30
FOOD
CBD oil or snake oil?
This natural remedy is everywhere. Here's what you
need to know before taking it. By Susannah Hickling.
CBD or, to give it its full
name, cannabidiol, is
part of a huge health and
wellness trend. Products
containing CBD oil - one of many
chemicals called cannabinoids found
in the cannabis or hemp plant - are
ubiquitous. But what is CBD and how
does it work? Is it suitable for you or
could CBD oil actually be snake oil
(that being a term used to describe
deceptive marketing, health care
fraud, or a scam)?
CBD is thought to confer a variety
of health benefits. It may help with
anxiety, stress and depression,
insomnia, pain, memory, heart health
and blood pressure, seizures, nausea,
and skin irritations.
There are three main ways
you can get CBD - smoke it in a
joint, have it prescribed as medical
cannabis or take it as a product
containing CBD. Products include
capsules, oils, drops or tinctures,
sweets, bread, drinks, creams or
vapes. The first way, cannabis or
marijuana, is illegal in the UK and
the second, medical cannabis, is only
licensed to treat epilepsy (Epidyolex),
sickness brought on by chemo
(Nabilone), or MS (Sativex). The third,
CBD extract, is a consumer product
that, since 2018, is legal within
certain parameters and available to
buy in the UK. That's the type you see
in health food shops and online, and
which we're examining here.
Not high
You won't get high on CBD. That's
because it's not the chemical
in cannabis that has that mindaltering effect.
That's THC, or
tetrahydrocannabinol. The cannabis
plants used to make the stuff you
smoke contain lots of it. On the other
hand, hemp plants - the same hemp
that's used to make rope - from
which CBD is extracted only contains
a tiny amount of THC. A CBD product
must only contain 1mg of THC -
that's not enough to get you stoned.
In fact, there are several types of
CBD. Full-spectrum CBD contains
THC, whereas broad-spectrum CBD
contains none at all. Another type
without THC, CBD isolate, is more
concentrated and is used in e-liquids
for vaping, oil tinctures, skin creams
and other products. Given a slight
risk of paranoia, increased heart rate
and dizziness if you take too much
THC, some people might prefer to
avoid it.