What Can Enhance the Effects of Cannabidiol?
October 05, 2021Many people who have been satisfied with the outcomes of daily cannabidiol (CBD) supplementation have wondered whether it is possible to enhance any reported benefits while still keeping their overall CBD product intake consistent. For example, someone may feel that CBD has helped them be more motivated; therefore, they are happy with their daily regimen of CBD oil, but they would like additional relief from joint pain.
Currently, the main way to address this problem is to try different types of supplements. For instance, the person who wants help with their joints may find better results from a topical. Various types of supplements can change the timing of CBD absorption, may offer local or widespread effects, or may be packaged with ingredients that are intended to enhance the potential benefits of CBD. However, researchers worldwide are also studying different ways to potentiate, or strengthen, specific effects of CBD in animal and cellular models.
The research that has been done is in the experimental phase, and should not be replicated outside of a laboratory until the effects of these different compounds have been thoroughly studied in human beings. In other words, don't try the following studies at home!
One potential method of improving CBD delivery is to package it in another molecule that can be swiftly absorbed into the body. Most CBD products already work fairly quickly, but for headaches or other acute problems, researchers want to develop ways to deliver CBD nearly instantaneously.
Cherniakov et al. developed a compound called a pro-nanoliposphere (PNL), which was basically a combination of fatty molecules known as lipids, and piperine, the molecule responsible for the spicy taste of pepper. When CBD was added to the PNL and given to rats in an edible form, Cherniakov et al. found that the blood levels of CBD were six times greater than when the rats had consumed other types of CBD-lipid compounds. Of course, CBD products with PNLs won't be on the market anytime soon as much more research is required before they could be used in products, but it is exciting to know that there are possibilities like this!
Other researchers like Scott et al. have considered adding other compounds into CBD preparations. To some extent, this approach is already used in products like Active CBD oil capsules, which contain a combination of CBD, other minor cannabinoids, and MCT oil. However, Scott et al. examined combinations of CBD and active drugs, including psychoactive cannabinoids. They found that applying CBD and cannabigerolic acid (CBGa) to mutated cells resulted in amplified effects compared to using either CBD or CBGa alone. Likewise, combining CBD with cannabigerovarin (CBGv) and CBGa were found to be more effective than any of the cannabinoids alone.
So what does this all mean for someone interested in CBD, or who already uses it in a daily regimen? For the time being, people who would like to enhance certain effects of CBD can try different preparations of CBD or make use of products that contain CBD alongside other compounds. The research that is being done on enhancing CBD seems to indicate that at some point in the future, we will see entirely nove delivery systems tailored to different supplemental needs. If you are interested in CBD as a daily supplement, you don't need to wait for these advanced systems to be designed. You may find that, among the vast amount of CBD products that are currently available like tinctures, concentrates, and topicals, there might be several options that can deliver just what you are looking for.