As of December 2018, with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, the hemp plant and hemp-based products (such as those containing the compound cannabidiol, or CBD) are legal at the federal level. People all over the country have started using cannabis cream for arthritis and a litany of other conditions, both physical and mental.
However, there are some states where cannabis products are legalized, and cannabis entrepreneurs are not strictly limited to using this non-psychoactive substance alone in their locally sold cannabis products. These entrepreneurs can also add in the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Benefits of CBD products
CBD is an anti-inflammatory agent that can help with many issues in the body. Chiefly, it can act as a pain reliever, work as an antispasmodic treatment for conditions like epilepsy and other seizure-causing problems, can discourage the growth of tumors, and can have a positive effect on your mood by increasing relaxation. CBD does not need to enter the bloodstream for someone to feel its effects, so many topical CBD creams only need to be applied on the localized area where the pain is being felt to feel targeted and efficient relief.
Benefits of THC products
Products containing THC also act in very similar ways to products containing CBD, with antioxidant, antispasmodic, and antitumor properties, among other benefits. The main differences between the two are that the psychoactive effects of THC will produce more of a “high” than using CBD products will, and that THC products need to be absorbed in the bloodstream to take effect, so there are not many pure THC topical products available on the market.
However, when the two substances are put together, they provide an even wider spectrum of health benefits than they would have on their own.
THC and CBD in tandem
CBD Creams and THC: What You Need to Know
As of December 2018, with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, the hemp plant and hemp-based products (such as those containing the compound cannabidiol, or CBD) are legal at the federal level. People all over the country have started using cannabis cream for arthritis and a litany of other conditions, both physical and mental.
However, there are some states where cannabis products are legalized, and cannabis entrepreneurs are not strictly limited to using this non-psychoactive substance alone in their locally sold cannabis products. These entrepreneurs can also add in the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.
Currently, at the federal level, products containing more than .3 percent THC are not federally legal and can only be used in states where cannabis has been legalized in medical or recreational settings. However, it is believed that creams that contain both CBD and THC can work together to provide greater medical relief to their users.
The science behind this is relatively simple: The human body has its own endocannabinoid system. It helps to regulate the body’s immune system. Its receptors interact with different stimuli, and each stimulus produces a different result.
The endocannabinoid receptors that THC interacts with in the human body are different than the ones that CBD interacts with. This can generate higher levels of endocannabinoid activity, which can lead to higher levels of benefits from both substances.
One of the many misconceptions about cannabis is that CBD is medical, while THC is recreational. Even if you aren’t looking to experience a “high,” using a product that mixes in even a little bit of THC with the CBD in it can make the product more efficient and effective. This is similar to the rise in “full-spectrum” CBD products that use the “entourage effect” of all the compounds in the hemp plant to bring additional nutrients and benefits into the body by way of the CBD.
People using CBD to treat cancer-related symptoms found that THC, when paired with CBD, worked better to alleviate nausea, pain, and other symptoms than the use of only CBD. The same was proven to be true for the anti-tumor effects of CBD: they were enhanced in people who also used THC.
CBD can also work to counter the psychoactive effects of THC in certain products, which makes it a fail-safe when using both compounds together at the same time.
Final thoughts
CBD is a wonderful product, and THC can make it even more effective. If you live in a state where THC at a higher concentration than .3 percent is legal, try mixing the two for an even better topical experience!
