There has been ongoing speculation on the effect of CBD on hypertensive patients and affect the cardiovascular system as a whole, however, there is no medical evidence to back up the claim. Most studies on CBD focused more on the difference between CBD and THC.
THC is the intoxicating component found in CBD that causes the high effect popularly associated with the cannabis plant. This is the compound that causes the euphoric effect on Marijuana smokers. Average marijuana contains 12% of THC. CBD does not contain this compound. The approved level of THC a CBD product can contain is 0.3%.
What is hypertension?
In simple terms, hypertension is a cardiovascular disorder often caused by stress and overthinking. However, other factors like low socioeconomic depression, social isolation, stressful family, anxiety and work-life can cause the risk of cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure. CBD exerts different effects on the cardiovascular system depending on the frequency of use and the route of administration.
When high blood pressure is not properly treated, it could result in other heart diseases like stroke, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke. Ischemic stroke occurs when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot while hemorrhagic stroke is caused by the burst of a blood vessel in the brain.
CBD on hypertension
A study was carried out on the effect of CBD on hypertension and the result was quite encouraging. In the study, nine healthy male volunteers were given 600 mg of CBD, the cardiovascular system of the volunteers were monitored with a laser Doppler and a finometer, the result shows a decrease of about 6 mm HG in the participants.
The study shows that a single dose of CBD can reduce resting blood pressure and the way the blood pressure response to stress and overthinking. This action shows the anxiolytic and analgesic effects of CBD and its action on the cardiovascular system.
Added to the study explicated above, in 2009, some rats were subdued to undue stress that leads to their development of high blood pressure. The rats were given a dose of CBD on a regular basis. After a while, their blood pressure and heart rate reduce significantly.
Similarly, in 2010 a review on the effect of CBD on heart disease shows that it can help protect stroke patients from brain damage and even hasten their recovery by boosting their brain function. Another review in 2017 shows that CBD can help increased cerebral blood flow in a stroke patient. However, all this research is carried out on animals.
Therefore, it can be inferred that while there is a need for more research to confirm the effectiveness of CBD on hypertension, there is no denying the fact that it can positively affect high blood pressure.
A patient interested in using the product for high blood pressure should ensure he or she consult a doctor before using the drug. This would help examine the nature or duration of the disease and the right dosage and frequency of use.