Thankfully, CBD may hold one key to preventing or reversing the early stages of liver disease. To understand how you first understand the relationship between the body’s endocannabinoid system and liver function. You have two sets of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. An imbalance in activity between these two receptors can encourage liver scarring.
CBD promotes homeostasis, or balance, among the body’s various processes. As it binds to CB1 and CB2 receptors, it tames CB1 activity while boosting CB2 activity, potentially protecting the liver against permanent damage.
Medical studies have demonstrated CBD’s promise as a liver protectant. A 2017 study on rats showed that CBD can reduce alcohol-related fatty liver and liver damage. It also appears to kill certain types of cells known to trigger scar tissue formation in the liver.
CBD may also help you if you suffer from liver cancer. Early research suggests that it has anti-cancer properties that may cause metastasis (the spread of cancer to other areas of the body) and reduce blood flow to tumor sites. This cannabinoid may even help your liver fight back against hepatitis.
Don’t let certain alarmists frighten you with stories of liver toxicity in lab rats that received CBD. The rats in question received colossal doses of CBD that no reasonable human would ingest. However, since CBD can raise liver enzymes in a small percentage of users, you should probably chat with your doctor about CBD before introducing it into your liver health regimen.
Like the liver, the kidneys also play essential roles in filtering out toxins, in this case for removal through urination. Tiny structures called nephrons, about one million per kidney, do this vital filtration work. Unfortunately, various problems can destroy nephrons, impairing kidney function to what can become a life-threatening degree. Diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, heart disease, smoking, obesity, and certain drugs harmful to the kidneys can lead to this unfortunate result.
If your kidneys already have enough challenges to deal with, you may wonder whether you should introduce them to CBD. According to researchers, this cannabinoid doesn’t seem to pose any danger to kidney function — so at the very least, it won’t make your condition worse. In fact, the opposite appears to be true. CB1 and CB2 activity affect kidney health just as they do liver health, with too much CB1 and too little CB2 causing fibrosis. CBD’s ability to rebalance this activity could help slow the progress of this kind of kidney damage.
CBD may hold another important, if less direct, a protective benefit for the kidneys. Doctors commonly prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the pain and inflammation associated with kidney disease. However, these NSAIDs can actually damage the kidneys further, even as they reduce symptoms. You may find CBD an adequate substitute for NSAIDs as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, allowing you to spare your kidneys from additional stress and risk.
If you and your doctor agree that CBD makes sense for your kidney problem, bear in mind that not all CBD products are created equal. Some manufacturers may not conform to rigid quality control standards, resulting in CBD products containing unacceptable lead levels, pesticides, or other toxic substances from the soil and water that nourished the hemp crop. Always choose a manufacturer that includes published lab results showing the amounts of any trace materials in its CBD products.
Now that you know why you might consider CBD for your liver or kidney health, you’re ready to shop for reliable, high-quality products. Natures Therapy offers a full line of products featuring CBD and other helpful cannabinoids. Please browse our selection today to find your ideal solution and place that first order.
