What are CBD gummies? In a nutshell, CBD gummies are gummies that contain cannabidiol oil. Besides the shape and colours that varies, what one should also look out for is the concentration or percentage content of cannabidiol oil in the gummy.
Gummies offer a discreet and easy way to ingest CBD, and effective marketing campaigns by many manufacturers mean their popularity has soared among long-standing CBD users and nonusers alike.
But …(and this is a BIG but)… CBD gummies are not FDA approved, meaning that the strengths and purity can vary between brands, and even with the same brand, you can’t be sure of what you’re getting.
Health benefits of CBD gummies?
Manufacturers of CBD gummies claim CBD is effective at relieving anxiety, depression, pain, inflammation, and improving sleep. A CBD product (Epidiolex) has been FDA approved to treat epilepsy.
However, research into the effectiveness of CBD oil only tested pure CBD oil, not gummies. Even for pure CBD oil, there are very few well-conducted trials backing up its apparent health benefits, although research is expected to ramp up now that laws distinguish between hemp and marijuana.
There is no scientific evidence that gummies work, although anecdotally some people report a benefit and there is likely a strong placebo effect (the act of taking something to relieve your condition makes you feel better even if that product contains nothing).
Be aware that CBD is quite a bitter substance, and a lot of gummies contain large amounts of added sugar to disguise this taste.
Can CBD gummies make you high?
CBD gummies have no psychoactive properties, so they will not give you a high.
CBD is derived from hemp, which is almost devoid of THC. THC is the chemical in marijuana that gives you a high. By law, hemp must contain no more than 0.3 percent THC to be considered hemp, otherwise, growers are at risk of prosecution under federal law.
The main active ingredient in hemp is CBD, and CBD does not have any psychoactive properties. Instead, CBD has been credited with relieving anxiety, inflammation, insomnia, and pain, although “credited” does not mean proven.
What is the difference between CBD, cannabis, hemp, marijuana, and THC?
There is still a lot of confusion over what exactly is CBD, with many people thinking cannabis, hemp, marijuana, CBD and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) are the same thing. They are not.
Cannabis is a plant, and there are two main types; Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa. While marijuana can be derived from both types, hemp is only derived from the Cannabis Sativa family.
This means that even though hemp and marijuana have a few things in common, there are notable differences, with the most crucial being that hemp is almost devoid of THC, which is the chemical in marijuana that gives you a high. In fact, by law, hemp must contain no more than 0.3 percent THC to be considered hemp, otherwise, growers are at risk of prosecution under federal law.
The main active ingredient in hemp is CBD, and CBD does not have any psychoactive properties. Instead, CBD has been credited with relieving anxiety, inflammation, insomnia, and pain, although currently there is little scientific proof that CBD works, except for epilepsy. Epidiolex Is a prescription CBD oil that was FDA approved in June 2018 for two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome. Other trials are underway investigating the benefits of CBD for Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and anxiety.
In addition to the medicinal uses of CBD, hemp is also a great resource for making 100% biodegradable, environmentally friendly products such as biofuel, building materials, clothing, and paper.