Your nervous system acts as your body's communications network. When problems develop in any part of this elaborate network, you can experience a wide range of issues, from weakness or paralysis in your arms or legs to chronic nerve pain that impairs your quality of life and may resist conventional treatment methods.
Fortunately, an over-the-counter hemp derivative called cannabidiol (or CBD) may offer safe, effective relief from neuropathy symptoms such as pain, tingling, and numbness. If you have never heard of CBD or considered it as a treatment for nerve dysfunction, take heed of the following four points on the subject.
1. How CBD Eases Nerve Pain
CBD appears to ease nerve pain and other neuropathy symptoms by interacting with certain key chemical receptors in the body. Experiments on animals have indicated that it can improve the function of glycine receptors to help suppress chronic pain. It may influence the function of serotonin receptors involved in pain perception.
CBD also appears to bind with TRPV-1 receptors, also known as vanilloid receptors. Like serotonin receptors, TRPV-1 receptors play a role in pain perception by interacting with eugenol, an ingredient in vanilla that has pain-relieving properties. Cannabinoids such as CBD can boost TRPV-1 function.
2. What Kinds of Nerve Problems May Respond to CBD
Scientists still need to conduct more research to confirm CBD's effectiveness against nerve problems in humans. However, a 2020 study showed that participants who suffered from peripheral neuropathy (a common complication of diabetes) experienced more pain relief from CBD than from a placebo.
Osteoarthritis often includes neuropathic pain among its effects. A pharmaceutical product containing equal measures of CBD and THC appeared to ease this type of neuropathic pain in laboratory animals.
3. How to Treat Your Nerve Pain With CBD
Although you shouldn't expect CBD to cure or reverse nerve pain or dysfunction, you may experience significant short-term relief by rubbing a topical CBD cream or ointment into your skin where you experience symptoms. This approach can prove helpful for dealing with pain that only affects specific parts of the body.
For broader results throughout your body, you may want to try an oral CBD product instead. Popular options include edibles such as gummies and oil-based tinctures. You may get best results from a tincture by holding the oil under your tongue briefly before swallowing it, thus allowing the product to enter the bloodstream more quickly.
4. Why You Should Choose the Right CBD Nerve Pain Products
The vast majority of CBD products do not undergo any FDA regulation due to their classification as supplements, not medicines. While this lack of regulation has helped to make countless CBD products readily available to the public, it also opens the door for products that might do more harm than good to your nervous system.
One recent concern involves lead content in some CBD products. Lead and other unwanted heavy metals can make their way into hemp plants, and from there into CBD derivatives, due to slack production and processing techniques. Other CBD products don't include as much CBD as the label might claim or imply.
Thankfully, you can sidestep this potential risk simply by choosing your CBD products as wisely as possible. Always choose respected brands that trusted vendors selected and sold. When in doubt, request a certificate of analysis (COA) that lists the exact contents and levels of your product.
New Leaf Organic Wellness can provide you with a variety of all-natural pain relief products, including CBD-based tinctures, teas, and creams designed to help with nerve pain and related problems. Take a look at the many options available through our online store.