Cannabis, as we all know, has been used for thousands of years. Some use it in spiritual rituals, others recreationally to relax. In recent years, we are receiving more and more news about the use of cannabis, or, more specifically, marijuana in medicine. It is believed that it helps to alleviate various symptoms of health issues – chronic pain, nausea, and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, etc. 

The main controversy regarding the use of cannabis arises because of its infamous compound THC that is known to have psychoactive effects.  Studies show that THC effects on the human brain are both short term and long term. First include symptoms that everyone who tried marijuana at least once, experiences such as mood changes, altered sense of time, altered senses (smell, vision, etc.), difficulty thinking, the problem with remembering things that happened recently, and many others.  Not everyone will necessarily experience long term symptoms, but those who use it a lot and frequently certainly will. Marijuana affects brain development, so in the long run may lead to a decline in IQ, contribute to problems with memory and other cognitive functions, and so on. If you wish to learn more about the effects of THC in marijuana, you can visit this link.

However,  there is significant new research that is now exploring the effects of cannabidiol, which is the second most prevalent compound in cannabis and the relation between CBD and THC.  A product that is lately gaining popularity is CBD oil, as the studies suggest that there are plenty of CBD oil benefits. It relieves pain, reduces anxiety, alleviates cancer-related symptoms, etc.

Besides, all this research shows that CBD can block the side effects caused by THC. We will now look at what are CBD and THC, how are they different, and what is the relation between them.

What Are CBD and THC

We will talk more about this marvelous capacity CBD has, but let’s first see what is CBD and what is THC and how they are connected.

Both compounds can be found in plants that belong to the cannabis genus. Cannabidiol or CBD can be extracted from a hemp plant or marijuana and doesn’t have any psychoactive effects yet comes with a lot of benefits.  THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is a psychoactive drug that is an ingredient of marijuana but is found in minimal doses in hemp and is what is responsible for the ‘high’ sensation you have when you smoke pot. 

Now,  as you can see, even if they come from the same plant, and they have the precisely same molecular structure, there is a big difference between CBD and THC. And this is not only in respect of effects mental capacity – they have other different health benefits and side effects as well.

How CBD Counteracts the Effects of THC

It is more than obvious based on all research conducted so far that both CBD and THC can be quite beneficial. People who smoke or take marijuana in another way recreationally can enjoy the advantage of both but with the risk of experiencing beforehand mentioned psychiatric side – effects of THC. However, many people want or need to use cannabis to relieve the symptoms of some health conditions but do not want to get high or experience other effects that it can produce. They resort to using only CBD and mainly in the form of CBD oil, so they often look into how to use CBD oil.  Also, there is a question of legality – because of the mental health side effects, THC has, marijuana is not legal in most countries, and thus, it is hard to get it. 

If you are interested in finding out how long does CBD oil take to work, you can read about it here.

For these reasons, scientists have been working to understand more how CBD and THC impact one another and in what way people can take advantage of both compounds without experiencing the negative THC effect.

A study conducted with rats showed that rats that were given exclusively THC had increased levels of ERK  pathway and exhibited symptoms of anxiety. However, when they were given CBD and THC combined, rats behaved usually, and ERK levels were within the normal range. 

The research further shows that CBD alone doesn’t produce any specific effect on the ERK pathway, but combined with THC, it completely blocks anxiety and addiction caused by it. 

Experts called this interaction between phytocannabinoids and terpenes – the entourage effect. Basically, according to this theory, all ingredients in the cannabis plants cooperate, and when they are all taken together, the person enjoys maximum effect. 

This research can be seen as groundbreaking and is very important when it comes to medical use of cannabis, especially when a person needs to use it for an extended period.  It means that it will be possible to take advantage of the health benefits of both cannabis ingredients if they are brought together without any risk of side effects.

Of course, the work isn’t nearly done. There are many things researchers need to understand precisely how and why CBD and THC together work in this way.

Conclusion

This research is just the beginning and scientists have a lot to do to explain this causality between CBD and THC. In the meantime, we can be happy about the possibility to enjoy the benefits of both ingredients and be worry-free. Have you or someone close to you tried CBD oil? Or have you thought about it? We appreciate reading your ideas and comments, so feel free to contact us. We hope to hear from you soon. In the meantime, if you liked this text, we recommend you to check out our text about CBD oil for depression.