Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
This research is all very interesting, but there's one thing I just can't figure out. What's the end result of CBD on one's cycling/training? How much, when, why? Yes, it does stuff, but what's the end result? Will it make me faster? Recover more quickly? Live longer? Those are the simple questions I ask about every supplement. I don't see any studies answering those questions. I really don't give a FF about the specific chemical reactions. I just want to know about the results.
I've tried some CBD and didn't notice anything. Nothing. OTOH since there's no content guarantee, it's impossible to know if I was even taking CBD. The DNA folks tell us that what's written on the outside of cannabis packaging seems to have very little to do with the contents. It's probably worse with CBD since one can't readily feel the effects. We all should know that when one does a study, there will be a ~40% positive effect rate just from the placebo.
For sure exercise makes one stoned. Everyone who's ridden hard knows that. But as you say, smiling also releases these same hormones. Not that many folks know that. Next time you're hurting on a big climb, give it a big smile. It works. Smiling isn't just a signal. This effect might be the reason that when one smiles, others smile back. "Yeah, gimme the drugs, now." Two stoned people are more likely to have a pleasant interaction.
CBD is not a supplement. It is useful for fighting pain and inflammation, creates calmness to some degree, (limiting the fight/flight reflex.) People generally use CBD oil-based creams or liquids as a topical pain medication, or for general pain.
A lot of manufacturers will not make any claims, and often will not even list CBD as an ingredient, because of the morass of Federal and state laws. For instance, even though anything containing less than 0.3 percent THC is considered legal, but some online stores (Amazon, particularly) won’t carry anything which contains any CBD or THC—they don’t want to take the risk of some random lawsuit, even if they are covered legally.
The pharmacist who gave the lecture online listed a few brands he had experience with and trusted, but I didn’t save the names. As for which brands you might use … ask the folks here who are using CBD. They have likely tried a few products and found the ones which worked best.
However, the idea that one cannot feel the effects is not accurate. If CBD didn’t lessen pain no one would use it as a painkiller. CBD is effective, and the science is well understood.
If you are looking for performance-enhancing effects, and taking it as a supplement, you are likely wasting money—if your ECS is not out of balance to begin with, taking more won’t help.
Also … we are not talking about endorphins. Yes, smiling, laughing, hugging, can all release endorphins. The ECS (EndoCannabinoid System) is a separate system within the body which is (to quote) “a master regulator of all systems in maintaining homeostasis, balance, or a stable equilibrium in the body.” It is “essential to life and health as it relays messages that affect how we relax, eat, sleep, forget, and protect.”
As many people here have stated, CBD is effective at topical pain relief, and is particularly good for chronic pain because it is not addictive and damaging as would be the case with opioids.