Are you trying to decide which is better for pain relief, CBD or THC?
Maybe you are curious about what the differences are between these two. It can be easy to assume that these compounds are the same, as the come from the same plant. But while both of them can play an important role in the management of pain, they are very different substances, and both work very differently within the body.
In this article, we will look at how these two cannabis compounds work to relieve pain, both separately and together.
THC and CBD basics
CBD and THC belong to a group called cannabinoids, and they both come from the cannabis plant – either cannabis or hemp. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids, but THC and CBD are the most dominant psychoactive substances within the cannabis plant, which makes them responsible for most of the effects that cannabis is known for.
Both THC and CBD work on the endocannabinoid system, which is a group of receptors within the body which regulate different physiological processes, including mood, pain and sleep. Cannabis is known to be versatile, and helps people across the world with problems such as PTSD, insomnia and pain. This is all due to the endocannabinoid receptors, which are involved in some many processes within the body.
The most notable difference between THC and CBD is that THC gets you high, while CBD does not. This is one of the reasons that CBD has become so popular recently. CBD can actually counteract some of THC’s psychoactive effects, which is why strains of cannabis which are high in CBD are popular for pain relief, as they can mean that pain is reduced while you keep a clear head.
CBD benefits
Research has shown that CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and there is potent evidence for CBD pain relief. There are studies which show that CBD pain relief also extends to neuropathic pain. Around the world, there are now people using CBD to help with conditions like IBS, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis and cancer.
The best CBD oil for pain is generally the one which has the highest percentage of CBD. When looking for the best CBD oil for pain, you should find an oil which has 20mg or more of CBD per dose.
THC benefits
Though there is a plethora of research which supports the use of cannabis for pain relief in conditions such as migraines and fibromyalgia, less has been paid to the benefits of THC specifically. The few studies which are available are small and have conflicting results.
One study found that THC is effective for reducing chronic nerve pain. A large study, which involved 177 cancer patients, found that THC was not effective in reducing pain, though patients that took a CBD/THC combination had pain reduced by 30 percent in comparison with a placebo. A double-blind study supported this conclusion when THC is used for pain following surgery. A study in 2017 found that CBD and THC, when taken apart from each other, were effective in reducing pain in mice from chemotherapy.
The same study reported that when CBD and THC were combined, doses which had separately been ineffective were not capable of relieving pain. This is an important benefit of THC – it is able to enhance the pain reducing properties of CBD due to the entourage effect.
The entourage effective
Though THC and CBD are the most dominant compounds within cannabis plants, they are not the only compounds. There are many other cannabinoids and terpenes which work together to boost each other’s effects. CBC, the first most dominant compound in cannabis, has anti-inflammatory benefits which are similar to CBD.
The entourage effect is the range of benefits which you experience when you take multiple cannabinoids at the same time, including THC and CBD. While these compounds have their own benefits, they tend to have more potent effects when they are combined, particularly when it comes to pain relief.
Some people have been known to have better success in treating pain using full-spectrum CBD due to the entourage effect, so it can be considered the full-spectrum CBD is the best CBD oil for pain.
However, because of the variety of cannabinoids and terpenes, full-spectrum products are often unpredictable when it comes to their effects. Isolate CBD products are sometimes favored by people who do not react well to any amount of THC, or need to avoid its use to testing for cannabis.