CBD Fact Sheet

What is CBD? 

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis, a plant with a rich history as a medicine going back thousands of years.

CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabis compound with significant therapeutic properties. 

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the active compounds, named cannabinoids, that naturally occur in the cannabis plant. Scientists have isolated over 100 different types of cannabinoids from cannabis and researchers have begun to discover some of the profound therapeutic benefits that these compounds can have on the human body.
 

How does it work?

CBD and THC interact with our bodies in a variety of ways. One of the main ways they impact us is by mimicking and augmenting the effects of the compounds in our bodies called “endogenous cannabinoids” - so named because of their similarity to the compounds found in the cannabis plant. These “endocannabinoids” are part of a major regulatory system called the “endocannabinoid system”.

 

How does it work for pain?

When the National Academies of Sciences, Medicine, and Engineering evaluated decades of cannabis research, they concluded that "in adults with chronic pain, patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids are more likely to experience a clinically significant reduction in pain symptoms."

The exact mechanism of action by which CBD produces its pain effects is unknown. Cannabidiol may exert a cumulative pain effect by modulating a number of endogenous systems including, but not limited to neuronal inhibition (synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA channels), modulation of intracellular calcium (TRPV, VDAC, GPR55), and possible anti-inflammatory effects (adenosine). 

Among the likely mechanisms of action, modulation of intra-cellular calcium via GPR-55, TRPV, and VDAC is under active investigation. 

Additional mechanisms under exploration by current research include adenosine modulation, glycine and GABAergic modulation, and serotonin agonism.

 

How does it work in a topical formulation?

Topical CBD products can help address pain or inflammation that's at a specific area of your body, such as on the joints. The product won't enter the bloodstream. So a topical CBD product isn't designed to address a systemic problem, but research suggests that it is useful applied directly to the skin. 

 

Is it safe? Are there any side effects?

Side effects of CBD include nausea, fatigue and irritability. CBD can increase the level in your blood of the blood thinner coumadin, and it can raise levels of certain other medications in your blood by the exact same mechanism that grapefruit juice does.

The FDA has said that most CBD products currently sold in the United States are unregulated and untested. The agency noted that its own testing has shown some products do not contain the amounts of CBD they claim to contain, while some CBD products contain toxic metals, pesticides, and THC. This led to our own creation of our proprietary CBD formula using only trusted sources. 

 

Will it get me “high”?

CBD is distantly related to another important medicinally active phytocannabinoid: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound that causes the high that cannabis is famous for. These are the two components of cannabis that have been most studied by scientists.

Both CBD and THC have significant therapeutic attributes. But unlike THC, CBD does not make a person feel “stoned” or intoxicated. That’s because CBD and THC act in different ways on different receptors in the brain and body.

CBD can actually lessen or neutralize the psychoactive effects of THC, depending on how much of each compound is consumed. Many people want the health benefits of cannabis without the high or less of a high. 

 

How often should I use it?

Topical applications of CBD are best used 2-3 times a day. Getting ahead of the pain by applying Painpass CBD products before the pain returns, after the last dose is the most effective strategy. So even if the pain is resolved with the first application, applying the second application before the pain regains a foothold will be more effective for a reduction of pain. 

 

Is it legal?

CBD is readily obtainable in most parts of the United States. All 50 states have laws legalizing CBD with varying degrees of restriction. In December 2015, the FDA eased the regulatory requirements to allow researchers to conduct CBD trials. In 2018 the US Congress passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 which put CBD in a different legal and medical status than Medical Cannabis. Currently, many people obtain CBD online without a medical cannabis license. The government’s position on CBD in the past has been confusing, but it is now fully available without breaking the law, depending on whether the CBD comes from hemp or marijuana. PainPass uses only CBD derived from hemp.