A Single Dose of CBD Reduces Blood Pressure

A Single Dose of CBD Reduces Blood Pressure

When we think of stress, it is important to note the physiological changes that happen to the body in response to stress, including elevating one's blood pressure. The leading cause of death in the world, as well as the United States, is cardiovascular disease (CVD) (1). I mention CVD because it has a direct tie to chronic stress and elevated blood pressure, which negatively affects our cardiovascular system (2). Could it be that our stress levels are causing us to have high blood pressure? Nothing seems more appealing to me than a plant that can reduce stress, blood pressure, and provide cardiovascular protecting properties all at the same time, check this out (3)!

According to JCL Insight, an open access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to biomedical research, there is a positive relationship between long term stress and the onset of CVD, which includes high blood pressure (3). More importantly they note that CBD can protect the cardiovascular system from the damaging effects that stress has on our heart (3). 

When we are stressed, we are increasing our chances for a heart attack (myocardial infarction) because of the effects that stress has on our heart. Stress decreases blood flow to our heart, resulting in cardiac tissue that is being starved from oxygen (ischemia), leading to cell death (3). The good news is that CBD relaxes the blood vessels (vasorelaxation), which results in a drop in blood pressure, as well as increasing oxygenation to the heart's tissues (3). 

CBD was shown to protect our heart by reducing the damage that high blood sugar causes on our coronary artery endothelial cells (3). When we are under chronic stress, our blood sugar levels are elevated, this damages our tissues, especially the ones that line our arteries (endothelium). 

In addition to reducing the proinflammatory changes that damage our cardiovascular system, CBD was shown to also protect the retinal arteries in the eyes from damage that is typically seen with diabetes caused by high blood sugar levels. But wait, there’s more! (In my best Ron Popeil voice)

The best part is that a reduction in blood pressure was noted after a single dose of CBD (3)! Imagine the positive effects CBD has on our cardiovascular system when taken daily, especially for someone who is stressed and dealing with high blood pressure.

One amazing plant, with seemingly endless benefits. Cheers!

Bee-Well,

Brandon Farless

*This information is for education purposes only and simply sharing information regarding these studies. No medical advice or claims are being made. 

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 15). Heart disease facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20leading,groups%20in%20the%20United%20States.&text=One%20person%20dies%20every%2033,United%20States%20from%20cardiovascular%20disease.  

2. Satyjeet, F., Naz, S., Kumar, V., Aung, N. H., Bansari, K., Irfan, S., & Rizwan, A. (2020). Psychological Stress as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease: A Case-Control Study. Cureus, 12(10), e10757. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10757

3. Jadoon, K. A., Tan, G. D., & O'Sullivan, S. E. (2017). A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study. JCI insight, 2(12), e93760.https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.93760