Over the last few years there has been a lot of buzz about cannabidiol, also known as CBD. CBD can be derived from hemp or cannabis, which are both members of the same plant species, Cannabis sativa. While both hemp-derived CBD oil and cannabis-derived CBD oil offer certain health benefits, not everyone will respond the same to each of these. Although cannabis-derived CBD oil seems to be a much richer source of phytochemicals and cannabinoids, including a compound called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), this doesn’t mean that hemp-derived CBD oil can’t benefit people with different types of health conditions…including thyroid and autoimmune disorders.
As for how CBD oil can help with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions, cannabinoids are potent anti-inflammatory agents that can decrease proinflammatory cytokines [1], while increasing T-regulatory cells [2] (Tregs) (1) [3]. As I have discussed in past articles and blog posts, proinflammatory cytokines promote inflammation, while Tregs suppress autoimmunity. One of the main proinflammatory cytokines associated with autoimmunity is interleukin-17 (IL-17), which is produced by Th17 cells. And there is evidence that CBD oil can reduce levels of IL-17 (2) [4] (3) [5].
Of course just as is the case with other natural anti-inflammatory agents, CBD oil doesn’t do anything to address the underlying cause of the condition. So while CBD oil might be able to help to reduce symptoms by decreasing inflammation, you still want to find and detect the triggers and correct underlying imbalances. In other words, if you have Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s, taking CBD oil alone probably isn’t the solution, as you need to remove your autoimmune triggers, correct other underlying imbalances, heal the gut, etc. That being said, it’s important to add that at times removing the triggers won’t break the inflammatory cycle, and CBD oil might be helpful in this case as well.
Have You Tried CBD Oil?
The purpose of this blog post isn’t to get into detail about the benefits of CBD oil, but instead is to learn about the experiences those with thyroid and autoimmune thyroid conditions have had when taking this. If you have taken CBD oil to improve your thyroid health (or for any other purpose) please share your experience in the comments section below. Did you take hemp-derived or cannabis-derived CBD oil? If you took it for your Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease condition I’d be especially interested to see if it benefited you, how long it took before you noticed positive changes, and anything else you’d be willing to share to help others who might be interested in using CBD oil.