Does CBD Oil Work? The Science Behind Cannabidiol

Weed, pot, ganja, reefer, Mary Jane, cannabis. Whatever you call it, marijuana has been used for its supposed medicinal properties since ancient cultures experimented with the plant in China, the Netherlands, Egypt, India, and Greece. Its medicinal use is suspected to date back to more than 5,000 years ago in what is now present-day Romania.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, one of marijuana’s active ingredients which has seen a recent surge in popularity, was discovered almost 80 years ago. Depending on whom you ask, CBD oil can relieve pain, aid sleep, inspire appetite, ease stress and anxiety, act as an anti-inflammatory or an analgesic, boost the immune system, assist memory, and ease asthma-related symptoms. But despite these widespread applications, the medical effects of CBD are still debated.

If we’ve known about the potential health benefits of CBD specifically and marijuana more generally for so long, then why hasn’t science come down more conclusively either to support or refute these claims? The reason is in large part because, at least in the US, the federal government classified marijuana as a “Schedule I” drug, alongside heroin, LSD, and ecstasy, back in the 1970s. Schedule I drugs have “no currently acceptable medical use and a high potential for abuse” and thus are very difficult to study in the laboratory due to the administrative hurdles.

Difficult...but not impossible. So let’s take a look at what we do know from scientific studies about the health benefits of CBD oil.

What is CBD oil?

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive or mind-altering ingredient in marijuana. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is another prevalent component of marijuana (and hemp) plants that is considered by many to have medicinal benefits but without the same “high” associated with THC. CBD is typically extracted from the plant and sold as a concentrated liquid. Just as with other herbal extracts, that extraction process can vary and thus so can the additional chemicals found in the resulting cannabis oil.

Although the US Drug Enforcement Administration is wary enough of marijuana to classify it as a Schedule I drug, CBD on its own does not cause a “high” and two years ago the US Food and Drug Administration eased regulations on CBD that make it easier to research. The World Health Organization also notes that...

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