Last updated on 3 September 2021
What is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s Disease is an IBD, short for inflammatory bowel disease. This condition causes inflammation all over your digestive tract so that you experience diarrhea, abdominal pains that are extremely painful and fatigue throughout the day. Malnutrition and rapid weight loss are also some of the other symptoms of this disease. Crohn’s Disease can cause a lot of pain to the body and it may even lead to life-threatening situations.
Crohn’s disease may not necessarily affect all parts of the digestive tract. In most cases, people get the disease on their colon or small intestines. This condition has no known cure and affected patients usually take therapy sessions to ease the pain and control the disease.
Why Does CBD Work for Treating Crohn’s Disease?
CBD, a derived compound from the hemp plant is said to be very helpful in correcting various diseases and conditions in the human body. Some of the studies have shown that CBD is helpful in treating digestive tract infections and disease.
The reason why CBD is effective in treating Crohn’s disease is that the disease occurs in the digestive tract. A study on CBD1 have shown that once it is ingested, it is able to interact with the receptors that are in the stomach, brain and in the large and small intestines2. These receptors, CB-1, serotonin, and CB-2 are cannabinoid receptors. Once these receptors interact with CBD, they are able to stimulate the body to prevent occurrences like nausea, stomach acid irregularities, and vomiting.
What are the Benefits of Using CBD to Treat Crohn’s Disease?
Current evidence suggests that the active ingredient in CBD oil is safe, although it could have interactions if it is taken with other medications. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, CBD has almost no side effects.
There are many forms of consuming CBD. It can be consumed as chewable, edibles, capsules, and even oil. This makes it convenient for all ages of people from children to adults and even the elderly.
A study shows3 that using CBD for Crohn’s disease works as efficiently as the therapy sessions or even better. This ensures that the patients get relief from the symptoms and inflammatory effects of Crohn’s disease.
What are the Side Effects of Using CBD to Treat Crohn’s Disease?
While CBD is generally considered safe, some people can experience some side effects. A list of side effects can include nausea, drowsiness and a dry mouth. The symptoms are rare, but is it always important to be fully informed. Read our guide on CBD side-effects here.
CBD Dosage for Crohn’s Disease
The book “CBD – A Patient’s Guide to Cannabis” by Leonard Leinow4 is an excellent source of information when it comes to CBD dosing. Especially if you are a beginner and have not yet looked into CBD and its medicinal properties.
To learn how to correctly dose your CBD according to your conditions, read our post on CBD dosage.
How can I use CBD to treat Crohn’s Disease?
Before you start using CBD for any health reason, it is important that you consult your doctor first. This is because the doctor will be able to evaluate your body and the extent of the disease or condition. This way, the doctor will be also able to give you the best advice to use CBD in treating Crohn’s Disease.
CBD is currently being offered in different forms from oil, tablets to vapes and even edibles. CBD oil has been shown as being a preferred option for many people. However, it is best to choose the form that you feel most comfortable using.
What are Studies Saying About Using CBD for Crohn’s Disease?
Documented studies carried out by The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America on both cannabinoids and Crohn’s disease prove that cannabinoids are very helpful5 in containing the Crohn’s disease. The cannabinoids have been proven to be more helpful than therapy in reducing inflammation and the other symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease does not have a known cure. However, CBD has been proven to be very effective in containing the symptoms of the disease. CBD is proving to be more effective than therapy and many of the other medications that are prescribed to combat the symptoms of this disease.
References
- Esposito, G., Filippis, D., Cirillo, C., Iuvone, T., Capoccia, E., Scuderi, C., Steardo, A., Cuomo, R. and Steardo, L. (2012). Cannabidiol in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Brief Overview. Phytotherapy Research, 27(5), pp.633-636. [↩]
- Hornby, P. and Prouty, S. (2004). Involvement of cannabinoid receptors in gut motility and visceral perception. British Journal of Pharmacology, 141(8), pp.1335-1345. [↩]
- Schicho, R. and Storr, M. (2014). Cannabis Finds Its Way into Treatment of Crohn’s Disease. Pharmacology, 93(1-2), pp.1-3. [↩]
- Leinow,, L. and Birnbaum, J. (2017). CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis. North Atlantic Books. [↩]
- Kunos, G. and Pacher, P. (2004). Cannabinoids cool the intestine. Nature Medicine, 10(7), pp.678-679. [↩]
Author
With close to two decades of successful stint in the Media industry, I felt I was surely missing a piece in my life puzzle. I took a break and set out to seek the purpose of my life. I travelled, lived out of a suitcase, let things flow into life without resisting, and after five challenging years, I found my rhythm. I love to write about Cannabis and Health and try my best to simplify esoteric concepts into simple ideas for life.
