Every trade show is saturated with new products featuring it CBD. It’s also everywhere I go including the airport, on the checkout counter in your neighborhood drugstore, in fact just about every store that sells health and beauty has some form of a CBD product to hawk.

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) was just discovered in the late 1980s but found to have evolved over 600 million years into animal systems.  The ECS is made up of a network of receptor sites on cell membranes that fit into those sites like keys in locks called cannabinoids. ECS receptors have been found on almost every organ in the human body, with the highest concentration in the brain and central nervous system.

One way to think about the Endocannabinoid System is as a computer software program where your brain/nervous system is the hard drive (or app vs. smartphone)

What is THC and what is the difference between CBD and THC?

CBD oil is a derivative of the cannabis plant that’s rich in chemical compounds called cannabinoids. It contains only trace amounts of THC and will not get you “high”.

Proven Benefits of CBD

The scientific literature for CBD is strongest for many forms of epilepsy where drugs don’t work. It also seems effective in managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.

Market analysts expect the hemp-derived CBD market alone to hit approx. 20 billion in the next 5 years

Challenges of CBD Products in the market

Many supporters promote wild, indefensible claims, such that CBD is a cure-all for cancer, and across a wide array of beauty products for dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema, and anti-aging products to reduce wrinkles, fine lines and plump your skin.

The greatest challenge is pinpointing effective doses. CBD is currently is mostly available as an unregulated supplement so it’s difficult to know exactly what you are getting. What you want to look for is a broad spectrum source with about 25mg of CBD per dose.

The role of the ECS as the body’s innate balancing (“adaptogenic”) mechanism is key to the regulation of everything from appetite, energy metabolism, fertility and immunity to sleep, mood, pain perception and memory. What most people don’t know is that even though the endocannabinoid system is named after cannabis, researchers have since discovered that not only is cannabis not the only plant that produces ECS activators.

Brain Fog

Lack of focus is a key symptom of anxiety. Some professionals suggest that the inability to concentrate which many brain fog sufferers describe could actually be down to high levels of anxiety. CBD has been shown to improve serotonin uptake in the brain which may work in a similar way to SSRI anti-depressant medication. It is also believed to affect brain physiology in a number of other ways, further reducing anxiety levels. Because CBD can reduced anxiety levels in many people and it is highly likely that the reduction in anxiety which many users experience will result in lifting the brain fog and an improved focus and drive.