CBD Oil for Arthritis: Benefits, Effects & Where To Buy

Are you suffering from arthritis? Or do you have a loved one who does? If yes, you must be browsing for safe treatment options. In so doing, you probably seek to know whether CBD oil can help with arthritis.

There have been controversies about CBD use for medicinal purposes. Some people recommend CBD use, while others shun it. If you are at a crossroads, this review will help you determine whether to CBD oil for arthritis and any possible side effects.

Let’s get started.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the most prevalent naturally-occurring compound in hemp and the second key chemical in marijuana. Although CBD is naturally-occurring, some vendors have found ways to manufacture it in the laboratory. Regardless, it remains a non-psychoactive compound.

THC is another compound found in industrial hemp and marijuana. It is a psychoactive ingredient that produces a high when consumed. CBD, however, does not produce an intoxicating effect, and it poses no risk of abuse or dependence.

To better understand this, the human body has an endocannabinoid system responsible for regulating memory, mood, and movement. The system has signaling molecules known as endocannabinoids that bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors.

CB1 receptors are mainly part of the central nervous system. They are responsible for appetite, memory, pain, coordination, and movement. Meanwhile, CB2 receptors are part of the peripheral nervous system and can influence inflammation and pain.

When THC binds to these receptors, it overwhelms the system to get users stoned. CBD interacts with these receptors, too, but produces therapeutic effects. This is why users feel pain relief, reduced inflammation, or drowsiness after using CBD without feeling high.

CBD products come as either full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolates. The difference between the three is their chemical composition.

Full-spectrum CBD has an entourage effect due to the inclusion of all compounds from the cannabis plant. This means it contains 0.3% THC, even though this amount is not enough to make you high.

Broad-spectrum CBD contains most but not all cannabis compounds. It contains terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinol, cannabichromene, and more, but zero or small traces of THC.

CBD isolates are pure CBD products. They are 100% CBD and free of THC and other cannabinoids. This means they do not produce an entourage effect.

CBD oil offers numerous benefits. Some users turn to CBD oil for massage benefits. The massaging oil promotes blood circulation, boosts relaxation, eases stress and pain, and promotes sleep. Others use CBD to relieve their anxiety. The compound calms the brain’s activity by inducing an anxiolytic effect.

CBD oil also improves sleep. By binding to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, CBD prevents stress, chronic pain, or other conditions that may ruin your good night's rest. The oil also improves the skin’s condition thanks to its neuroprotective properties. It relieves acne, eczema, and skin dryness and reduces anti-aging effects.

But does CBD oil help with arthritis? Let’s find out.

What Is Arthritis and Its Types?

Arthritis is a disorder that affects the joints. It causes inflammation, swelling, or degeneration of the connective tissues around the joint or the joint itself. This results in immense pain when you move the joint. The condition mainly affects the hands, knees, feet, hips, and lower back.

Arthritis is more prevalent among the elderly but affects young adults and kids. It may be brought about by genetics, old age, joint injuries, obesity, viral infections, and auto-immune disorders. Symptoms include joint discomfort, stiffness, tenderness, swelling, and redness.

Unknown to many, arthritis is an umbrella term for over 100 conditions. The following are eight common types of arthritis.

• Osteoarthritis (OA)

It is a gradual, degenerative condition that damages the cartilage in your joints, causing friction. This leads to inflammation, stiffness, pain, and bone injury. The most common causes of OA are old age, obesity, and joint injuries.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

This is an autoimmune disorder where your immunity attacks the joints or joint tissues. The condition triggers inflammation as it would when fighting viruses and bacteria. This causes pain and damage to the joints, making it difficult to move.   

• Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)

PsA is another autoimmune inflammatory condition. People with psoriasis are more likely to develop PsA, a condition that mainly affects fingers, joints, and the spine.

• Gout

This inflammatory arthritis develops due to the excess build-up of uric acid. The excess fluid accumulates into urate crystals in your joints to cause excruciating pain. Gout strikes suddenly and may affect one or several parts of the body.

• Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)

This type of arthritis inflames the joints between the pelvis and the spine to cause lower back pain. With time, the condition can spread to other joints in the body or the neck. AS is hereditary and often affects women.

• Childhood Arthritis

This is the umbrella term for arthritis in children aged 16 or younger. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is the most common type and affects joints, eyes, and internal organs.  

• Fibromyalgia

This condition causes pain in soft tissues, muscles, joints, and the whole body. It also results in fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. Fibromyalgia mainly affects women between 30 and 55 and users with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and lupus.

• Lupus Erythematous (SLE)

This auto-immune condition affects joints and connective tissues. It can also attack internal organs like the brain, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Inflammation and joint pain are some of the most common symptoms.

Arthritis causes immense pain. Fortunately, you can alleviate the discomfort with CBD oil.

Why CBD Might Help with Arthritis

Recent animal studies have suggested CBD can help with arthritis. For instance, a 2017 study found that CBD manages rat osteoarthritis. Researchers found that CBD decreased joint pain and inflammation and prevented future chronic nerve damage.

In a different study, researchers examined the efficiency of topical CBD in relation to arthritis. They applied CBD on a monoarthritis rat's knee for four days and discovered a significant reduction of joint swelling and inflammation. Another study found that cannabinoids interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors to control pain detection.

These rat clinical trials promote the theory that humans can use cannabidiol oil for knee and joint pain. Experts believe that since CBD has shown potential on rats with arthritis, it is most likely to work on humans too.

Unfortunately, there are limited clinical studies involving humans. Despite this, a 2006 study found a cannabis-based medication effective at treating Rheumatoid Arthritis. The drug reduced morning stiffness and pain during movement and improved the quality of the participants’ sleep.

A 2016 study involving 1219 patients found that selective cannabinoids reduced chronic pain without causing adverse reactions. Since arthritis is closely associated with pain and inflammation, managing this pain can help users lead a better life.

Although there is not much conclusive scientific evidence about CBD oil's benefits for arthritis, it shows great promise.  And if word of mouth was anything to go by, there are numerous testimonials on how CBD has helped users manage arthritis pain.

What Are the Side Effects of CBD Oil for Arthritis?

CBD indeed has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. But, more research is currently underway to understand whether prolonged use of CBD can lead to long-term effects. In the meantime, CBD oil has led to several mild side effects.

Some users have complained of suffering from headaches, which is a twist since other users commend CBD for easing their migraines. Experts are yet to link CBD oil to causing headaches, but we cannot dismiss the claims that some users developed headaches. Other notable side effects are lethargy, diarrhea, dry mouth, reduced appetite, loss of weight, and drowsiness.

CBD may also interact with arthritic medications and cause health concerns. So, consult your health provider before you use CBD oil for joint pain.  

Is CBD Oil Legal and Safe for Me?

Honestly, the answer is yes and no. This is because CBD's legality depends on states, while its safety varies between vendors. Let’s break this down.

CBD is extracted from cannabis plants, hemp, and marijuana. Industrial hemp has higher levels of CBD than marijuana which boasts high amounts of THC. The 2018 Farm Bill used this chemical composition difference to legalize hemp.

The Bill explains legal hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC, is grown by licensed farmers, and follows state-federal regulations. Only when hemp-derived CBD abides by these regulations is it considered federally legal.

The Bill, however, did not reclassify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, a class to which heroin, ecstasy, LSD, and methaqualone belong to. This classification includes drugs prone to abuse and dependence yet have no acceptable medical use. With marijuana under this category, any CBD oil derived from the plant is illegal on a federal level.

Having explained CBD legality on a national scale, let us look into state laws where it all gets gray. The 50 states have the liberty to apply the federal law or create new laws, which explains why CBD legality varies between neighboring states.

States like Kentucky, Florida, and Nebraska embraced the 2018 Farm Bill and legalized hemp and its products. This means it is okay to purchase and use hemp-derived CBD oil in these stated but not marijuana-derived CBD oil.

Other states like Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Connecticut have legalized hemp and marijuana CBD. Meanwhile, Idaho only considers CBD products with 0% THC as legal. This means that CBD oil with 0.3% THC is illegal.

With this in mind, your state and district determine CBD oil legality. We urge you to stay updated on the current CBD laws before buying it.

Now, let’s discuss whether CBD oil is safe for you. At the time of writing this, the FDA is yet to approve CBD products for recreational and medicinal purposes. The agency has only approved Epidiolex for treating seizures and Marinol and Syndros as therapeutic treatments.

So, out of the hundreds of CBD products available in stores, only three are FDA-approved. The rest have not been evaluated by the FDA as to whether they are effective, their optimal dosage, expected side effects, or their interaction with other medications.

It may be difficult to distinguish between safe and unsafe CBD products in such an unregulated market. But you find a high-quality CBD oil product by:

• Checking that the product contains CBD. Some vendors mention hemp seed oil or hemp seeds to fool buyers into thinking their products contain CBD.


• Checking the product’s Certificate of Analysis (COA). Reputable companies provide the COA as proof that their product has undergone third-party testing. The CBD concentration on the product label should match that on the COA. Additionally, check whether the product is free of pesticides, heavy metals, and contaminants.

Please note that your health and safety lie in the quality of the CBD product you buy. Consuming low-quality CBD products can lead to serious side effects.

The Best Place To Buy CBD Oil Near Me

You can enjoy CBD oil benefits when you purchase a safe product. But where can you get pure CBD oil? At CBD Genesis!

We are an online store that takes pride in selling 100% pure and legal CBD products. Our products comply with the 2018 Farm Bill since we source them from licensed growers and contain less than 0.3% THC. Furthermore, the products contain no herbicides, pesticides, or GMOs.

We believe in producing premium products and use third-party laboratories to ascertain high quality. We sell CBD isolates, full-spectrum, and broad-spectrum hemp, so you can choose the chemical composition you want.

Our product catalog offers more than CBD oil. We also sell CBD vape juice, e-liquid, tincture oils, edibles, capsules, concentrates, and topicals.

What are you waiting for? Browse our catalog for all your CBD needs.  

Does CBD Help with Arthritis?

Yes, CBD can help with arthritis. Clinical studies on rats show that CBD reduces inflammation, joint swelling, and osteoarthritis. Human clinical trials have also found supporting evidence that CBD has pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.

Nevertheless, experts point out that more research is needed to ascertain the effectiveness of CBD for arthritis and how it reacts with the endocannabinoid system. Although CBD oil is generally safe, we recommend you consult your doctor before mixing it with your arthritis medication.