1. How is CBD oil taken?
CBD oil is available today in pills, sprays, tinctures to drop under your tongue, and an exploding range of products to inhale, apply topically or consume – even chocolate bars. How much you take depends on its form and the strength of the individual product.
2. How it affects you
CBD won’t make you high – THC, a different chemical in cannabis, does that. But some CBD products may include THC, so check labels – CBD oil is not addictive, but products with THC may be. To date there is little evidence of CBD oil having serious side-effects, but when used to treat epilepsy (the only use approved by the US Food and Drug Administration), some patients have reported fatigue, diarrhoea and changes in appetite. It may also affect how other medications work, so if you want to try it, check first with your health provider.
3. Is CBD oil legal?
In South Africa, CBD products with less than 20mg of maximum daily dose, and less than 0.001% of THC, are legal as complementary medicines provided they have no more than 600mg CBD per sales pack.
"They don’t fall under the Medicines Act and can’t claim to treat any medical condition, only general health enhancement, health maintenance or relief of minor symptoms," notes Gauteng attorney Brett Pollack, a cannabis legal specialist who consults to Legalese.
4. Does it help with seizures?
In 2018, the US FDA approved CBD oil in the form of Epidiolex to treat two rare forms of epilepsy and seizures resulting from tuberous sclerosis (a rare genetic disease). Several studies published in JAMA Neurology found that when taken with other prescribed medications, it lessened the frequency of seizures compared to patients give a placebo.
"It’s not available here, but the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has just approved Aurora, another CBD oil product, which is produced in Canada, to be made available for difficult forms of epilepsy," says Rowena Stewart, board member of Epilepsy South Africa.
5. Can it relieve anxiety and depression?
CBD oil’s reputation for having a calming effect is probably what attracts most people to it. CBD oil is thought to enhance the brain’s own anxiety-reducing chemicals and target serotonin receptors, which effect mood. It’s also known to have anti-inflammatory effects, which may contribute to its anxiety-lowering effects.
According to a 2015 study in Neurothereutics, "Preclinical evidence conclusively demonstrates CBD’s efficacy in reducing anxiety behaviours relevant to multiple disorders, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), GAD (generalised anxiety disorder), PD (panic disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and SAD, with a notable lack of anxiogenic (anxiety-producing) effects". Other preclinical studies have suggested CBD may be beneficial against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but more studies are needed.
6. Can CBD oil reduce pain?
Already in 2005, Canada approved use of Sativex, a combination of CBD and THC, for central neuropathic pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis.
"Sativex is not available in South Africa, but we’re advocating for it to become legal," says Non Smit, director of Multiple Sclerosis South Africa. "We’d love to have it."
7. Is CBD oil safe?
CBD oil is not classified as a medicine so it’s not subjected to the same rigorous tests, raising the risk of fake or poor quality products being marketed, and ingredient quantities listed may not be accurate. This makes it important to source it only from an established, reputable source.