CBD Oil Benefits: The Most Important Ones [2022 Update]

Have you been wondering about CBD oil’s most important benefits? 

Hey, it’s hard not to. Here’s the deal:

Study after study shows that CBD plays a vital role in our ability to resist stress and maintain inner balance... and thousands of customers report experiencing the same exact thing. And these stats are just the start.  (Click to tweet)

In this article, we’ll be diving deep into what CBD oil is, what CBD oil does, and—most importantly—specific ways CBD oil could benefit you.

Table of Contents

1. What Is CBD Oil? 
2. One Product, Many Ingredients 
3. How to Tell If Your CBD Is Premium 
4. How Does CBD Oil Work? 
5. CBD Oil’s Best Benefits 
     5.1 CBD vs. Stress 
     5.2 CBD for Anxiety 
     5.3 CBD for Sleep 
     5.4 CBD and Motivation
     5.5 CBD for Athletes
     5.6 CBD for Pets
6. How CBD Oil Can Get Even Better 
7. How to Find the Right Dose for You

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1. What Is CBD Oil? 

Okay, first things first. Let’s look at what CBD oil actually is!

Most CBD oils out there are made of two things: a CBD-rich hemp extract and a carrier oil like MCT or olive oil. 

And despite their name, nearly all CBD oils on the market today contain much more carrier oil than they do CBD-rich extract. But that’s actually by design. CBD is powerful enough that one doesn’t need to take lots of it in order to experience improved health. A CBD oil’s carrier oil dilutes its active ingredients down to just the right concentration. 

But here's the thing:

CBD oil is also different from hemp oil. CBD oil comes from the stalk, stems, leaves, and flowers of the hemp plant, while hemp oil comes from hemp’s seeds. Here's the catch, though: CBD oils can indeed use hemp seed oil as their carrier.

RELATED: The Underlying Difference Between Hemp Oil and CBD Oil

Confusing, right?

Sourcing matters, too; the best CBD comes from hemp, not marijuana. While high-THC cannabis does have its place, hemp is nature’s best source of CBD oil because of its uniquely high-CBD cannabinoid profile. 

RELATED: Hemp CBD vs. Marijuana CBD

2. One Product, Many Ingredients 

Even though CBD itself is amazing...there’s much more to CBD oil than meets the eye. 

Why?

Because the compound we call CBD is far from the only thing featured in a premium CBD oil product. The reality is, hemp contains dozens of cannabinoids and hundreds of other plant compounds. CBD may be its namesake oil’s primary active ingredient, but it’s definitely not the only important molecule involved. 

Among these other molecules are trace cannabinoids like CBG, CBC, and CBN...terpenes like limonene, beta-caryophyllene, humulene, pinene...flavonoids like Cannflavin A and B...and more. Our CBD oil products are especially rich in beta-caryophyllene, a terpene that activates the endocannabinoid system so directly that some researchers classify it as a cannabinoid, too. [1]

To put things super simply: when it comes to CBD oil, CBD is just the start. 

3. How to Tell If Your CBD Is Premium  

Not all CBD is created equal. Some CBD oils feature better carrier oils than others, too; research indicates that MCT oil is the stablest carrier of them all. And some CBD oils do a better job than others at capturing all those special ingredients we mentioned above. [2]

How?

Through using what’s called a supercritical CO₂ extract to “pull” the plant goodness out of hemp. CO₂ allows one to capture hemp’s best aspects, CBD included, without leaving any residual solvents behind. It’s practically the best of both worlds. 

Look for companies that use CO₂ extractions and stay transparent with their product's laboratory testing, like SOLCBD, and you should be good to go.

RELATED: How to Choose a Quality CBD

4. How Does CBD Oil Work? 

CBD oil begins its work as soon as it’s ingested. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, CBD begins to travel throughout the body and bind to specialized receptors in the endocannabinoid system (ECS). It tends to bind most to what scientists have termed CB2 receptors, which are located throughout muscle cells, fat cells, and every vital organ—though CBD has some affinity for CB1 receptors in the brain, too. 

And CBD’s impact on the ECS is just the start. CBD can also bind to receptors in the serotonin, dopamine, endorphin, adenosine, glycine, TRP, GABA, and PPAR families. While most pharmaceutical drugs hone in on one or two isolated receptors, CBD is truly holistic. [3]

This multifaceted approach allows CBD to have many selective effects. CBD seems to reduce oxidation (similar to other antioxidants like vitamin C) most of the time, for example, but in certain situations, it can actually increase oxidation to fight off harmful cells. 

Here's the cool thing:

CBD also seems to reduce one’s immune activity most of the time (which is part of why it works so well for autoimmune issues)...and yet it doesn’t slow down the immune system’s response to acute illness. (Click to Tweet)

In many ways, CBD oil is as natural as it gets. The endocannabinoids it so closely mirrors have been found throughout virtually every area of the human body, including in a mother’s breast milk. For those of you who just want to keep things simple, our all-natural CBD tincture may be just the thing. 

RELATED: Cannabinoids are Naturally Present in Mother's Breast Milk

5. CBD Oil’s Best Benefits

Just like its potential molecular targets, CBD oil’s potential health benefits are incredibly diverse. Studies indicate that it may be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-seizure, and anti-stress. CBD may even reduce addictive learned behaviors, whether one is trying to detox from opioids, nicotine, or sugar. 

RELATED: Sweet Tooth Ruining Your Life? How to Quit Sugar

Keep reading—a list of CBD’s very best health benefits is below. 

5.1 CBD Oil vs. Stress 

At the heart of CBD’s benefits, things get surprisingly simple. What CBD really does best is to reduce stress. (Click to Tweet)

Just think: 

How many diseases begin with stress before manifesting into something more specific? 

Maybe you’ve noticed this type of progression in your own life. Chronic stress leads to chronically messed-up hormones, and these types of imbalances often lead to chronic disease. 

The solution?

When faced with stress, simply help your body overcome it! Many people consider CBD to be the perfect adaptogen for the job. CBD may help you adapt and overcome stress by boosting your body’s levels of homeostasis-promoting endocannabinoids. (Click to Tweet)

And when your body can overcome stress, all sorts of good stuff can begin to happen...

RELATED: Can Cannabidiol Help You Become Stress-Free?

5.2 CBD for Anxiety 

Anxiety is a modern-day epidemic. Could CBD help? 

Well, more research is needed, and we wouldn’t want to make any medical claims anyway. But what we do want to highlight is how CBD can interact with certain serotonin receptors...possibly leading to anxiolytic effects in the process. 

“Clinical studies indicate that cannabidiol (CBD), the primary nonaddictive component of cannabis that interacts with the serotonin (5-HT)1A receptor, may possess analgesic and anxiolytic effects,” explains a 2018 study. Interestingly enough, this same receptor site is involved in regulating one’s pain levels. [4]

5.3 CBD for Sleep 

Can you guess one of the first things new CBD users notice?

Think about it for a second.

Yep—better sleep. Just like most of its other benefits, CBD’s effect on sleep is multifaceted. The compound seems to promote both daytime energy and just the right amount of drowsiness at night. (Click to Tweet)

That’s certainly not the case with conventional sleep aids like melatonin. Once again, however, CBD’s effects are selective. The endocannabinoid system that it helps strengthen plays a vital role in regulating one’s circadian rhythm; when this rhythm is right, everything else just tends to fall into place. [5]

RELATED: How to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm

Many CBD users report sleeping better, dreaming better, and waking up more refreshed. Sounds pretty good to us.

5.4 CBD and Motivation

If you’ve been feeling low in motivation recently, you’re probably not alone. COVID-19 has been rough on our collective mental health, and it’s easy to feel your efforts are useless when confronted with such a big problem. 

But could CBD oil help? 

Maybe. Many customers describe feeling more creative, focused, and motivated when they take CBD. Attention, anyone who experiences the blight we call “brain fog”: CBD may serve as a valuable nootropic agent for you. (Click to Tweet)

RELATED: Improve Focus and Concentration with CBD

There are a few potential reasons for this. One of them goes back to CBD’s impact on those serotonin receptors we mentioned earlier. When you’re calmer and less anxious, you’re also naturally more creative...when you’re more creative, you’re calmer and less anxious...it’s one of the body’s nice little positive feedback loops. 

The other reason CBD could help with motivation actually relates to your metabolism. Initial research has shown that CBD may increase one’s brown fat levels. [6] 

Not so sure that’s a good thing? Don’t worry—brown fat is actually a metabolically active substance that burns “regular” fat for fuel. Brown fat’s original purpose was to help keep you warm in the winter; fast-forward to today, and the stable energy it provides may also help keep you focused. [7]

5.5 CBD for Athletes 

All you athletes out there may want to listen up:

CBD oil’s not just useful for alleviating the undesired aspects of one’s health. If taken consistently, CBD oil’s benefits may also translate to improved exercise performance. (Click to Tweet)

RELATED: 5 Ways CBD Can Benefit Athletic Performance

Think for a second about all the things CBD does. If it reduces inflammation, oxidation, and stress...if it improves sleep and mental clarity and promotes healthy metabolism...wouldn’t that improve your athletic recovery?

While more research is needed, the anecdotal answer is a resounding yes! Many athletes report recovering faster from hard workouts when they use CBD oil. Even record-shattering strongman Eddie Hall has called CBD his favorite recovery tool.

And if you could recover faster from exercise...wouldn’t that allow you to get fitter faster and risk-free?

Check this out:

That’s what theories like periodization imply. Training in itself is actually a form of stress, and athletic training walks a fine line between stressing your body out and letting it recover. Anything that improves the recovery side of this equation—amino acids, massage therapy, post-workout carbs, CBD—should allow a better adaptation to exercise. [8]

5.6 CBD Oil for Pets

CBD oil could even benefit your furry friends, dogs and cats included. They have an endocannabinoid system just like you do, after all. Just like us, our pets rely on endocannabinoids to maintain their inner balance. And just like us, the chronic stress of modern living means their ECS can get misaligned. 

RELATED: Liposomal CBD for Your Dog

The solution to this problem is refreshingly simple. Why? Because pets can take CBD, too. Our Liposomal CBD Oil for Pets is dosed with your pet’s lower weight in mind. It features 250 milligrams of premium CBD per bottle. 

6. How CBD Oil Can Get Even Better 

Historically speaking, CBD oil has had one major downside. Accessing its benefits was harder than you might think because most CBD oils weren’t absorbed all that well. 

But a new type of CBD product is quickly changing that. Some CBD oils are just starting to be made with liposomes—small, water-soluble structures that mimic our body’s natural cell walls. Our advanced liposomal CBD oil utilizes a patent-pending process to make CBD more bioavailable than perhaps ever before. 

RELATED: Everything About Our Advanced Liposomal CBD

The result:

A CBD oil that both kicks in faster and lasts longer than regular CBD. If you haven’t already...you might want to experience the benefits of liposomal CBD for yourself. 

7. How to Find the Right Dose for You 

When it comes to CBD oil dosing, there’s one crucial concept you shouldn’t forget: 

Everyone’s body is different.

RELATED: How to Tell If Your CBD Oil Dosage Is Effective

Some people can have great results from microdosing a few milligrams of CBD here and there, while others need to take 50+ milligrams a day to experience relief. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula, which means you may need to get in touch with your body to learn what works best for you.

Another important thing to keep in mind:

Your optimal dose will be significantly lower if you’re using a liposomal product. Why? Because liposomal CBD is 17 times more bioavailable (i.e., effective) than ‘normal’ CBD is. If you normally need 50 milligrams of conventional CBD oil, as little as 3 milligrams of liposomal CBD could give you the very same results.

Why do some people need so much more CBD than others? It’s likely due to lower baseline levels in their endocannabinoid system. If that’s you, consider a highly concentrated CBD product like our 4000mg CBD Tincture. It has the highest amount of CBD per bottle and 3 times more CBD per dose than our other CBD products.

But chances are good that you won’t need quite this much. For most people, experiencing CBD’s full range of health benefits is actually pretty easy! Just take CBD oil consistently, and your body will take things from there. 

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18574142 [Title]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100014/ [Table 2, Table 4]
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4301686/#b47 [“CBD at other molecular targets” section]
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6319597/ [abstract]
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931554/
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27067870 [Title]
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102124/ [Title]
8. http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Triplett_Travis_2018_TheGeneralAdaptationSyndrome.pdf