In recent years, many people are flocking to CBD because of its use as a nutraceutical and medicine. While CBD has attained tons of interest due to its entry onto the global stage, people have started relying on it to ease many illnesses like inflammation, anxiety, and pain. But before singing CBD’s praises, let’s have a look at what CBD is, and how it was discovered.

 

What Is Cannabidiol (CBD)?

The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines Cannabidiol as a chemical compound derived from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Being an important component of medical marijuana, CBD is found naturally in hemp plants. 

 

CBD doesn’t produce any intoxication because it is a non-psychoactive compound. Unlike its cousin THC, it doesn’t alter brain functioning or make you high. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there are no side effects associated with pure CBD. 

 

CBD appears to have positive effects on the brain against post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. Today, you can find CBD in vaporized pens, drops, tinctures, oils, capsules. Edibles, such as pet foods, drinks, and gummies and beauty products like lotions and bath bombs also contain CBD [1]. 

 

The History Of CBD:

Many people think that the therapeutic effects of CBD are a recent discovery. Well, that’s far from the truth. Dated back to 2737 BC, CBD was first used by the Chinese Emperor Sheng Nung who aided with many ailments including gout, rheumatism, and malaria by drinking cannabis-infused tea.

The use of CBD to alleviate menstrual cramps is also believed to be used by Queen Victoria during her reign [2].

In 1839, the therapeutic effects and medical applications of cannabis plants were investigated by an Irish medical researcher and physician, William B. O’Shaughnessy. The medical benefits of the cannabis plant as an anesthetic were explored by O’Shaughnessy in his publication. This study opened the gateway towards the discovery of chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, present in cannabis plants [3].

 

The Discovery Of CBD:

The information about the presence of Cannabinoids in cannabis plants was revealed a century after the publication of O’Shaughnessy. An individual Cannabinoid, Cannabinol (CBN) was discovered by Robert S. Cahn, a British chemist who identified CBN’s partial structure. Later in 1940, he identified the full structure of CBN [4].

Two years later, cannabis science was revolutionized when an American chemist, Roger Adams discovered Cannabidiol (CBD) by isolating it from the hemp plant. Roger Adams also hypothesized that another Cannabinoid (later named as THC) also existed in the plant. Later in 1964, Raphael Mechoulam discovered THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol).

In the 1970s, the medicinal benefits of CBD were tested in labs on different model animals. Later, CBD oil was released by British pharmacologists to be used for therapeutic purposes. Later, Dr, Mechoulam revolutionized the CBD history by identifying the major therapeutic use of CBD in the treatment of epilepsy [5].

 

[H2] The Future Of CBD:

People’s interest in the benefits of CBD has increased dramatically for the past few years. Whilst, CBD and other cannabis-derived compounds are still opposed by many people across the country who are not aware of the life-saving benefits of CBD. Many experiments of CBD are being conducted to reveal the beneficial effects of CBD on epilepsy, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and insomnia. There’s still much work that is needed to skyrocket the full potential of CBD in order to change people’s lives [6]. 

 

 

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References: 

1. CBD: Weeding Through the Controversy. ATrain Education. Retrieved from: https://www.atrainceu.com/content/255-cbd-weeding-through-controversy-course-intro

2. What is the History of CBD? Vitality CBD. Retrieved from: https://vitalitycbd.co.uk/pages/history-of-cbd-hemp

3. Cadena A. The History of CBD: A Brief Overview. Medium. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/cbd-origin/the-history-of-cbd-a-brief-overview-68545c05ccc9

4. CBD History: The Past, Present And Future Of Using CBD. Ministry of Hemp. 2019. Retrieved from: https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/cbd-history/

5. Who Discovered CBD? The Scientific History Of CBD. Weedmaps. 2020. Retrieved from: https://weedmaps.com/learn/cbd/who-discovered-cbd

6. The History of CBD Oil - Who Discovered it? CBDLifeUKTM. 2019. Retrieved from: https://cbdlifeuk.com/the-history-of-cbd-who-discovered-cbd-oil/

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