Will CBD Get You High and What are the Effects

With CBD products everywhere you look, it’s bound to make you curious about why they are gaining such popularity. Why do people take CBD? What are the benefits? Does are the adverse side effects? Will CBD get you high? Can you take too much CBD? The questions go on and on, but a good place to start is to learn more about the basics of CBD.

Where Does CBD Come From?

It is first important to note that none of what is discussed in this article is intended to be medical advice. Always be sure to consult your physician before taking CBD for medical purposes. However, some of what we now know about CBD is backed by extensive research and an accumulation of anecdotal testimonies.

Research has clearly determined where CBD comes from. CBD is formally known as “cannabidiol” and is a naturally occurring compound found in hemp plants. This compound has been studied more with the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill in the United States, which legalized the cultivation of hemp plants. As a part of this bill, a hemp plant is defined as having no more than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol. Hemp plants are processed into many types of materials and products, including fabric, rope, and more popularly, CBD products. Manufacturers of CBD products take hemp plant material and process it using a solvent-based or solvent-less processing method. These processing methods extract the full spectrum of hemp plant compounds and isolate them into a concentrated extract. This concentrated CBD extract is then incorporated into a variety of products, including topicals, tinctures, wax, and oils.

How Does CBD Work?

The cannabidiol compound interacts with the human body in a variety of ways. There is still much research being done on CBD, and many hours of reading that can happen if you’d like to learn more. However, here’s a quick overview -- its effects are due to CBD’s interaction with the receptors that make up the endocannabinoid system. This system regulates a range of physiological processes in the human body. CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system's receptors, to intensify or lessen the effects of cannabinoids that naturally occur within our bodies.

CBD is generally considered to be a safe substance, by both scientists and users. However, it can also interact with many common pharmaceutical drugs you might already be taking. It is important to speak with your doctor before taking CBD regularly. Specifically, if you take any medication with the “grapefruit warning” on it, then you should avoid combining it with CBD. It’s best to play it safe and look into the potential CBD drug-interactions that can occur before taking any amount of CBD though.

What Does CBD Do?

CBD is considered a non-intoxicating compound, which means it will not leave you feeling high or stoned. The scientific reason for this is because cannabidiol does not simulate the CB1 receptors in the human body. When these receptors are stimulated by a well-known compound called tetrahydrocannabinol, it can leave you with feelings of euphoria, anxiety, or paranoia -- otherwise known as feeling “stoned”. However, CBD works within the body to lessen some of these side effects instead of intensifying them. This is why many people have turned to CBD for its potential therapeutic benefits, instead of using it recreationally. 

There are now a variety of claims about how various types of CBD products will benefit you. CBD is almost considered a cure-all medicine for a variety of ailments; however, more research is needed to clarify its potential benefits. For now, there is a community of people willing to share their personal experiences with using CBD so that we can compare and contrast the effects experienced. Although CBD does not have the same side effects on all people, there are a few common reasons that people are currently exploring the use of CBD. These include:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Neurological conditions
• Metabolic syndrome
• Neuropsychiatric illness
• Gut disorders
• Cardiovascular dysfunction
• Skin disease

There is much talk about how CBD can help manage the symptoms related to anxiety, neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, insomnia, and epileptic seizures. However, people exploring the use of CBD should talk to their doctor first about its potential interaction with other medications and health procedures. Although CBD will not leave you feeling stoned or intoxicated, it can still have effects on your psyche. While a moderate amount of CBD might leave you with a feeling of being energized, too much CBD may leave you feeling sedated. However, this could also be due to the larger amounts of the myrcene terpene that is present in CBD-heavy plants. This terpene is believed to have sedative and painkilling properties, which will lead to the sedated feeling that you might experience when consuming CBD.

CBD can be an appealing alternative to a lot of pharmaceutical medications or a potentially beneficial addition to your health routine. A lot of what we currently understand about this naturally occurring compound is based on user testimonies and ongoing research. Claims about the benefits of CBD are currently based on anecdotal evidence, animal studies, and early research, which will lead to more human studies. It’s important to consider how unique your body is and how CBD will interact with it. The human body contains a wide range of receptors, and the hemp plant contains a wide range of compounds. There can be many unique interactions that scientists have not studied or uncovered yet. Always remember that CBD will interact with everyone’s brain and body differently. However, you can count on the fact that CBD will not leave you feeling high, but it may leave you with a sense of relief.

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