Does CBD oil increase appetite?

A healthy appetite is crucial for a healthy body, but will taking CBD increase your appetite when your body doesn’t actually need additional food? There are lots of reasons why appetites vary, but CBD is not one of them. Research shows that CBD has little or no effect.

Everyone knows that if you consume THC, your appetite will be increased, making you devour that bag of chips. This is known as “the munchies”. However, THC is one cannabinoid out of many. There are over 100 different cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. The beauty of cannabinoids is that many are processed quickly by the body and in the case of CBD, they have incredibly low toxicity and limited potential side effects.

Does CBD have any effect on our metabolism? Turns out it does, but in a way that might surprise you.

Loss of appetite: What is it? Why does it happen?

Many people nowadays suffer from eating disorders – illnesses characterized by irregular eating habits and even severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. They may include inadequate or excessive food intake that, in the long run, will damage an individual’s well-being. The well-known ones include anorexia and bulimia, and they can develop at any stage in life, but typically show up in adolescence.

What is CBD oil?

Cannabidiol is a popular natural remedy that is used for many common ailments. CBD is one of the 104 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant. Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive. This makes CBD appealing for those that seek relief from pain or other symptoms without the mind-altering effects of THC or other pharmaceutical drugs.

CBD oil is produced by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant – after which it is diluted with a carrier oil, like coconut or hemp seed oil. It is becoming more and more popular in the health and wellness world, with many studies confirming that it could help with various ailments like chronic pain, anxiety, and eating disorders.

Does CBD oil help with eating disorders?

In most cases, eating disorders that manifest with a loss of appetite are caused by a desire to keep a slim physique. People suffering from eating disorders depict tendencies that are similar to those of addicted people. For example, there are triggers that simulate or cause people to start being obsessed with weight, exercise or weight loss. Those triggers can either be places, people or even activities – like friends or family members that are obsessed with the thoughts of exercise and diet.

However, since these severe conditions affect the brain, they are then able to be treated through effective therapeutic aid focused on the brain. Studies have shown that normal functioning of the endocannabinoid system is impaired when patients suffer from eating disorders. Using CBD can fix this.

Using CBD to relieve eating disorders is relatable to what scientific studies have established about the endocannabinoid system of the human body. Research shows that the system is responsible for regulating how people relate to food. Some researchers have also established that people suffering from eating disorders have an underactive or weak endocannabinoid system.

Technically, eating disorders are linked to an endocannabinoid deficiency. Administrating CBD can provide a healthy dose to combat this deficiency. So eating products that contain CBD or adding it to your meals provides a healthy dose in people that have this deficiency – thus improving the symptoms of eating disorders.

CBD oil is gaining more popularity today. Some people suffering from eating disorders take antidepressants or even anti-anxiety drugs to relieve the symptoms. These relieve the symptoms for a while, however they don’t address lifestyle issues as well as other problems that cause eating disorders. But when CBD oil is added to other eating disorder aids, it can help in balancing their psychoactive effects. Additionally, unlike THC, CBD doesn’t make the user high.

How does CBD stimulate appetite?

According to the National Cancer Institute, CBD oil can stimulate the appetite. In the human body, CBDs bond with cannabinoids receptors in the body. Some scientists think that these receptors play a role in regulating feeding behavior. CBDs can stimulate the appetite when they dock onto these receptors.

When CBD is consumed, it works with the endocannabinoid system to promote further production of the natural cannabinoids, and this is the reason why CBD has the power to affect the body in a positive way. We know that THC is the one causing the “munchies” – by binding directly with CB1 receptors. While CBD doesn’t attach to the receptor in the same way, it actually works with the endocannabinoid system to have effects that go a long way in easing a suppressed appetite.

It’s worth knowing that CBD oils have been directly linked to providing relief to those that suffer from both stress and anxiety. So, again, we see a roundabout way in which CBD may have the ability to spark a diminished appetite. Moreover, cannabinoids have been recognized by The National Cancer Trust as an appetite stimulant in patients struggling with treatments like radiation or chemotherapy.

Additionally, there have been many scientific studies made into the ways in which CBD works to treat various conditions – many of these conditions leading in some way to a lack of appetite in the patient – or at least require some medications that suppress appetite. It’s for these reasons that CBD can be a useful alternative for improving symptoms of low appetite, with its range of medicinal benefits.

CBD oil dosage for increasing appetite

There are lots of strategies to fine-tune your CBD Oil dosage. Even with the current wave of states legalizing medical marijuana, many doctors hesitate to prescribe cannabinoids like CBD, mostly for two reasons:

  • There is no recommended daily allowance or a universal dose for all people
  • Most medical schools don’t go over the use of CBD in their pharmacology courses

Since there is no recommended dose, the information we present you is meant to be only informational, and should never be considered medical advice. However, here are some tips and tricks that can help you dose your CBD.

Everyone is different – with countless variables such as weight, genetics, product consistency, metabolism, etc – making a universally prescribed dosage impossible.

It is generally recommended, if you are new to CBD, to start your journey with the minimal suggested CBD dosage on any product, then gradually increasing the dose until they achieve the desired results. You can increase the amount of CBD you take every 3 or 4 weeks by about 25mg until you obtain your symptom relief.

There is a chart from the Mayo Clinic that suggests CBD dosages based on scientific research, publications, traditional use, and some expert opinion. CBD dosages and duration of a treatment usually depend on the illness that you suffer from. In this chart, the specific dosage recommendation for loss of appetite is 2.5md of THC (orally), with 1mg of CBD oil for six weeks.

Best CBD oils for increasing appetite

Figuring out how much CBD oil to take is a journey in itself. However, the sheer volume of CBD brands on the market can create a lot of confusion. Not only do vendors use different source materials, but they also have different extraction techniques. Additionally, there are some vendors that recommend excessive doses, while others suggest amounts that are a fraction of what experts would consider effective.

Slight natural variations are to be expected in a product made from living plants – like CBD oil. Any change in the weather, soil, and water can impact the biology of the source material. Even if we check Certificates of Analysis, even the most reputable five-star companies have no way of controlling every variable in this organic process.

Final Verdict

Cannabinoids, like CBD, have a large array of functions in the human body – it influences anything from inflammation to anxiety and eating disorders. This is one of the medications that works in various ways, delivering various effects. It is also quite subjective – for some, it works wonders, for others it doesn’t.

By using CBD, even though there is not a definitive cure for eating disorders themselves – since they are psychiatric disorders that cannot be medicated entirely, you can ease the condition by treating all the various conditions surrounding it – making it a lot easier for the patient to recover.

Even if CBD oil doesn’t cure eating disorders entirely, it can help you make that first step towards recovering. CBD can help treat the issues that lead to eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. Additionally, this can help treat depression and anxiety – two of the most associated psychological conditions.

Now it’s your turn

If you suffer from eating disorders of any form, know someone who does, or you just want to share your opinion with us, we invite you to leave a comment below. The aim of this website is to build a solid base of information in order to inform people about CBD. For this, however, we need your help! So if you’ve tried CBD or have any questions or opinion, let us know.