When I left college, I suffered from severe depression. It was mostly as a result of my family tearing itself apart over my Mum and Dad’s bitter divorce.
A friend of mine suggested CBD to help me calm down. Knowing nothing about it, I asked her about CBD a bit more, and she described it as “cannabis oil”. Initially, I blatantly refused. I smoked marijuana when I was younger and the experience wasn’t a pleasant one at all.
I was very sceptical about the suggestion. I knew weed would place me into an overdrive and result in paranoia – which I didn’t want to experience at all.
Unusually for me, I took the initiative to carry out some research online. This research led me to realise that the most active primary ingredients in marijuana are CBD and THC.
Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t contain the psychoactive properties that make you feel high. Instead, it actually helps to ease the anxiety and make you feel more relaxed.
Studies comparing the effects of CBD and THC have found that THC increases apprehension. It does this by activating the neuron transmitter involved in fight response. CBD oil,however, presents an automatic arousal to the neurons.
Whilst doing my research, the intriguing story of Charlotte Figi struck me in particular. Charlotte, a six-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare and resistant form of epilepsy was placed under hospice care. She was also given a “don’t resuscitate order”. Her parents were understandably incredibly frustrated with pharmaceutical medications, and they sort to medical marijuana as a last resort.
Right now, Charlotte is 99% seizure-free since she started using CBD oil. There are many other success stories surrounding patients who’ve taken medical-grade cannabis, and for all sort of ailments.
After reading these success stories, I became convinced that it ought to be worth a try. Especially when I learned that the CBD oil could be used to treat routine ailments such as depression, anxiety and nausea. Also, more serious issues like cancer, Parkinson’s disease, sclerosis, and epilepsy. With this, I threw caution to the wind and requested for samples from an online UK company.
The samples arrived a few days later.
My Impressions
It was due to jet lag that I decided to finally open a bottle of CBD oil tinctures. I squeezed one full tincture under my tongue as per the instructions. Thirty-five or so minutes later, I was surprised by how subtle the effect was. I expected some kind of nodding-off effect. I experienced nothing of the sort.
The oil relaxed my body and mind so slightly and smoothly. In fact, at one point, my heart stopped pounding while my mind stopped racing. It felt almost the same as taking Sertraline (which I had been taking a couple of years ago). By the way – I don’t recommend Sertraline at all – it’s extremely difficult to come off the stuff!
At this point, I was not sure if it was the effect of CBD oil. Nonetheless, it offered me some mental relaxations, something that I had missed.
I continued to take the CBD. Unlike before I would be tripped by little things, the oil seemed to have taken away pretty much all my anxieties.
I’m also no longer depressed at work and I can now work even under pressure. Would I say that CBD oil has helped with my depression? Absolutely YES. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone with depressive tendencies or for those who suffer from anxiety.