Ten years ago, Richard Holt fell out of his hotel window in a freak accident. He crashed feet first into a concrete sidewalk — 24 feet below.
Richard was lucky to be alive. But the accident left him with broken bones in both legs. His left heel was crushed. And in his right leg, his tibia and fibula detached from their couplings and shattered.
Numerous operations followed. After his surgeries, Richard was confined to a wheelchair. This was followed by months on crutches. Finally, he was able to take his first faltering steps alone…
Richard was given the opioid painkiller OxyContin to help him cope with his agony. But he didn’t like how it made him feel and he didn’t want to become an addiction statistic, so he stopped taking it.
Richard’s road to recovery was long. For the next decade, every step was filled with excruciating pain. At some point, Richard rated his pain as a 10. That’s the absolute top of the scale that doctors use to measure pain.
Finally, after years of trying to simply manage his pain, Richard turned to a “miracle” oil that dates back more than 10,000 years.
He describes the effect this oil had on his pain as “profound.” It made such an amazing difference that Richard was even able to resume the martial arts he was forced to give up years before.
The ancient oil Richard turned to is called cannabidiol, or CBD oil.
As you may guess from the name, cannabidiol comes from the marijuana plant, which contains more than 100 chemical compounds. But only one of these compounds, THC, can alter the state of mind of the person using it.
CBD, on the other hand, is not psychoactive and it cannot get you “high.”
But what it can do is interact with and influence the receptors in your brain that affect pain — including the opioid receptor. This is the same receptor that Big Pharma’s dangerous and addictive drugs target.
Numerous first-person accounts — like Richard’s — provide anecdotal proof that CBD works.
And the science is finally starting to follow…
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine found that CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammation and pain in animals without causing either tolerance or addiction.1
In a separate study, researchers applied CBD oil to severely arthritic rats for four days. Their research reported a significant drop in inflammation and pain, without side effects.2
After taking just a couple of drops of CBD oil, Richard says his pain goes from excruciating to a “dull niggle.”
But CBD goes even further than eliminating pain… Research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and other peer-reviewed journals found that CBD oil can successfully treat:3
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Anxiety and depression
- Inflammation
- Alzheimer’s
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Epilepsy and seizures
- Neuropathy
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Glaucoma
What You Need to Look for in CBD Oil
If you are considering taking this miracle oil for your pain, there are a few things you should know. CBD oil can come from two sources — marijuana or hemp. Both plants are part of the cannabis sativa species. But while marijuana contains 10% of the psychoactive compound that can get you high, hemp only has 0.3%.
And as of now, hemp-derived CBD oil is legal in all 50 states.4 But marijuana-based CBD oil is only legal in states that have passed a law legalizing the medical use of marijuana. So depending on the CBD product, it may or may not be legal where you live.
If you do choose to try CBD oil, here’s what to look for:
- Read the ingredient list. Select products with high-quality ingredients. Avoid corn syrup, GMOs, trans fats or artificial additives.
- Look for a product that’s been lab tested. Find an oil that has been tested for consistency, and verified as free of mold, bacteria, pesticides, solvent residues and other contaminants.
- If you live in a state with legal marijuana use, choose a CBD oil that’s derived from high-resin whole plant cannabis. If you do not live in such a state, CBD can also be extracted from industrial hemp plants. CBD from hemp is readily available online.
If you choose not to use CBD oil, here are two all-natural pain relievers:
Holy Basil. This herb contains dozens of nutrients that reduce inflammation. One of the most powerful is called ursolic acid. It inhibits the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme. But it has none of the nasty side effects of pain drugs. And clinical studies prove holy basil relieves pain and reduces inflammation.5
You can simply chew a few fresh basil leaves if you want, and you’ll get some of the pain-relieving effects. But a more potent way would be an extract. Take 400 mg – 600 mg a day in divided doses. Make sure the supplement has at least 5 mg – 10 mg of ursolic acid in each capsule.
White Willow Bark. This plant contains salicin, the same compound found in aspirin. It comes from a tree native to Europe and Asia. Hippocrates had his patients chew on white willow bark to reduce inflammation.
Studies show it not only relieves arthritis pain but also increases mobility in the back, knees, hips and other joints.6 And a study in the American Journal of Medicine found it effective for lower back pain.7
White willow bark won’t upset your stomach like aspirin might. You can find white willow bark extract in health food stores or online. Also look for white willow bark extract in capsule form. A dose of 240 mg per day is recommended.
- Xiong W., et al. “Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors.” J Exp Med. 2012 Jun 4.
- Hammell DC., et al. “Transdermal cannabidiol reduces inflammation and pain-related behaviours in a rat model of arthritis.” Eur J Pain. 2016 July.
- Fernández-Ruiz J., et al. “Cannabidiol for neurodegenerative disorders: important new clinical applications for this phytocannabinoid?” Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013 Feb.
- Ringbom T., et al. “Ursolic acid from Plantago major, a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 catalyzed prostaglandin biosynthesis.” J Nat Prod. 1998 Oct.
- Cohen MM. “Tulsi – Ocimum sanctum: A herb for all reasons.” J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014 Oct-Dec.
- Tunon H., et al. “Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of some Swedish medicinal plants. Inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis and PAF-induced exocytosis.” J Ethnopharmacol. 1995 Oct.
- Chrubasik S., et al. “Treatment of low back pain exacerbations with willow bark extract: A randomized double-blind study.” Am J Med. 2000 Jul.
