How can CBD help Cancer?
CBD Oil may have significant benefits in treating and preventing cancer as well as aiding in reducing symptoms associated with chemotherapy
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Cannabinoids are known to have palliative effects in oncology, including relief of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, appetite stimulation, pain relief, mood elevation, and sleep in cancer patients (see the separate entries for nausea and vomiting, eating disorders, pain, depression, and sleep disorders in this chapter for information on treating these symptoms).
Authors of a 2013 evidence review on CBD and cancer wrote that “cannabinoids possess anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects and they are known to interfere with tumor neovascularization, cancer cell migration, adhesion, invasion and metastasization. However the clinical use of ∆ 9 THC and additional cannabinoid agonists is often limited by their unwanted psychoactive side effects, and for this reason interest in non-psychoactive cannabinoid compounds… such as cannabidiol (CBD), has substantially increased in recent years.”
Using cannabis as a therapy to reduce cancer activity and tumor size does require
high doses of cannabis medicine. THC is very effective in shrinking the tumor size, 268 and CBD is very effective in stopping the proliferation of new cancer cells. 269 While both THC and CBD are effective anti-cancer agents, the combination of CBD and THC together has exhibited even greater efficacy for healing. There is a true synergistic relationship between CBD and THC; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. There is evidence that a combination of the various cannabinoids and terpenes found in products derived from the whole plant is the most effective approach
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Leinow, Leonard; Birnbaum, Juliana. CBD: A Patient's Guide to Medicinal Cannabis--Healing without the High (p. 164). North Atlantic Books. Kindle Edition.
Buying Guide
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What questions to ask when deciding on a CBD Oil
1. HOW IS THE OIL EXTRACTED?
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✓ Subcritical Co2 Extraction - most expensive, non-toxic, extremely efficient, ensures highly potent, pure extract.
X Liquid Solvents (butane, isopropyl alcohol, hexane, ethanol), most common method, simple and inexpensive, plant is soaked and heated, commonly used for vape products, destroys beneficial plant waxes, often bitter taste, can leave traces of impurities in the finished oil.
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X Olive Oil - simple and inexpensive, heated for extended amount of time, oil cannot be concentrated using this method so a large quantity is required for medicinal benefits, highly perishable, should be stored in cold, dark place.
2. IS IT ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED ?
✓ No CBD product can officially be certified organic. However, the hemp is grown in organic soil and tests free of all heavy metals, mold, chemicals and pesticides.
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3. IS THE ENTIRE PLANT USED?
✓ Whole Plant/Full Spectrum - taken from the flowers, stem, stalks and leaves, this means ALL the available cannabinoids within the plant are present, the way nature intended. When all the cannabinoids work together, you experience the beneficial 'entourage' effect, working synergistically to provide the most beneficial properties. This is why the blend has numerous cannabinoids, CBD, CBDV, CBN, and CBD and not just CBD. This is also why ‘The Blend’ contains over 60 medical terpenes!
X Isolate - compounds are extracted and/or separated from each other, it does have anti-inflammatory benefits, but does not have the medicinal quality and value of a full spectrum oil, often marketed as '99% pure CBD. A lot of isolate is making its way into North America via China and can be synthetic. Isolate is heavily processed as it is the third and final step in an extraction process.
4. WHAT CARRIER OIL IS USED?
✓ Hemp seed oil is the carrier oil, using and encompassing the entire plant. When using all aspects of the plant, this increases the synergy. Hemp seed oil is derived from the seed and has nutritional benefits.
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5. WHY ARE TERPENES IMPORTANT?
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✓ Terpenes are a crucial part of the plant, they are just as powerful at delivering properties as cannabinoids. Click here to read about the benefits of terpenes and the terpenes found in ‘The Blend’.
X No terpenes = Not a full spectrum plant.