I get pretty constant headaches, including a pain down the left side of my face and jaw. I have a couple of symptoms of an overactive immune system – IBS (unless my diet is perfect and dairy and gluten free) and a bit of eczema.

I also get a very stiff back and neck at times – which in turn is what probably gives me a lot of headaches – I guess the combination of wrestling and working at a desk over the years hasn’t helped. I also get mild anxiety, nothing major compared to some of my friends, more of an annoyance.

After doing some research on Reddit.com and Google Scholar, I decided to give cbd a try.

I found the Medipen pretty effective for headaches, but wanted to try the actual oil in a different format. CBD brothers had good reviews on Reddit, so I bought from their website…

Brilliant Customer Service

These guys are very professional and answered my email about dosage, even though it was already on the FAQs on their site.

I bought 10ml of the blue edition cbd oil.

Effective For Muscle Tension

I find this very good for my neck and back.

It’s just very ‘calming’. I took 1 drop 4 times a day. Hold under your tongue for 3-4 minutes. You want it to absorb in your mouth and gums, not swallow it.

One thing about the CBD Bros packaging – it was a right bast*rd trying to get the dregs out of the bottle it comes in.

I find the liquid that you put on your gums and mouth, is about as effective as vaping a ‘medipen’.

CBD Does Not get you High

In case you were wondering! It just makes you feel more relaxed. If you take too much you will sleep for a long, long time!

It is often used to treat epilepsy, depression & anxiety and IBS.

It is so effective for so many ailments and diseases, because it has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation of course, being the pre-cursor of many diseases, including cancer.

I’m not sure of the mechanism behind its relaxing effects, but obviously that’s why it so effective at treating Parkinson’s, epilepsy and autoimmune problems.

Please read more about the mechanism behind the benefits of cbd oil here. My vague layman’s explanations are pretty poor at best…

Is CBD Oil Legal in the UK?

If the distributor has a license.

If the cbd oil contains any, even trace elements of THC (which is psychoactive) then :

“a Home Office licence to import this substance – or a preparation containing it – would be required, irrespective of the proportion of THC in that preparation. In addition, there may also be a requirement for a Home Office domestic possess [sic] and supply licence.”

Source

If it is illegal, it’s probably only because it’s so effective that it would make lots of pharma drugs redundant.
It treats cancer, Parkinson’s IBS, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, the list goes on and on! It’s an all-in-one treatment. Incidentally, THC, which is not in cbd oil (in very large amounts anyway), also has medicinal properties.

Is there any Research Backing the Health Claims of CBD Oil?

Plenty, take a look on Google.scholar.com

For inflammatory bowel disease

Cannabidiol in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Brief Overview

“For years, its activity has been enigmatic for gastroenterologists and pharmacologists, but now it is evident that this compound may interact at extra-cannabinoid system receptor sites, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. This strategic interaction makes CBD as a potential candidate for the development of a new class of anti-IBD drugs“

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.4781/full

For epilepsy

The case for medical marijuana in epilepsy

“Charlotte, a little girl with SCN1A-confirmed Dravet syndrome, was recently featured in a special that aired on CNN. Through exhaustive personal research and assistance from a Colorado-based medical marijuana group (Realm of Caring), Charlotte’s mother started adjunctive therapy with a high concentration cannabidiol/Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (CBD:THC) strain of cannabis, now known as Charlotte’s Web. This extract, slowly titrated over weeks and given in conjunction with her existing antiepileptic drug regimen, reduced Charlotte’s seizure frequency from nearly 50 convulsive seizures per day to now 2–3 nocturnal convulsions per month. This effect has persisted for the last 20 months, and Charlotte has been successfully weaned from her other antiepileptic drugs.“

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/epi.12610/full

For social anxiety

Neural basis of anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in generalized social anxiety disorder: a preliminary report

CBD was associated with significantly decreased subjective anxiety...These results suggest that CBD reduces anxiety in SAD and that this is related to its effects on activity in limbic and paralimbic brain areas.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881110379283

CBD for every ailment under the sun

Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?

Migraine, fibromyalgia, IBS and related conditions display common clinical, biochemical and pathophysiological patterns that suggest an underlying clinical endocannabinoid deficiency that may be suitably treated with cannabinoid medicines.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18404144

I would, definitely recommend giving cbd oil a go (at your own risk of course!), as there are so many benefits. Shannon Briggs also said that he used cbd to overcome his mental health problems. The only down side is the price, unfortunately if you use it everyday, you’re going to be looking at around £50-£100 per month, depending on the type of cbd oil and the amount that you take.

Cheaper cbd oil is from hemp and grown outside. More expensive is made from cannabis and (generally) grown indoors. If you suffer from anxiety and headaches, then it might be worth giving 500mg of magnesium a try before forking out on cbd. Magnesium is massively underrated for its benefits for mental and physical health.

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