Anxiety in its simplest form is a very normal humane reaction to stress and is often considered beneficial in certain situations. To some extent anxiety can help us in coping with our threats, facing challenges and also in ensuring the safety and welfare of our loved ones. For the same reason, it helps us in improving on the different spheres of our life like work, family, relationships etc. It actually drives us to take action and improve our living.
However, as is the case with everything that is good for us, too much of anxiety is definitely not good. For some people, this emotion can be excessive and even compulsive. It can become unmanageable and can go completely out of hand in serious cases. This in turn may negatively impact their day-to-day lives as well.
Such situations are basically called anxiety disorders. They may involve a whole range of mental issues causing acute levels of fear and distress and may take several different forms as well.
So today, let’s get in depth in to how this seemingly uncontrollable disorder can be treated and kept in check with a very natural and harmless remedy – Cannabis.
Cannabis for anxiety
Cannabis or medical marijuana has long been used in treating health and mental conditions across the world. As a matter of fact, medical marijuana has been used by mental health experts for decades to treat depression and many other medical conditions including severe anxiety. And in almost all cases, it has been proved to be quite effective as well.
Now if you are sceptical about its effectiveness, then let me interest you with some facts.
First and foremost it is the chemical composition of Cannabis that makes it suitable for treating mental health disorders. The presence of a certain chemical compound called Cannabidiol, which is more commonly known as CBD, is what makes it so effective against anxiety and depression.
According to several studies, Cannabidiol has been proved to have an “anxiolytic-like effect” during both human and animal trials.
Another study has also discovered that CBD had an anxiolytic effect on people who were put to a simulative public speaking test too.
A lot of world renowned health practitioners and consultants of mental wellness like Dennis Walter at Buybcweedonline.com for medical marijuana advocate its use quite strongly.
We could really go on and on about the visible case in points of the distinctive effects of Cannabis on mental health disorders. But for now, let’s take a deeper look into the chemical makeup of Cannabis and why exactly it helps to treat anxiety.
The “elixir”
So Cannabis is basically a plant that is made up of almost 85 natural compounds or cannabinoids, all of which have the capacity to treat several mental illnesses. They basically have the ability to attach themselves to specific receptors in the brains of human beings and search for similar compounds that are naturally a part of the human body as well. Their major component, making up about 40% of the plant’s extracts is CBD. There is also another compound used to treat health conditions called tetrahydrocannibinol or THC, although CBD is found to have a more profound medical effect than THC.
Now for medical purposes, specific strains of marijuana are specifically cultured and made to contain required levels of each of the compounds and are also used for specific purposes.
Extracts or strains that are rich in CBD can be used for different types of anxiety disorders, such as:
- Panic disorders
- Post-Traumatic stress disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorders
Whatever the kind and nature of anxiety, whether based on fear or worry or even if it is just general anxiety, medical marijuana can be the answer. It can be more effective than a lot of chemical anti-depressants drugs like Xanax and Valium, not to mention much less harmful.
As more awareness is created on the benefits of medical marijuana, it will only be a matter of time before well-developed countries legalise its use for medical purposes, and make way for stress-relieved world.