More than 5,000 years ago, ancient Chinese healers discovered some of the potential medicinal uses of cannabis. Back then, Emperor Fu Hsi mentioned Ma, the Chinese term for marijuana, in his writings. He essentially described cannabis as a popular, versatile, and well-balanced treatment. Over time, this plant made its way into the medical repertoire of numerous cultures around the globe. Each one seems to have reached the same conclusion about cannabis: it has quite a few possible uses. Many modern-day medical experts agree with them.
Fast-Forwarding through History
Forge ahead around 2,900 years, and you’ll find further ancient Chinese texts discussing the medicinal properties of cannabis. By then, healers were using it to treat more than 100 common conditions. It was apparently recommended for a variety of maladies, including many inflammatory conditions. Some historical accounts indicate it may have also been used to treat autism spectrum disorders, though they weren’t known by that name at the time. Roughly 200 years later, a famed Chinese surgeon began using cannabis mixed with wine as a pre-surgical anesthetic.
Skip a couple more millennia, and you arrive in the present. Science and the public drifted away from natural remedies as synthetic alternatives entered the mix. Those manmade medications offered ample promise, and they certainly have their place in the medical world. Still, plenty of people have experienced little effectiveness with those products. Quite a few simply prefer more natural options. Because of all this, the public is beginning to turn back to natural remedies like cannabis, and companies such as Pure Relief are offering options that suit their needs.
Picking Apart the Cannabis Plant
Modern medicine has placed cannabis under a great deal of scrutiny. Scientists spend copious amounts of time analyzing the plant and figuring out what makes it work. As a result, several major components of cannabis have been discovered. One of the most highly touted is CBD, the non-psychoactive element in the plant. Research into CBD shows it can offer a long list of health benefits.
At the same time, analysts have discovered that CBD can come from various parts of the cannabis plant. In many cases, it’s harvested from the buds along with THC, strain-specific terpenes, and other compounds. Other times, it’s gleaned from the leaves and stems of the plant and used to create various products, like topicals, edibles, and oils. Cannabis seeds don’t contain notable amounts of CBD, but they offer an abundance of oil to be used in several applications.
Benefits of CBD
People turn to CBD for many reasons. One of the most common is pain relief. Both edibles and topicals containing CBD can aid in pain management as well as reducing inflammation, one of the main causes of pain. This compound can also provide relief from anxiety and promote relaxation and sleep among other advantages.
Over the past 5,000 years or so, the world of medicine has made numerous discoveries regarding cannabis. Still, scientists don’t fully understand the plant and all its finer points. During the years to come, countless new breakthroughs are bound to arise in terms of cannabis’ inner workings and potential uses. Further information about CBD’s effects and how it works together with the other compounds in cannabis is sure to come to light as well.
