CBD Oil, constipation and healthy guts
22 February 2022Most of us have experienced constipation, or constipation, at some point in our lives. It may be caused by diet, or for women, by menstrual cycles, but whatever the cause, constipation is decidedly unpleasant. This frequent condition can be treated with medication, but CBD Oil may help improve bowel health while countering constipation by natural means.
Do you know the importance of bowel health?
Most people don’t like discussing bowel health and digestion. These discussions are about stool, or poo, and we generally prefer to keep that private. However, what happens in our digestive tract is an important foundation of our overall health. Hippocrates, a famous doctor in ancient Greece, recognised this when he said that all disease is rooted in the gut.
Until quite recently, most doctors assumed that our bowels are only intended to digest food to allow for nutrient uptake. We now know, however, that that this is an incomplete picture; digestion does much more than just that. Our stomach and bowels accommodate what is known as the microbiome. It consists of billions of miniscule organisms including bacteria, parasites, protozoa, and fungi. These organisms live in symbiosis with us, and they are responsible for important parts of our general health.
Our microbiome not only helps us digest the food we eat; it also supports our immune system, produces certain vitamins, and helps neutralise certain harmful substances in our diet. There are even connections between the microbiome and our mental health. These discoveries make our bowel health a vital component of our overall health and wellbeing.
Bowel health, constipation, and the potential of CBD Oil
Most people know what constipation means. It is the familiar sensation of a stomach in lockdown, which prevents bowel movement and defecation. If you do not pass stool at least three times a week, or if going to the toilet regularly requires serious exertion, you are experiencing chronic constipation.
Generally speaking, physical causes for constipation are difficult to pinpoint. Lifestyle and dietary factors are often underlying reasons. Possible causes include:
- Lack of physical exercise;
- Lack of dietary fibre;
- Insufficient hydration;
- Waiting too long before going to the toilet;
- Medication causing constipation;
- Psychological factors including stress and anxiety;
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Constipation can lead to stomach aches and a range of other problems. Long-term constipation can cause haemorrhoids and cleft skin. It can also cause overflow diarrhoea, which involves liquid discharge leaking out past solid faecal matter. The usual advice for constipation is drinking plenty of fluids and eating lots of fibre. While this may help relieve the symptoms, it usually does not suffice to end constipation. Fortunately, however, CBD Oil may help counter constipation to improve bowel health.
How do CBD Oil, constipation, and bowel health relate?
Research indicates that CBD can have a positive influence on digestion. CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of many cannabinoids found in hemp plants. Hemp, which is a special kind of cannabis, has been used to treat bowel conditions for centuries across the world. The effective potential of cannabinoids is in their ability to work with our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). This is precisely what can make CBD Oil improve your bowel health and counter constipation. All the same, CBD Oil and other hemp supplements cannot make you ‘high’, because they cannot contain noticeable quantities of THC.
The endocannabinoid system ensures that various physiological processes run smoothly in concert. The system signals some processes to speed up and others to slow down in an ongoing effort to keep the body balanced. The compounds used to transmit these signals to our cells are called endocannabinoids. CBD, even though it comes from plants, is also recognised by our body, which enables it to perform the same task.
Studies published in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Journal show that the ECS is very important for digestive performance. It affects bowel movement, the sense of hunger or saturation, inflammation, and interactions with the microbiome. It should come as no surprise, then, that CBD Oil could help improve bowel health and movement by countering constipation.
Can CBD Oil relieve constipation?
CBD can cause deep relaxation. Constipation can put enough tension and pressure on the bowels to cause pain. Using CBD Oil can help calm down the entire digestive tract. Research has shown that CBD can have a soothing effect on the nervous system, which in turn can help our muscles relax. This can have a positive effect on the passing of bowel content.
CBD and stress
CBD Oil can also help control constipation by its effects on stress as an underlying cause of poor bowel health. Long-term stress and anxiety impact digestion, which can be a factor in bowel blockage. Stress tends to put us in fight-or-flight mode, causing the whole body to tense up, which includes the muscles of the gastrointestinal system.
CBD has soothing qualities for the mind and body. It can help you get out of that instinctive fight/flight mode and let some of that muscle tension go. If stress is one of your causes of constipation, CBD Oil may be helpful in improving your bowel health.
CBD and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a condition that affects the large intestine. People suffering from IBS have diarrhoea, bloated intestines, and blockage symptoms. Causes of IBS include muscle contractions, problems with gastric nerves, and infection or inflammation of the colon. Triggers for IBS symptoms include stress, hormonal fluctuations, or specific kinds of food.
A paper published by the Journal of Phytotherapy Research demonstrated, however, that CBD can be highly effective in treating IBS. The authors indicated that the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD can have immunoregulatory effects. This can positively affect inflammation occurring in IBS and relieve associated pain symptoms.
Your lifestyle, CBD Oil, and improved bowel health
Are you experiencing constipation yourself? Don’t let it dictate your life, but take action to relieve it! Take your symptoms seriously and try to find out which aspects of your current lifestyle you could change. A healthy, varied, and balanced diet is always a good idea, as is getting enough exercise. These healthy lifestyle choices can go hand in hand with the right CBD supplement. The soothing, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties of CBD may prove highly useful here. You could opt for CBD Oil or CBD Tablets to improve your bowel health and stop constipation. They are easy to bring along to work, or on a day out. Another smart way to use cannabidiol for bowel health is CBD Oatmeal. Oats are a good source of fibre (important for bowel condition) and they make for a great, healthy, and delicious start of your day!
