
CBD, or Cannabidiol, is known as the cannabinoid that doesn't make you high or the cannabinoid without psychoactive effects. But what is the influence of CBD on the human body? What effects does CBD have on the brain? Is CBD not at all psychoactive? This article answers all your questions about CBD.
THC versus CBD
Every weed user has heard of THC and CBD. These two are the best known and most researched cannabinoids that occur in the weed plant. You probably know that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) provides psychoactive effects, better known as the feeling of being stoned or high. But not much is known about the effects of CBD on the human brain. Everyone seems to be talking about the health benefits of this chemical component, but what about its psychoactive effects? Is this effect absolutely zero?
CBD is becoming increasingly popular
Most weed users are still looking for the high, which is why they use a strain with a high THC level. CBD has never really been in the spotlight until a few years ago. From that moment on, the popularity of CBD has expanded enormously. CBD is nowadays added to all kinds of products, such as body lotions. creams, makeup, and coffee. But until a few years ago the focus for many producers and growers was only on THC and on the cultivation of marijuana strains with the highest possible THC content. The result of all that experimenting and crossing strains is that there are now species with up to 35% THC. That is a very high percentage, which not every consumer can handle. In the past, that percentage of THC in cannabis strains was around 5 percent. But as said, the era in which the focus was on very high THC levels is over. Now more and more breeders are developing CBD-rich strains that have a lot of health benefits to offer. Medical users are becoming an increasingly large market. Yet the same question keeps coming back, what is the effect of CBD on the brain? We all know that CBD does not have a psychoactive effect, but is the effect really zero? What actually determines that a cannabinoid produces a psychoactive substance? We will find out how this psychoactive effect arises in this article, so read on!
How CBD works
Why is it that THC gives you a euphoric feeling (the high feeling) and that CBD does not do that? That is because THC and CBD enter into connections with substances in the human body in a different way. When THC enters your body, it binds to receptors, and specifically to receptors of the CB1 type. THC stimulates this type of receptors in the human body, releasing Anandamide, which is also known as the lucky hormone. This hormone provides a happy feeling, but also influences the feeling of hunger, for example. CBD does not react with CB1 receptors like THC does, but connects with CB2 receptors. And that has completely different effects, but it does not cause a psychoactive high. CBD does provide a stress-free, relaxed feeling and it has all kinds of health benefits. The range of benefits of CBD is very broad, and there is currently plenty of research being done into all the possibilities that this cannabinoid has.