG, and CBC. Maaya et al., 2020) explained that the full-spectrum CBD topical is extracted from the flowers of the hemp plant by gently pressing them with solvents and steam distillation. The full-spectrum CBD topical products are extracted using a combination of CO2 extraction and fractional distillation. This process results in pure CBD oil containing all the beneficial compounds in hemp plants, including terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids.

What Is The Difference Between Full Spectrum And Isolate CBD Topicals?

The main difference between full-spectrum and isolate is that isolate contains only cannabidiol (CBD), whereas full spectrum contains both cannabinoids (CBD) and terpenes (THC). Cannabinoids work in hand with terpenes to enhance their effects on our bodies. For example, some people find that when they take THC alone, it makes them feel anxious or paranoid, but when they take THC together with CBD, it doesn't have this effect because of how terpenes interact with it in our bodies.

The Medium Spectrum

The medium spectrum combines THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids like CBG (cannabigerol) and CBN (cannabinol). These cannabinoids have been isolated from the plant for years, so they don't have all the benefits of full-spectrum, but they also don't have as many side effects. Medium spectrum products are sometimes called "broad spectrum" because they contain more than just 2 or 3 cannabinoids.

Entourage Effect

The entourage effect is a phenomenon where the combination of compounds in cannabis creates a stronger effect than any of the isolated compounds would produce on their own. McFerran & Argo, 2014 the entourage effect is often seen when THC and CBD are combined with other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. The synergistic nature of Phyto cannabinoids can explain the entourage effect. Phytocannabinoids are cannabinoids produced in plants (Phyto means plant). The two primary Phyto cannabinoids are THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol)

Conclusion

The combination of the different compounds of the CBD causes an entourage effect mostly in the full-spectrum due to the many compounds found in it. At the same time, it's moderate in the medium spectrum and minimal in isolate.

References

Baswan, S. M., Klosner, A. E., Glynn, K., Rajgopal, A., Malik, K., Yim, S., & Stern, N. (2020). Therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) for skin health and disorders. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 13, 927.

Eskander, J. P., Spall, J., Spall, A., Shah, R. V., & Kaye, A. D. (2020). Cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment of acute and chronic back pain: A case series and literature review. J Opioid Manag, 16(3), 215-8.

Koppel, J., & Davies, P. (2008). Targeting the endocannabinoid system in Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 15(3), 495-504.

Maayah, Z. H., Takahara, S., Ferdaoussi, M., & Dyck, J. R. (2020). The molecular mechanisms underpin the biological benefits of full-spectrum cannabis extract in treating neuropathic pain and inflammation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular Basis of Disease, 1866(7), 165771.

McFerran, B., & Argo, J. J. (2014). The entourage effect. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(5), 871-884. Patel, P. M., & Lio, P. A. (2021). Safety and Sourcing of Topical Cannabinoids: Many Questions, Few Answers. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 14(8), 49.

Pellati, F., Borgonetti, V., Brighenti, V., Biagi, M., Benvenuti, S., & Corsi, L. (2018). Cannabis sativa L. and nonpsychoactive cannabinoids: their chemistry and role against oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer. BioMed research international, 2018.