What is CBD?
Medical cannabis or Vijaya leaves consist of two compounds: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD has many beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation, decreased pain, improved sleep, and decreased anxiety and stress.
Thus, CBD can be used for the treatment of many chronic conditions like asthma, arthritis, and even multiple sclerosis (MS). This guide gives you tips and tricks when you are using CBD for MS treatment.
Legal Status of CBD
The use of flowering tops of cannabis is banned under The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985, however, the use of leaves and seeds is approved by AYUSH. Later, the usage of medical cannabis for medical purposes was approved by the Ministry of Health and Family leading to the legalisation of full-spectrum CBD oil use in 2018.
Types of CBD Products
CBD products are available in various forms like tinctures, oils, vapes, and capsules. Each of these forms can be used depending on your lifestyle and what your healthcare professional prescribes. They are offered by reputed brands like Cannazo India.
How CBD May Help Manage MS Symptoms
CBD can help manage the usual MS symptoms like:
Reducing Muscle Spasms and Spasticity
MS leads to muscle spasticity, i.e. muscle stiffness which makes it difficult to move. A clinical study by Patti et al. (2020) showed that using CBD: THC treatments for 4 weeks decreased the muscle spasticity score by at least 20% in over 60% of the enrolled patients.
Addressing Fatigue
Since MS can disturb the patient’s sleep pattern while also causing pain, they are usually fatigued. Numerous studies have found that CBD interacts with the cannabinoid (CB) receptors present in the brain to improve sleep. There is little evidence about improving sleep in MS patients, however, a study by Ried et al. (2022) showed that 60% of insomniacs were no longer diagnosed with insomnia after 2 weeks of treatment.
Mood and Mental Health Support
CBD interacts with CB1 receptors of the ECS and 5HT1A receptors present on nerve cells and helps in improving mood by decreasing stress and anxiety by at least 15%, as found by Dahlgren et al. (2022).
Research and Evidence
Multiple clinical trials have been carried out to test the efficacy of medical cannabis treatment for symptom management in Multiple Sclerosis.
In a 12-month observational study, it was found that medical cannabis (MC) decreases headaches, anxiety, fatigue, and nausea in patients with chronic pain. Moreover, a preliminary study testing the effects of MC extract observed that it improved muscle spasms and spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury.
How to Use CBD for MS Symptom Management
Using CBD for MS is pretty straightforward once you know what dosage to take.
Dosage Guidelines
In general, for any oral or sublingual CBD tincture, it is recommended to start with a low dosage after consulting with a healthcare professional. The dosage can then be increased depending on how your body responds to the CBD product.
FDA has approved 2.5-40 mg per day of 1:1 CBD:THC products. Our full-spectrum tinctures work in a similar mechanism of action to the FDA-approved Sativex®.
Choosing the Right CBD Product
Quality and Purity
When choosing the right CBD product, the most important thing is to check for purity and quality. Cannazo India’s products are checked for quality by a third-party laboratory, which is the gold standard for any form of quality check.
Reputable Brands and Products
Many reputed brands like Cannazo India, Canna River, Aspen Green, etc. offer CBD products like tinctures and capsules for various conditions like asthma, arthritis, diabetes, and MS.
Avoiding Scams and Low-Quality Products
Since many brands are not registered and sell fake products, it is important to identify scams. First of all, look out for the product’s license number which is present on the label. An approved, tested product will always have one. Then look for their quality check claims and cross-check whether that lab/organization exists.
Legal and Regulatory Considerations
Understanding Local Laws
The use of flowering tops of cannabis is banned under The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985, however, the use of leaves and seeds is now approved by AYUSH. Later, the usage of medical cannabis for medical purposes was approved by the Ministry of Health and Family leading to the legalisation of full-spectrum CBD oil use in 2018.
Traveling with CBD
Travelling with CBD is pretty simple given you have a prescription. All prescription-based CBD products require a prescription from a certified healthcare professional, however for over-the-counter CBD products, a prescription is not required and you can travel pan India.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using CBD tinctures for MS management shows great promise, however, more research is required. FDA has approved a oromucosal CBD spray for MS symptom management. Cannazo India offers similar products that show similar efficacy.
References and Further Reading
- Dahlgren, M. K., Lambros, A. M., Smith, R. T., Sagar, K. A., El-Abboud, C., & Gruber, S. A. (2022). Clinical and cognitive improvement following full-spectrum, high-cannabidiol treatment for anxiety: open-label data from a two-stage, phase 2 clinical trial. Communications Medicine, 2(1), 139.
- Forbes Health (2024, May 20). 10 Best CBD Oils Of 2024. 10 Best CBD Oils Of 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024, from https://www.forbes.com/health/cbd/best-cbd-oil/
- García-Gutiérrez, M. S., Navarrete, F., Gasparyan, A., Austrich-Olivares, A., Sala, F., & Manzanares, J. (2020). Cannabidiol: a potential new alternative for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and psychotic disorders. Biomolecules, 10(11), 1575.
- Patti, F., Chisari, C. G., Solaro, C., Benedetti, M. D., Berra, E., Bianco, A., … & SA. FE. group. (2020). Effects of THC/CBD oromucosal spray on spasticity-related symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis: results from a retrospective multicenter study. Neurological Sciences, 41, 2905-2913.
- Ried, K., Tamanna, T., Matthews, S., & Sali, A. (2023). Medicinal cannabis improves sleep in adults with insomnia: a randomised double‐blind placebo‐controlled crossover study. Journal of sleep research, 32(3), e13793.
