The necessity of weight-loss medicine that would work in congruence with our bodies, has become more and more evident as pharmaceuticals keep proving inefficient in terms of damaging side effects. Upon the resurgence of studies regarding the medicinal properties of the Cannabis plant, it has been discovered that CBD, one of its main constituents, is aiding the loss of weight by improving the physical balance. In other words, it is initiating a process through which the organism can reduces fat and food intake in a natural manner, bypassing the common side-effects of conventional medicine.
Nevertheless, there is a plethora of preconceived ideas circulating the general public that have to be readdressed in order to form a conclusive opinion on CBD, and on Cannabis as a matter of fact. When we’ve moved pass myths as ‘Cannabis inducing high and addiction’ or ‘the inefficiency of plant medicine compared to pharmaceutical drugs’, we can begin to see clearly how this plant works for our well-being, and its therapeutic properties.
CBD will not get you high and it won’t increase your appetite
CBD is the non-psychoactive compound of the Cannabis plant, as compared to THC which is responsible for the famous high effect. Due to politics concerning the war on drugs, these two compounds are often taken as having similar properties and effects, whereof in reality there are significant differences. It is THC, as well, that causes the munchies, the unstoppable appetite and enjoyment of tastes, whereof clinical studies have shown that CBD is, in fact, reducing weight.
It is true that CBD is considered to have a holistic action, triggering the organism’s own ability to heal itself. Thus, if the body is malnourished, the intake of CBD would help the rebalance by inducing appetite, but when your problem is being overweight and/or compulsive disorganised eating, than it will lower your hunger and calm your tendency. And this is done by fine tuning your inner system.
Short overview: what is CBD and how it interacts with the body
Cannabidiol, or shortly CBD, is one the constituents of the Cannabis Sativa plant called cannabinoids, among which there is also THC, and a great number of others. The full spectrum of the plant’s cannabinoids have not yet been fully mapped, as science concentrated mainly on these two compounds as having the most significant effects on the human body.
With the study of the Cannabis cannabinoids and their relevance for us, it’s also been revealed that the human body possesses its own endo-cannabinoid system, with mirroring receptors for the cannabinoids found in the Cannabis plant. The way CBD aids in weight-loss is by regulating the body’s natural dynamics, tackling our cannabinoid receptors placed all over our bodies.
How does CBD work in reducing weight
There’s a great number of studies targeting CBD’s medicinal properties and its consistent aid in conditions as anxiety, depression and psychosis, as well as in reducing inflammations and tumors, which have discovered among its side-effects that it could work miracles as a fat reducing agent. But there’s one recent study that is most relevant in regards to weight-loss, conducted by Korean scientists that have done an in-depth research of CBD’s ability to prevent and treat obesity, by observing its effects on immature fat cells, preadipocytes. As it turned out, CBD was shown to:
- stimulate genes and proteins that deal with the oxidation and dissolving of fat
- Impede the development of fat cells by curbing the expression of proteins engaged in this process
- Boost the number and activity of mitochondria, which in turn helps the body to burn callories.
All these actions can be summarized in an essential sequence of transforming the white-colored fat tissue of the body into brown-colored fat tissue, or as it is generally called ‘fat browning’. The white fat is the fat that you can see deposited under the skin and around your organs, it is exactly the fat that you wish to lose. The brown fat, on the other hand, is the one that keeps us warm and accelerates our metabolisms. In simple words, CBD helps your body regulate its intake, by reducing your appetite, and make use of it efficiently, through fat-browning.
CBD isolate or full spectrum CBD extract
There’s also the question of what type of CBD product to use and there are two main deliverables of this compound. CBD can be isolated and used as such, or it can be extracted from hemp, the Cannabis variety that has a high concentration of CBD and that of THC of only 0.03% or less.
The CBD extract contains a full spectrum of CBD variations, CBDA, CBGA, CBG, CBC, CBCA, among others, and many of these have been determined as therapeutically beneficial as well as effective in weight loss. In an interview dedicated to CBD’s white fat reducing potential, dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc. declared that there have been some early studies of the properties of the other cannabidiols and they suggested that CBD-V may have an even more profound effect on the regulation of our metabolism.
In the aspect of choosing what plant end-product to use, one may understand more about the use of natural medicine from the holistic approach that herbalists have. The key principle in herbal treatments is accepting that the intricate structure of a plant is necessary in order to balance an even more complex system, as our body. By the use of the whole plant, you obtain an organic effect that stimulates the organism on its whole, not by directly targeting a specific point as the pharmaceuticals, an action that is prone to generate unpleasant side-effects.
The hidden benefits of CBD as weight-loss agent
The main difference between the conventional medical practice and the natural treatments of diseases and imbalances of the body, is that the first treats the symptoms, whereas the second tends to go to the root of the problem. In this line of reasoning, by using CBD, extracted from the Cannabis plant, to reduce your weight, you are relying on the wisdom of this herb. But furthermore, this compound is working in the background on balancing your whole state of being, by decreasing the levels of anxiety and depression. This would potentially allow you to harmonize from the interior and work with the weight imbalance on a physical, as well as psychological and emotional level.