Why Has CBD Become So Popular? Is It Here to Stay?

I’m sure you heard of CBD by now. However, don’t worry if you haven’t – we’ll cover it. CBD is increasingly gaining popularity in developed countries like the U.S. and the U.K., but why? Why are literally millions of people flocking to CBD products for help? Why is CBD popular?

Let’s go ahead and take a look at why CBD is so in demand nowadays, and some areas where it might be able to help improve your life.

What Exactly is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring compound extracted from a plant called hemp or marijuana. CBD is mainly known for its calming effect and other enthusiastic claims of its health benefits. Although most users would actually swear by it, CBD remains a grey area by the US Food and Drug Administration. This begs the question, “Why is CBD popular?”

Over the years, products that contain CBD have found their way into many industries. It is known to alleviate anxiety and reduce inflammation, two of which are the most prevalent medical issues of our time.

While many stake their claims about its true effectivity, CBD is also hailed as a cure without the psychoactive effect or “high” produced by its counterpart, the THC or tetrahydrocannabinol.

Why Is CBD Popular?

CBD is popular for many reasons, but mainly because of its healing properties, which are increasingly becoming evident in many recent studies.

Below are some of the reasons why CBD is the up and coming super cure of recent times:

Cannabidiol: Therapeutic Properties and Health Benefits

Even though claims of its medical efficacy have been mostly anecdotal in the past, more clinical studies have been carried out to provide evidence on how CBD benefits people suffering from ailments ranging from chronic pain, tension, insomnia, arthritis, anxiety, PTSD, and even some rare forms of childhood epilepsy.

CBD actually reduces pain in rat models with arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory properties resulting in reduced swelling inside the joints. Remarkably, CBD has also been proven to help reduce, if not arrest, cognitive decline in rodent models with Alzheimer’s Disease. In fact, in the study, CBD has been discovered to not only prevent but reverse the cognitive loss.

Other studies have also shown that CBD, though inconclusive, may help as an indirect treatment for drug addiction problems. If CBD is able to participate as a curative element in many of these degenerative and difficult diseases, it’s no wonder it is getting more and more attention nowadays.

CBD as a Natural Product: Safe and Sound

Adding to its popularity is the idea that CBD is a natural compound. It is derived from a plant source and is therefore regarded as safe.

There is less suspicion of it being a cure that could cause more side effects similar to those manufactured in the lab, which is made up of synthetic compounds. Be that as it may, CBD is still categorized as an unregulated product in many countries and cannot be vouched for, or guaranteed by the authorities.

Just because something isn’t regulated, though, doesn’t mean it cannot (or does not) work. We have seen this with many different natural products over the years. It is suspected that CBD will become a dietary supplement soon – within the next few years, at most.

Increased Availability of CBD

With CBD’s increased appearance in many health and wellness shops in some countries, it is becoming increasingly available, like from our brand partner cbdMD, for anyone familiar with or heard of its therapeutic effects. Additionally, a flood of CBD products are already available online, which can be conveniently sent to the buyer after purchasing the product (discover a brand that fits your lifestyle).

After all, who would not want to be relieved from chronic pain that has been hounding them for years, right? The fact that recreational and medical use of marijuana has already been made legal in 21 states in the U.S. only adds to its accessibility.

Today, being a resident in one of those states means having a marijuana dispensary a few blocks from where you work or live. You may even find CBD-infused items at local restaurants and bars.

CBD in Beauty Products

Health and beauty products have always been big business, as women of today have some of the strongest purchasing power, along with the need to look and stay beautiful. According to statistica, the global market for CBD skincare was valued at $710 million USD in 2018 and is projected to hit 959 million USD by 2024. CBD skincare is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets as well as elsewhere in the world.

CBD is found to be a cure for facial acne and inflammation in general. It works well as a skin oil agent regulating, or stopping, the production of sebum or excess oil while acting as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This action allows the skin to be less oily and heal from the effects of acne infection.

After years of research, scientists have concluded that CBD prevents excessive lipogenesis induced by pro-acne agents in human SZ95 sebocytes. In layman’s terms, it means CBD has a direct healing and preventive action on skin with acne.

Products containing CBD, such as lip balms, serums, soaps, bath bombs and salts, cleansers, creams, and many more, create the perception of the compound as an ingredient with proven healing effects on the skin.

It has raised the demand for cannabidiol and increased its popularity in the beauty sector.

You can even make your own CBD topicals! It’s pretty easy and we have the process laid out for all you DIYers!

CBD is Legal

Related: State by State CBD Legal Guide

Other than marijuana, which is still restricted in many places in the world, CBD on its own is legal in the U.S. Though it is still unregulated in many other regions, under federal U.S. law, CBD is deemed legal if extracted from hemp and has less than 0.3% of THC.

Similarly, CBD is also legal in the U.K. provided that the THC content is below 0.2%.

In 2018, the president of the United States signed into law making CBD legal all across the nation. This piece of legislation is known as the Farm Bill of 2018, or the Agricultural Improvement Act. This further fueled CBD’s popularity to the point that it has already gone mainstream. It is now a mainstay of many products of different niches as the demand for it continues to grow.

Final Thoughts on the Popularity of CBD Products

CBD, to some extent, has been proven to be a safe and legal solution to many health problems. Some people might even go to the extent of saying that it’s a cure-all for whatever ails you. While CBD is NOT a cure-all, it does seem to do a lot of different beneficial things for people.

One thing is for sure, though; it will only gain more credibility as it continues to be an effective ingredient in popular products.

References

1Grinspoon, P. (2021, September 24). Cannabidiol (CBD)-what we know and what we don’t. Harvard Health. Retrieved April 7, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-20180824144762Prud’homme, M., Cata, R., & Jutras-Aswad, D. (2015). Cannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Substance abuse : research and treatment, 9, 33–38. https://doi.org/10.4137/SART.S250813Oláh, A., Tóth, B. I., Borbíró, I., Sugawara, K., Szöllõsi, A. G., Czifra, G., Pál, B., Ambrus, L., Kloepper, J., Camera, E., Ludovici, M., Picardo, M., Voets, T., Zouboulis, C. C., Paus, R., & Bíró, T. (2014). Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and antiinflammatory effects on human sebocytes. The Journal of clinical investigation, 124(9), 3713–3724. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI64628