CBD Oil and the common cold
19 September 2022Anyone can catch a cold at any moment, that’s a fact. You can wake up in the morning with a stuffy nose, or feel a sudden soreness in your throat that gradually worsens as the days progresses. Most of us catch a cold every now and then. Fortunately, they can’t do much real harm, but they can make you feel pretty lousy nonetheless. Many folk medicine solutions just don’t work, but CBD Oil can help relieve many of the symptoms of common cold. Moreover, CBD Oil can boost our immune system to prevent a cold from catching on.
Sniffling, sore throats, and endless sneezing
Viruses are easy to catch, as the recent pandemic has made all too clear. Yet apart from this now world-famous virus, there are many household viruses around us that can give us symptoms of a cold.
It’s easy to forget about other viruses these days, but there are still plenty of them going around. As the autumn brings colder weather, catching a cold becomes more likely. And even as we return to our formerly normal social interactions, we are increasing our chances of catching one.
A cold usually expresses itself through inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose, sinuses, and throat. These membranes always produce a certain amount of mucus and fluids, but if inflamed, the membranes swell and secrete large amounts of mucus. This is what we call a runny nose, or simply snot.
Can CBD Oil help relieve the symptoms of a cold?
When you have a cold, you may display combinations of other symptoms including a stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, or a sore throat. Earaches are also quite common, and once your nose is blocked, your sense of smell diminishes substantially.
As mentioned, catching a cold is generally harmless. If your cold is accompanied by fever, severe headaches, and general malaise, you have a flu. Whether you have the common cold or the flu, however, symptoms usually pass in five to seven days.
Being sick is never fun, and sadly, there is no real cure for a cold. Most people use painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen and nasal sprays. Natural folk remedies such as honeyed camomile tea or echinacea are popular, too, even though there is no scientific evidence to support their effectiveness.
CBD Oil, by contrast, comes with a number of natural benefits if you catch a cold. This is due to the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and soothing properties of CBD (cannabidiol).
The benefits of CBD Oil for the common cold
As soon as you catch a cold, your immune system springs into action. This critical system is directed by our endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is charged with maintaining our body’s internal balance. Viral infections such as a cold disrupt this equilibrium, and so the ECS reacts to ensure that the overall balance is restored.
Our body produces its own endocannabinoids that relay messages to cells. These compounds are similar to the cannabinoid CBD derived from hemp plants, which is able to interact with our cells in the same fashion.
Studies have shown that this cannabinoid can interact with the CB1 and CB2 receptors of our ECS, which explains how CBD Oil can help boost our immune system and affect our pain perception, alongside other effects that can be very useful when we catch a cold.
The anti-inflammatory effect of CBD
A cold is usually accompanied by a stuffy nose, throat pain, and headaches. Caused by inflammation of the nasal membranes and throat. Research demonstrates that CBD Oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve the inflammation symptoms of the common cold.
CBD can bring relief by reducing swelling and stopping the inflammation. These effects can help counter that stuffy or runny nose and sore throat as well.
Coughing is the body’s natural way of expelling mucus and viral particles, but it can make your throat sore in the process. Here too, CBD can help reduce irritation.
Is CBD Oil better than nasal sprays?
Many people use nasal sprays to unblock their nose when they catch a cold. These can be highly effective, but few people know that they have addictive properties, too. Nasal sprays usually contain a chemical called xylometazoline, which makes the blood vessels of the mucous membranes contract.
This contraction prevents the membranes from swelling, which helps unblock your nose. Unfortunately, however, the body grows used to this effect, and so you will need to use more of these sprays to achieve the same effect. Eventually, you would have to keep spraying throughout the day. Another downside is that quitting nasal sprays may cause your stuffy nose to return with a vengeance.
This is why people find it hard to stop using nasal sprays. In fact, we would advise not using them in the first place. We prefer CBD Oil as a natural alternative, which works together with your body to stop inflammation and other symptoms of the cold.
CBD Oil and pain caused by the common cold
A cold can come with a million kinds of minor pain throughout the entire body. Headaches and sore throats are the most common forms, but more severe cases can also cause painful skin and joint pain.
These pain symptoms are the consequence of immune cells fighting the virus inside the body. These white blood cells produce messenger compounds that warn other white blood cells about the ongoing infection.
Unfortunately though, these messenger chemicals (interleukins) also activate pain receptors located in our muscle tissue. This causes a sense of muscle ache comparable to the effect of intensive exercise.
Luckily, CBD Oil can help relieve such instances of pain caused by a cold as it can make our cells less sensitive to pain stimuli. This makes it effective both against chronic pain and acute pain such as that experienced during a cold or a flu.
CBD Oil to prevent a cold: protection against infections?
It appears as though CBD Oil could even help protect us against infections such as a cold. Apparently, CBD has antiviral properties that slow the growth of intruders like viruses, which supports the body’s attempts to fight off the common cold virus and other pathogens. That would make CBD Oil a preventive option, helping you fight a cold even before you have a chance to catch it!
Moreover, CBD has immunomodulating potential that can help slow down excessive immune responses or boost our immune system if it is not active enough. Taking CBD Oil on a regular basis can help you stay in optimal shape, which would help prevent infection by viruses such as a cold.
Can CBD Oil help you sleep better when you have a cold?
In addition to the effects described above, CBD Oil has another way to help us endure, recover from, and prevent catching a cold. Cannabidiol has natural soothing properties that can help you relax and sleep better. Getting plenty of quality sleep and minimal stress both contribute to boosting our immune responses. Moreover, they help the body recover faster as it unwinds by natural means.
This means that CBD Oil can help protect us from catching a cold as well as making us feel fit faster while we sleep and the body relaxes.
Is CBD Oil an effective cure for the common cold?
The above should make clear that CBD Oil can help our body deal with a cold in several ways. CBD is not an official medicine, however, although it can be a natural source of support that helps you get over the common cold more easily, or even prevent infections in the first place.
Our Full Spectrum CBD Oil contains not just CBD, but the entire range of cannabinoids found in natural hemp plants. This unlocks the full power of the entourage effect, by which cannabinoids and other natural hemp compounds can affect and reinforce each other’s effectiveness. The one substance you will not find in any noticeable quantity is THC, so you can be sure that CBD Oil will not get you high.
Still, the fundamentals of a strong immune system also call for a healthy diet. It is important to make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals by including fruit and vegetables in your diet. Did you know that our CBD Tablets are enriched with vitamin C? That additional support can come in handy whether you have a cold or not.
Order your CBD supplement today!
When you have a cold, you want to make sure you start your day with a full, hearty breakfast. So why not treat yourself to a bowl of CBD Oatmeal and a cup of fresh CBD Coffee to go with it? And speaking of treats, our CBD Hot Chocolate Spoons are the perfect way to cheer up your day and fight the cold with CBD and hot coco.
If you do get a cold this season, at least you know that CBD Oil supplements can help you recover naturally in no time!