More and more people who are suffering from painful physical health conditions, anxiety and stress, or even significant mental health problems, are turning to the potential benefits of using CBD oil and cream to relieve their symptoms.
The evidence is growing that CBD has the potential to work wonders with a variety of conditions. But before you jump in and spend what can be quite a lot of money on CBD oil products, it’s really advisable to get yourself educated about exactly why CBD can be beneficial, how it works in your body, and what side effects you can realistically expect.
The best CBD oil for pain symptoms for example is not necessarily as straightforward as some people think for a few reasons. This is down to the different types of oil out there, legality, and the form they come in.
So let’s help you right now by getting all of that key information together for you here in one convenient guide, so that you can learn exactly what the best CBD oil or cream product is for the problem you are experiencing, and where you can buy it at a great price, so that you are not ripped off.
What Is CBD Oil?
There can be a lot of confusion around CBD, hemp and cannabis products. Obviously there are legality issues because cannabis is illegal in many parts of the world, but that’s not the only confusion that means people don’t get the benefits they should.
So let’s take a look quickly at what CBD, hemp and cannabis actually are in relation to each other:
- Cannabis is the most illegal flowering plant that gets you high. It’s THC which gets you high, and it’s THC which is being linked to having health benefits. But that’s not the whole story. Cannabis and cannabis oil products are mostly illegal around the world, which means that unless they are prescribed by a doctor then you cannot get the benefits from THC.
- The hemp plant is closely related to the cannabis plant, they are virtually identical in every respect apart from the fact that hemp does not contain large amounts of THC or CBD. That makes it totally legal to own and use, but mostly not very beneficial.
- So now we come to CBD. CBD is an active ingredient like THC, but it doesn’t get you high. However it is increasingly being linked with the same medicinal benefits as THC, in fact a lot of scientists are now beginning to think that CBD is the primary deliverer of symptom relief.
CBD is present both in cannabis plants and hemp plants in different proportions, CBD oil products are usually derived from specially cultivated hemp plants that contain a high proportion of CBD, but a still legal level of THC.
In some parts of the world CBD oil is produced from cannabis plants, where the proportion of CBD oil is high, but again, the proportion of THC is legally low.
So when people talk about the best hemp oil, or the best cannabis oil, what they are generally actually talking about is CBD oil.
Why Is CBD Oil Becoming So Popular?
CBD oil products are becoming popular because science is now realizing that CBD is as effective for pain relief and stress relieve symptoms in the body as THC from cannabis.
Also, CBD is not going to get you high, so CBD is completely legal and does not come with any potentially problematic side effects from being under the influence.
It’s that legality which causes the last piece of confusion, but that’s gradually being overcome. You can get cannabis oil products, but these are mostly illegal because they contain a high percentage of THC, as well as CBD.
The bottom line here is that CBD (Canabidiol) products you can buy online or in stores are legal, and contain a high percentage of CBD, but a low percentage of THC.
The final word before we move on is to not buy hemp oil products. Most hemp oil does not contain a high enough proportion of CBD to make it beneficial.
How Does CBD Work In The Body?
CBD (cannabidiol) is not psychoactive like THC is, so it won’t make you high when you ingest it or rub it onto your skin.
When CBD enters your body, just like THC, it interacts with the human body’s endocannabinoid system. These are receptors spread through the body, that connect neurons to pass signals around the body related to pain, pleasure, peace, sensitivity, things like that.
The difference is that CBD does not directly stimulate the CB1 and CB2 endocannabinoid receptors in the way that THC does. CBD activates other receptors that allow the endocannabinoid receptors to work more efficiently, so it indirectly does the same thing as THC, but without the high or invasiveness.
The receptors CBD activates, alongside its interaction with the endocannabinoid receptors helps it to play a role in how the body responds to temperature, pain and inflammation.
It is specifically the activation of the TRPV-1 receptor that helps to regulate pain and inflammation, which is what makes it so useful to counter physically painful conditions.
CBD Hemp Oil Vs Weed Smoking
It’s been known for quite a few years that smoking cannabis can help with pain relief, which is why it has been prescribed for a variety of medical conditions for quite some time.
However, there are two really big negatives around smoking cannabis for pain relief, or to relieve the symptoms of mental health issues.
Firstly, cannabis can make people paranoid, which means that the cost of pain relief can be an increased anxiety. And if it’s a problem like drug withdrawal, or emotional problems, then increasing anxiety and paranoia can have huge negative consequences.
Secondly, you also have the problem that cannabis is mostly illegal, and that a lot of people smoke it which can have other negative health impacts.
On top of that, it can be dangerous and socially unacceptable to be high on cannabis.
Which is exactly why when it comes to a straight up fight between the benefits of CBD oil versus cannabis THC, then it’s little wonder that as the evidence grows that CBD is scientifically beneficial, that people are turning more to CBD and THC.
This is especially becoming more evident in people with anxiety problems, which is why rather than using cannabis, people are now exploring the best CBD oil for anxiety, to relieve the symptoms.
What Are The Benefits Of CBD Oil?
The range of physical and emotional benefits being derived from the consumption of CBD is growing in number and evidence year on year.
There are an increasing number of high quality scientific studies around the following areas that suggest CBD intake can have significant positive impact:
- Anxiety
- Pain relief
- Drug withdrawal
- Epilepsy
- Cancer
- PTSD
- ADHD
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Schizophrenia
- Diabetes
For a range of common problems like giving up smoking, through to its potential to positively impact on cancer cell reproduction, CBD is being found to have significant potential benefits.
One huge potential area for physical and emotional pain relief is around opiate withdrawal symptoms, or general drug withdrawal symptoms, including tobacco.
There is a huge opiates timebomb about to go off, with a large amount of people experiencing the physical and emotional pain of that withdrawal. CBD oil and cream have been linked with alleviating those symptoms, making giving up drugs easier for these people.
But whatever type of pain or anxiety your suffering from, it looks like CBD could help. CBD for back pain, liver injury, social anxiety, all of these common problems are being addressed successfully by people using completely legal CBD oil products.
Does CBD Have Negative Side Effects?
Almost everything out there that is used to alleviate the symptoms of pain or emotional problems has some side effects, that’s just unfortunately reality.
However, unlike a lot of prescription medication CBD oil does not have the range of nasty side-effects that are quite common with more invasive manufactured medication.
So you don’t need to be put off using CBD oil because there is no withdrawal during or after, it doesn’t contain harsh chemicals, and it interacts in your body in a completely natural way.
But generally, the minor side-effects that people using CBD products have experienced include:
- Dry mouth
- Increased tremor in some Parkinsons disease patients
- Lightheadedness (not due to a psychoactive high)
- Lower blood pressure
- Drowsiness (at higher concentrations)
So as you can see, the side-effects are mostly minor. Some of the side-effects experience could also be due to the condition that the person was already suffering from.
However, if you are going to use CBD oil to try and minimize the impact of a specific medical or social condition, it’s always advisable to speak to a specialist first.
CBD is not addictive and you don’t get withdrawal symptoms from it. So it cannot produce symptoms on its own that could be negative.
On top of that, CBD oil will not produce side effects related to overdose. A lot of people take a dose as low as 25 mg each day to deal with minor conditions.
However, some studies report up to 1500 mg being used to treat schizophrenia, so it’s highly unlikely that you could overdose under usual conditions using an everyday CBD product.
Which Is Better: CBD Oil Vs Cream
CBD oil is literally that. It is oil extracted from the hemp or cannabis plant which you then take topically, either directly (although a lot of people find the taste of CBD oil to be very unpalatable), or through consuming it mixed in with something else, or even inhaled using a vaporizer.
CBD oil can help to generally target the receptors in the body that interact with the endocannabinoid system. Where CBD cream and salve products can help is in targeting pain and trauma in specific parts of the body more quickly.
The body has receptors all over it, and the skin is very absorbent. By using cream containing CBD, that active ingredient is being absorbed into the area that is under stress.
So for example it’s pretty obvious that if you are going to use CBD oil for pain relief, for a specific condition, like using CBD for back pain, that topically applying it can be more beneficial, more quickly.
And of course, there is absolutely no reason to not use a topical CBD cream in conjunction with CBD oil to alleviate your symptoms.
The bottom line is that the best CBD oil for your symptoms will be a good quality CBD product that contains a high percentage of the active ingredient. So for example, the best CBD oil for anxiety, will be the same as the best CBD cream for pain.
What actually relevant is that it’s high quality and contains a high percentage of guaranteed pure CBD.
How Is CBD Cream/Salve Made?
A good quality CBD cream or salve is basically a combination of creams, butters and oils, that also contains CBD.
This combination of creams, butters and oils has two functions:
- It can topically soften and soothe the skin to alleviate the surface.
- It will act as a carrier to allow the rapid absorption of the CBD into the skin and cells.
So a good quality CBD oil cream or salve will contain high quality natural ingredients, things like cocoa butter, coconut oil and shea butter
In combination you will get softer and soothed skin, and rapid relief from underlying pain in that area.
The Best CBD Cream For Pain
The best CBD cream for pain is actually a pretty straightforward choice. It’s the same choice as choosing the best CBD oil for pain, whether you are looking to use CBD for back pain, or a mental health condition.
You are looking for a cream or oil that contains a high percentage of pure CBD, sometimes called full spectrum CBD.
This means that nothing is taken out or lost during the process of extracting CBD from the hemp plant. As long as you buy from a high quality retailer, you are guaranteed to get the best hemp oil containing CBD in high proportion.
The golden rule is that a higher proportion of CBD, either expressed as a percentage or in milligrams, in relation to the rest of the products physical size and weight is better.
Having now said that, let’s look at a couple of highly recommended CBD cream products to give you an idea of what we mean by high quality.
Two Recommended CBD Creams For Pain Relief
#1 Endoca Hemp Whipped Body butter
If you’re looking for the gold standard in terms of what you should be looking for, then this whipped body butter from reputable hemp product company Endoca is certainly one of the first things you should be looking at.
This whipped body butter has antioxidant properties, in its inclusion of shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter. All three of these contain short-chain fatty acids act as great carrier oils, and also have antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
It also contains vitamins C & E, which are great for skin condition and health, and also help with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
In terms of CBD content, you’ll struggle to find better. This high quality Endoca hemp whipped body butter contains 1500mg of CBD per 100ml, which is immense, and will ensure a large amount of CBD is absorbed into the skin.
#2 Cannabidiol Life Soothe Balm
This is another high quality cream based CBD product, which is very suitable for people wanting to experiment with CBD for back pain, or who are looking the best CBD cream for pain relief generally.
Just like our first choice, it’s full of high quality ingredients. It contains shea butter and cocoa butter, which as we’ve already said are packed full of short chain fatty acids and make great carrier oils, guaranteeing absorption.
On top of that, it’s packed with eight different types of essential oil.
It’s CBD content is a very generous 275mg of full spectrum CBD per single ounce. That means it packs a powerful CBD punch, whatever type of pain you’re looking to relieve.
Recommended Places To Buy CBD Oil & Cream
As you have seen, the scientific evidence around the benefits of CBD oil for pain relief is growing stronger every year.
Using CBD products for relief from physical pain, anxiety, plus a range of serious physical and mental health conditions is becoming more normal and affordable.
But if you want to benefit then you have to be confident that you are buying products that are made with the highest quality ingredients. So for a topical CBD cream, the best CBD cream for pain is going to be one contains a good carrier oil, to ensure a rapid absorption and nourishment.
And generally, the best CBD oil for pain is going to be one that you can get the biggest punch of CBD from at the best price.
That means looking for CBD products that contain a high proportion of full spectrum CBD, which is not as easy as you would think due to people passing of poor quality hemp oil as pure CBD oil.
So let’s finish here by giving you three very high quality and reputable online stores that you can consider to start your CBD pain relief journey from:
#3 Cannabidiol Life
Our third choice of seller of specialist CBD oil and cream products is a company called Cannabidiol Life (Wholly Hemp LLC).
They sell the full range of CBD products, almost everything you could ever think of, from water containing CBD, through to CBD pens, basically vaporizers to allow you to inhale vaporized CBD, as well as the more usual CBD oil and cream.
One of the reasons they are high quality is that they manufacture and distribute products as well as doing retail, so the supply chain is their own, and they source their own CBD oil and products.
On top of that, they have a range of products that contain a good percentage of pure, full spectrum CBD.
In terms of a negative putting them in third place, is that their refund policy is not unconditional.
You can certainly return unopened products for a full refund, but they don’t offer a moneyback guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the results after using their products.
This is only a small negative, but it’s something some people factor into their buying decision.
#2 CBDPure
Our second best choice of online retailer for those who want to experiment with high quality CBD products is a company called CBDPure.
The reason we haven’t rated them more highly is that they only sell high quality CBD oil in a dropper jars, they don’t sell creams or other CBD containing products.
However in terms of pricing they are very reasonable. They also offer different strengths of CBD, with the highest being 600mg of pure, full spectrum CBD in a 2oz dropper, perfect for people looking for the best CBD oil for pain relief.
When you add to this high quality pure CBD oil range their fast shipping, multi-year existence and great social media presence and interaction, alongside an unconditional 90 day moneyback guarantee, and you can see exactly why they are strongly recommended.
On top of that, CBDPure also own a second website CBDPet.
This is interesting as it’s been found that as all mammals have an endocannabinoid system, which means that pets like dogs and cats can benefit in the same way as humans.
It’s been found by studies, and forward-thinking pet owners and vets, that CBD can help with conditions like anxiety in dogs for example.
That makes visiting this company and buying their products good for you and your pet.
#1 Endoca – Best CBD Oil For Pain 1500mg CBD (15%)
Our first choice recommendation for anybody looking to buy CBD products, a company that consistently comes out number one in CBD oil reviews is a long established company called Endoca.
They offer guarantees on the exact measurement of CBD in their products, which is conducted by an independent lab on every batch.
They also grow their own hemp to use in their products, and they are fully organically certified.
In terms of product range, it’s huge. From CBD oil in droppers, through to CBD capsules, creams, they carry everything you can dream. On top of that, the proportion of pure, full spectrum CBD oil can be huge in their products. They do a 15% drop includes 1500mg of pure CBD for example.
Their CBD oil also contains omega 3 and 6 short chain fatty acids, and vitamin E, all of which have antioxidant properties added benefits.
As we have already discussed, if you are looking for the best CBD cream for pain, then their 1500mg CBD body butter product is incredible quality, it’s simply the best available.
So whether you are looking for the best CBD oil for anxiety, or you want the CBD for back pain, then you are pretty much guaranteed to get the best hemp oil with CBD content from Endoca.