What exactly is CBD?

Cannabidiol, or CBD as its most commonly referred to, is a compound found in hemp and other plants of the cannabis family. There are hundreds of different compounds found in the cannabis plant but over 100 of these are called cannabinoids and are unique to cannabis. CBD is just one cannabinoid. Others that you may have heard of are THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), CBG (Cannabigerol), CBN (Cannabinol) and CBC (Cannabichromene) just to name a few.

CBD has been in the limelight lately because it’s widely believed by many scientists, doctors and consumers to have a broad range of health and therapeutic benefits and is legal in most countries. Most of the CBD products that you see on the market today will most likely be extracted from industrial hemp (Cannabis Sativa) plants for legal reasons and because they usually contain a higher amount of CBD and a low amount of THC (which is illegal in the UK), which makes it easier for the manufacturers to extract the CBD without having a large trace of THC.

Is CBD legal in the UK?

Yes, CBD is legal in the UK however it is not and must not be sold as or thought of as a medicinal product. While there are many CBD users out there who claim that CBD has helped them with various health problems like arthritis, fibromyalgia, muscle/joint aches and pains, swellings, tumours, insomnia/sleeplessness etc, here at Official CBD UK, we DO NOT sell our CBD products as medicinal products or claim that they will in any way improve your health or well-being. We suggest that you do your own research into CBD and then decide if it’s something you want to use or not. All of the CBD products we sell are food supplements or vitamins. We DO NOT encourage taking these products if you are pregnant or suffer from any diseases or illnesses without consulting your doctor first and you must be over 18 years old to purchase our products. THC is illegal in the UK and all CBD products must contain no more than 0.2% THC.  

Is CBD the only important compound?

No, CBD is not the only compound in the cannabis plant with potential benefits. In fact, all the cannabinoids (like we mentioned in the first paragraph) have their own speciality and can help in many different areas, and doctors, scientists and researchers are only just beginning to understand how they work and how they might benefit us. CBD is the main and most talked-about compound which is why you probably see it everywhere, but we would always advise opting for a ‘Full Spectrum’ product which contains a range of cannabinoids rather than just CBD. If you want to know more about full spectrum products, please go to our Full Spectrum vs CBD Isolates page where you can read more about the two main different types of CBD products.

Well how does CBD work?

CBD products work with your Endocannabinoid System (ECS) which all mammals have. If you search online for the Endocannabinoid System then you’re most likely going to get blown away by complex science which most of us would struggle to make sense of, so we’ll do our best to explain it to you in layman’s terms.

All mammals, including humans, have cannabinoid receptors all over the body including the central nervous system, brain, immune system, organs and skin. These receptors are split into two types: CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are most commonly found in the central nervous system and brain whilst CB2 receptors are usually found elsewhere in the body.

CB1 and CB2 receptors are used to pass information throughout the body (with the ingested cannabinoids being the information) which will then start a chain of chemical reactions in the body. It is important to have a balanced ECS as it’s widely believed that this can improve certain aspects of your life. Your body self-regulates its ECS and creates its own cannabinoids in order for the ECS to work. However, if your ECS isn’t performing at its optimum level then introducing cannabinoids by ingesting CBD products can boost the efficiency of your ECS. Think of it like taking vitamins - you get Vitamin C from certain foods that you eat as part of your daily diet, but many people like to take Vitamin C tablets or drinks in order to ensure they’re getting a sufficient quantity.

To summarise, CBD products are growing in popularity day-by-day with manufacturers and scientists coming up with new products and different ways it can help us all the time. You don’t have to be ill or injured to need CBD; it’s an amazing naturally-occurring substance that is used by millions of people worldwide. You don’t have to look very far to find someone who probably uses CBD products these days and we’re sure that if you asked a few friends or family members, they’re likely to know someone who uses CBD or uses it themselves. Unfortunately in the UK we’re very limited as to what we can and can’t say about CBD products, so we do strongly advise that you do some research and if you like the idea then try it, because you’ll never know until you do!