Everyone is raving over how hemp cream products have helped them with this joint pain. It seems like everyone including your grandma and grandpa are using hemp products. Truth is that people are quite familiar with CBD oil these days and it’s widely available to most joint pain sufferers and you don’t need a prescription.
Paying for gas at the counter may bring you face to face with a display of hemp cream or CBD oil on the counter but before you reach for the gas station CBD Oil, there are a few questions that you may have though:
- Why use a hemp cream instead of oral oil?
- What does hemp cream do to the body?
- Why do hemp pain relief creams work?
These are all valid questions and it’s sometimes hard to discern fact from fiction. Let’s try to take an objective look at all of these.
Why Does Hemp Pain Relief Cream Work?
Not all hemp creams are created equal. There are hemp creams that are made from whole-plant formulations and there are hemp creams made with only the hemp seed oil. To be clear, they are both helpful, but in very different ways. The type of hemp cream that works best for joint pain like rheumatoid arthritis should be made from a whole-plant extract, also known as full-spectrum and it should be labeled as such.
This means that cannabinoids such as CBD and CBVA are present in the cream. The exact cannabinoids and their percentages will vary depending on the precise strain of hemp being grown and cultivated for that particular product. Any reputable dispensary will provide the laboratory results showing those percentages.
Cannabinoids have the ability to boost the performance of the complex cell-signaling body system known as the ECS (Endocannabinoid System). The ECS is, perhaps, the most important system in your body yet it wasn’t discovered until the 1990s. In fact, more and more research is being learned about the ECS all of the time.
Hemp Cream has cannabinods from the cannibis family of plants. Phyto means plant, therefore we are talking, specifically, about cannabinoids that are present in plant forms, and the plants with the most cannabinoids just happens to be Hemp.
Here’s what we do know about ECS right now:
- When we are afflicted by a degenerative disease like arthritis then it can cause stress and pain within the body. The ECS quickly boosts its activity to react to the body’s demand to reduce inflammation in the afflicted areas. It is believed ECS improves many chronic conditions including joint pain but our body’s ECS sometimes needs a little boost..
- Sometimes the presence of chronic conditions in the body can be due to a poorly functioning ECS. For example, Fibromyalgia is suspected of being a result of an ECS that is simply not functioning as it should. Also migraines, IBS, nephropathy, may also be attributed to a poorly functioning ECS. When this poor ECS performance is detected, it is referred to as Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome.
- Hemp Cream has cannabinods from the cannibis family of plants. Phyto means plant, therefore we are talking, specifically, about cannabinoids that are present in plant forms, and the plants with the most cannabinoids just happens to be Hemp.
- When introducing phytocannabinoids to the body it stimulates the ECS to work harder and more efficiently.
- All living creatures have an ECS. At first, it was thought that only mammals had an ECS but we now know that fish, birds, and reptiles all have an ECS. In fact, it has been discovered that the little sea squirt even has an ECS. The significance of this is that they are considered a very primitive creature, over 600 million years old, in various evolutionary forms. The one exception may be insects, which are not believed to have an ECS.
- Another interesting fact is that we have more ECS receptors in the body than any other system receptors. When we apply a hemp extract for pain then it stimulates those receptors and helps reduce inflammation thereby reducing pain.
- Exercise and diet can help to boost the ECS to. Consuming a diet that is high in omega fatty acids, such as those found in flaxseed oil and in fish, can help boost brain activity and boosts brain signaling to the ECS. Thus promoting a more efficient function of the ECS.
- The ECS is made of three parts. These are:
- Receptors
- Enzymes
- Endocannabinoids (cannabinoids created within the body)
Endocannabinoids are created within the body. Endo means ‘within or from within’ and this is where they come from. When plant based cannabinoids also known as phytocannabinoids are introduced to the body, they can impact the ECS and increase its ability to function.
This means that if you are using a plant based cannabinoid like an arthritis ointment made from hemp cream and you can apply it directly to the skin, where it will be absorbed into the skin it will activate your ECS. It will find nearby receptors located on the outside of cells in the applied region and then bind to them. This creates a pain relieving impact at a specific locations, and can be used for arthritis pain, skin irritations, allergic reactions, eczema, and psoriasis.
Using a hemp cream that only contains hemp seed oil will not yield the same results. Why? Because the seed of hemp doesn’t contain the full entourage of cannabinoids such as CBD. It’s still good for you as it’s high in omega oils and because the seeds contain a very high percentage of both protein with omega fatty acids. They can be extremely beneficial to add to your diet, but they contain nothing useful for pain.
If you are using a hemp cream for your skin and hair, it will provide hydration and nutrients to the skin, but other than serving as nutrition for the skin it cannot provide the same benefits as a whole-plant formula that is cannabinoid-rich.
How You Can Tell The Difference
Hemp Cream for pain that is full of beneficial cannabinoids for your body will be labeled as either ‘whole-plant’ or ‘full-spectrum’ which means the entire plant was used to extract the oil your cream was made from. You may also see a new term that is PCR oil on the label, this is PhytoCannabinoid Rich oil. A term that is slowly replacing the term CBD oil.
There are approximately 112 cannabinoids found in hemp. It’s been widely documented that when these are in the company of each other, they work together as a wellness team. This is so widely documented, in fact, that it has been dubbed the entourage effect.
Some of the other cannabinoids include:
- Annabinodiol (CBND)
- Cannabidivarin (CBVD)
- Cannabinol (CBN)
- Cannabinol methyl ether (CBNM)
- Cannabinol-C2 (CBN-C2)
- Cannabinol-C4 (CBN-C4)
- Cannabinolic acid (CBNA)
- Cannabiorcool (CBN-C1)
- Cannabivarin (CBV)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-C4 (THC-C4)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid B (THCA-B)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-C4 (THCA-C4)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-C1)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-C1)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)
- Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin acid (THCVA)
All these molecules work together and are being widely studied for their individual usage as well. The implications are far-reaching and mind-boggling because scientists are learning that by manipulating the amount of each cannabinoid, some products may be more beneficial for the specific needs of individuals, like joint pain for example.
CBD has received a great deal of research, as had THC it’s mind-altering cousin, because these two have the most highly concentrated cannabinoids in the cannabis family of plants which consist of Marijuana, and Hemp. CBD plays a more important role in hemp products because there is virtually no THC is hemp extracts.
It is this very lack of THC in hemp products that have allowed their use nationwide. Hemp was finally recognized as a plant that has medicinal benefits 2014 with the first Farm Bill signing. Then the Farm Bill of December of 2018 legalized the use of hemp and hemp extracts products legally across the United States. This has lent to more and more products being marketed.
With that said, there has been a lot of confusion and misinformation propagated by companies who have sought to sell their products with less focus on the education of the public. The market is being flooded with products that are not as regulated as they likely should be. It’s largely up to the consumer to educate themselves and learn the difference between hemp seed products, full-spectrum products, isolate products, and learn what is considered a fair and reasonable price.
If your expectation is to get relief from joint pain, or get fewer tremors, muscle spasms, or relief from arthritis stiffness, allergy relief, and healthier skin, then you may be pleasantly surprised when using Full-Spectrum Hemp Cream.
But Does Hemp Cream Really Work for Pain ?
Many people just want to know if it works. It depends on what your expectations are, to be frank. If you are expecting a cure for Multiple Sclerosis, then the answer is no. To be clear, regardless of any claims made by people or companies hemp is not a cure for anything.
If your expectation is to get relief from joint pain, or get fewer tremors, muscle spasms, or relief from arthritis stiffness, allergy relief, and healthier skin, then you may be pleasantly surprised when using Hemp Cream.
Hemp cream products are considered natural alternatives to other forms of therapy. They are also considered to be extremely safe. Hemp is not addictive, nor is it a gateway drug. It isn’t classified as a drug at all. You can use it as necessary and cease use whenever you choose with no impacts to your health. There are no withdrawal symptoms when you cease the use of hemp.
Far more research is needed and it is happening now. As you read this there is a scientist in a lab somewhere in the world conducting research on the cannabinoids in hemp and their impact on diseases and chronic conditions.
It has already yielded one FDA-approved drug called Epidiolex, for those who are afflicted with epilepsy. Hemp Oil as an epilepsy therapy has been applauded for the past 20 years and is now accepted by the scientific community as the ultimate medication when all other treatments have failed.
So in short, yes, it works and it works very well. In study after study, there are mountains of personal reviews from people who have used hemp in all forms, including Full Spectrum Hemp Cream. Those who use hemp cream as a salve for pain are finding relief from neuropathy, eczema, psoriasis, osteoarthritis, dry skin, skin allergies, age spots, and of course joint pain.
Creams absorb more slowly and it may take as long as two hours before the full benefit of the Hemp Creams is felt but in many instances relief nearly immediate. For some cases of severe pain, it may be beneficial to take an oral PCR oil in conjunction with a Hemp Cream. Sometimes the ECS just needs an extra kick start.
A possible side effect of taking the oil diarrhea. If this happens, simply reduce your dose and the diarrhea should subside within 24-hours. Resume the doses at a lower level and gradually build them back to the point that you feel the most relief. Hemp products allow the user to find tweak the dose until it helps them the most. This is beneficial because your ECS may not be functioning as well as the next person. and every person is different and will have their own perfect dosage amount.
It’s a good idea to keep track of how often you apply the cream, and how much you use. This will enable you to understand how much you need and what amount is perfect for you, personally.
Other Ingredients In Hemp Cream
You may see a wide variety of proprietary blends of creams. These are generally to help hold the mixture together and prevent it from breaking down. If you are seeking a natural cream, look for the label that says it is organics. Some of the better creams will include things like sunflower oil, calendula, lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and organically sourced hemp. Another important point worth mentioning again is that any reputable dispensary will provide easily accessible Laboratory tests to show the breakdown of molecules, if they don’t then stay away from them.
There may be other ingredients as well, and you should do your research to ensure that you are using natural products as much as possible. It’s a good idea to read all the reviews, talk directly to the dispensary, and any friends who have already been using CBD as part of their home therapy.
Most people turning to hemp products do so because they hope for a therapeutic effect that does not subject them to opioids, chemicals, or any nasty side effects. People turn to hemp products like Hemp Cream for only one reason, because they’ve been proven to help.