CBD For Inflammation

What Is Inflammation?

It is best to observe inflammation in a wound. For example, Let’s say you cut your fingers: the affected area becomes red, swells and hurts. With inflammation, our immune system reacts to injuries or disease germs penetrating the body. The inflammatory reaction is intended to help the body reduce the risk of warding off and eliminate the damage.

Causes of Inflammation  

Inflammation can have various causes. These are often:

Pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi

External injuries such as abrasions or foreign objects (e.g., a thorn in the finger)

Exposure to chemicals or radiation

Diseases leading to inflammation often have a designation ending in "-itis", for example:
•Cystitis: an infection of the bladder
•Bronchitis: an inflammation of the bronchi
•Otitis media: an infection of the middle ear
•Dermatitis: an inflammatory skin disease

Signs of Inflammation

There are five signs that point to acute inflammation can point out:
•skin redness
•warmth
•swelling
•Pains
•a dysfunctional function

The disturbed function; for example, when an inflamed joint can no longer be moved properly, a cold impairs the sense of smell or bronchitis makes breathing difficult.

There are also inflammations in which only a few signs of inflammation appear. Some inflammations are even "stealthy" and shows no symptoms at all.

General Reactions of the Body

If the inflammation becomes very strong, it can affect the whole body. The following symptoms and signs can then appear:
General malaise, exhaustion and fever. These complaints signify that the immune system is very active and requires a lot of energy, which is then not available for other activities. If the metabolism is accelerated by fever, among other things, more antibodies and cells can be formed.

Changes in the blood such as an increase in immune cells.

A very rare dangerous complication of inflammation is blood poisoning (Sepsis). Chills, a strong feeling of illness and a very high fever can indicate blood poisoning.

Blood poisoning can occur if bacteria multiply rapidly at one point in the body and then suddenly enter the bloodstream in large quantities. That can happen when the body doesn't put up a fight against inflammation, in case of the pathogens being very aggressive, or the immune system severely weakened. If blood poisoning is suspected, urgent medical attention is required.

What Happens When There Is Inflammation

In dealing with inflammation, various immune cells can be involved. They release the inflammatory mediators, which include, for example, the tissue hormones Bradykinin and Histamine. They cause the small vessels in the tissue to dilate, allowing more blood to reach an injury, for example. Because of this, inflamed areas turn red and become warm.

With the blood, other defense cells also get into the inflamed tissue and support healing. In addition, the tissue hormones cause nerves to be stimulated and pain signals to be sent to the brain. This is a protective function: If the inflammation hurts, you protect the affected area.

The inflammatory mediators also have another task: They make the walls of the small blood vessels more permeable so that immune cells can get into the affected tissue more easily. Since more fluid gets into the tissue with the defense cells, typical swelling can occur. When the fluid is removed from the tissue again after some time, the swelling disappears again.

The mucous membranes also give in inflammation and increased fluid loss. This happens, for example, with cold, in which the nasal mucous membranes are inflamed. The nasal secretion is supposed to flush the cold viruses out of the body.

Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation is the first defense of the body in response to diseases or injury This action is championed by immune cells such as neutrophils and eosinophils. Acute inflammation can accompany infection, traumatic injury, autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis), or cancer.

However, acute inflammation is an essential part of the body's defense mechanism, and a prolonged response can injure the affected tissue. These changes are commonly seen in the skin, mouth, and gastrointestinal tract (esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine).

Doctors can cut out a small piece of tissue in the process of biopsy, then forward it to a pathologist to examine for acute inflammation. Examining the tissue under a microscope allows pathologists to rule out other conditions that may look like inflammation, such as cancer.

Chronic Inflammation

It is essential to distinguish between acute and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation makes biological sense. There is a specific trigger that needs to be eliminated. The reaction to the trigger is expressed in clear signs and symptoms. Acute inflammation is therefore an important part of the immune system and defense.

Whereas chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is subliminal and often the result of an overreaction or incorrect reaction. Clear signs and symptoms are usually missing, as is a single measurable trigger.

Recurring Inflammation

Recurring bacterial inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous tissue ( erysipelas ) is a kind of inflammation that spreads via the lymphatic system (lymphangitis) and occurs primarily in patients with lymphedema and extensive epifascial lymphatic malformations, especially when there is a circumscription lymphangioma or lymph vesicles on the skin . Here the bacterial barrier function of the skin is disturbed.

They manifest themselves as local, flat reddening and overheating of the skin, local pain in the area of ​​inflammation and possibly fever. A very rapid spread to a systemic, dangerous inflammation with a general feeling of inflammation (feeling of warmth, muscle and joint pain, rapid heart rate) is possible, especially in patients with lymphatic malformations.

CBD Against Inflammation

CBD has been studied for years by numerous researchers for its anti-inflammatory effects. Its mechanism of action is highly complex and can only be roughly described in this article. Above all, CBD is an effective and natural anti-inflammatory substance because it works in various ways. CBD inhibits inflammation at various points in the inflammatory process. In contrast to the non-opioid anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or ASA, CBD is even more effective for inflammation.

The human body is comprising of trillions of cells that work and communicate with each other. These messages are always sent from our nervous system to the brain in the form of electrical impulses. Inflammatory processes are always strongly dependent on a wide variety of messenger substances. In the field of inflammation, there are many different inflammatory messengers, each of which transmits a particular message.

For example, CBD, like other non-opioid painkillers, inhibits the inflammatory COX enzymes.

This helps especially with acute inflammation such as traumatic injuries. In the case of chronic inflammation, other messenger substances are involved. They listen to catchy names like TNF-a, NF-kB, IL-6 or IFN-y. CBD also inhibits these inflammatory messengers by activating the vanilloid receptors.

Another factor of CBD as an anti-inflammatory is the fact that CBD stops the breakdown of the endocannabinoid anandamide. Anandamide is one of the most powerful inflammatory modulators in the body.

CBD also increases adenosine signaling in the body. Adenosine is responsible for releasing the neurotransmitters dopamine, acetylcholine and norepinephrine in the body. This is also partly responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD.

Capsules

They also impress with an extremely simple and, therefore, popular intake. This is also possible on the go at any time, and the dosage is easy to measure. However, it takes a while for the active ingredient to reach the stomach. However, it is only there that it can unfold its full effect.

Oils and Tinctures

CBD oils allow for easy and efficacious dosing and have a long shelf life. Tinctures are very similar to oils, but alcohol is used as the carrier. That is why they also have a long shelf life, and it is effortless to add anti-inflammatory herbs to the formula as additional ingredients. However, the taste is rather unpleasant. Both options are recommended for use in inflammation.

Even better, however, are full-spectrum extracts that combine CBD with other cannabinoids that also have anti-inflammatory effects. For application, the intended number of drops is measured with the pipette and dribbled under the tongue, whereby the effect unfolds remarkably quickly. However, if you want a slower effect, simply swallow the extract.