There's a lot of hype surrounding CBD these days, but it can seem quite mysterious and confusing to newcomers. What exactly is CBD? How is it helpful? Questions like these may have passed through your mind while looking at ads and headlines about CBD in the past. If you're still curious, here's a quick rundown of what you should know about CBD.

Where It's From

CBD is found in two plants, exclusively. The first plant is marijuana, while the second is hemp. Before you get afraid of getting high by taking this medication, read on!

What It Isn't

There is nothing in CBD that will make you high, at all. CBD is an entirely different chemical component of marijuana and hemp than THC, the chemical responsible for giving people a high when they consume marijuana in any form. In fact, many CBD extracts come exclusively from hemp, which entirely lacks THC. To be absolutely sure, check the packaging or product description before consuming CBD to be certain that it doesn't contain THC. If it has zero THC content, you don't need to worry about it.

What It Can Help

That's great, but what can CBD really do? Well, it's been linked to a surprising number of health benefits.

For example, CBD oil has been shown to help reduce seizures, muscle spasms in people with degenerative diseases like Parkinson's, and pain, which it's very popular for. CBD has also proven to be helpful with people who develop nausea and lose their appetites due to cancer therapy. Those who have high levels of inflammation either due to disease or a genetic condition can also benefit from CBD, as it's a strong anti-inflammatory. There are even some studies that show that CBD can potentially have beneficial effects or help people to avoid certain diseases entirely, like diabetes, heart disease, and certain neurological disorders. It's obvious that CBD has a lot to offer people whether they're going through anything from severe illness to those who are just looking to reduce their risk of developing problems.

Taking It

Unlike marijuana, CBD typically isn't sold in a smokeable state. Producing marijuana that contains nothing but CBD is quite difficult, so it's not a great way of selling it to customers.

Instead, CBD is typically used in things like ointments, creams, and oils. If you want the majority of the benefits listed above, you should stick with oils or tinctures (another name for the same thing). In these products, a CBD extract is added to edible oil like coconut oil. It can be swallowed or simply placed under the tongue to absorb into the bloodstream, which is a great choice for people who are experiencing nausea.