CBD Shows Results In The Treatment Of Depression

Everyone feels sad from time to time. However, what if it is more than just being sad? What if that feeling becomes overwhelming or constant? What if that feeling turns into hopelessness or helplessness, a loss for the appetite to live? That is depression. Depression takes on many forms, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is estimated that about 19 million American adults are living with depression. Although depression can manifest itself in many ways according to the sufferers unique chemistry, the most common signs and symptoms are:

• Feelings of hopelessness/helplessness
• Fatigue
• Insomnia/Increase in sleep
• Increase/decrease in weight
• loss of enjoyment in daily activities
• Feelings of no purpose
• Anxiety
• Loss of sex drive
• Thoughts of suicide

The most popular way currently to treat depression is with prescribed medication and pharmaceuticals. However, many are not happy with this option. These medicines can create other problems and side effects that many do not believe are worth it. Therefore, many sufferers are seeking a more natural and safer way to treat their depression and much research shows Cannabidiol to do just that.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a major non-psychotomimetic compound of the Cannabis Sativa 

plant. It provides many benefits similar to that of Cannabis, but contains no THC. Therefore, CBD is completely legal in all 50 states. CBD has been shown to carry neuroprotective and neurogenic effects as well as anxiolytic effects in humans and animals. CBD is currently being used to treat many mental and autoimmune disorders and the current use of CBD as a depression treatment has been shown to be extremely promising.

Research

A federal funded study was done on CBD to see its effect on depression. In this study, mice were subjected to various stress-inducing tests. The reason for using stress tests is because stress affects the brain extremely similar to the way depression does. The mice were first subjected to a 60-minute restraint test. During this test, their heart rate and respiratory system sky rocketed. After this test, they were subjected to a maze. None of the mice participated or even moved from the starting point of the race, an effect from the stress test which induced a state of depression in the mice.

The mice were subjected to this test again, yet this time given liquid CBD. During the initial stress test, heart rates stayed the same and no clear signs of stress were given from the mice. After the 60 minutes, the mice completed the maze with no issues at all.

Another similar test was done on rats who were subjected to water they could not get out of on their own. The rats did not move and failed the test. After being given liquid CBD, the rats underwent the same test with each rat fighting to find a way out.

Both of these tests clearly displayed the affect CBD had on these rodents onset depression. Without CBD, they were unwilling to move or even fight to survive. With the CBD, the rodents performed to the best of their abilities in every single test.

These findings were miraculous. The thought is that CBD works with important areas of neurotransmission in key brain areas. It also binds to specific CBD receptors the brain naturally has to provide a anxiolytic-like affect and naturally elevates the users mood.