The CBD buzz is everywhere. But what does this plant compound mean for your wellness? From seed to self-care, we asked the experts at Jasper Organics to educate us on this powerful plant. 
 
Let’s look closer at what CBD is, what it does, and how it could specifically benefit you and your well-being!

A very special plant compound. 

Every year, it seems like the scientific world uncovers the amazing health benefits of some otherwise obscure natural compound. These findings generate a health craze, which in turn creates a marketing craze, and so on. In the process, entire industries rise and fall, touting their must-have, plant-derived products. 
 
Just think of vitamin C. While this antioxidant has some amazing qualities, newer and more objective research is hinting that the benefits of routine supplementation may have been a little overblown. So, we couldn’t blame anyone for being skeptical of CBD. Although, there’s one fundamental concept that makes this particular plant compound different than most others. CBD has an entire physiological system—a system implanted within our own bodies—seemingly devoted to it. 

What is CBD? 

CBD, or canna bi diol, is a plant compound native to hemp and cannabis. For obvious reasons, calling CBD by its abbreviated name is easier.  
 
CBD is naturally produced within the flowering tops of the hemp plant as it reaches full maturity in the fall. It’s worth stating that hemp is not simply the male version of marijuana, as some reports say, but instead its own subspecies of cannabis. And though it’s just one of over a hundred similar molecules, called cannabinoids, found in the cannabis plant family, CBD is mentioned most because it’s the most prevalent one found in hemp. It’s common for premium hemp to be 15-20 percent CBD by dry weight, whereas the concentration of all the other cannabinoids combined is less than 5 percent total. 
 
To produce retail-ready CBD, hemp plants are harvested, dried, trimmed, and then placed in specialized extraction machines. It’s somewhat similar to how essential oils are made. These industrial-grade machines extract the active ingredients (like CBD and other cannabinoids) out of hemp, from which point this “CBD concentrate” is diluted and placed into its most popular form: CBD oil.  
 
CBD oil, as you may have noticed, is the product that’s currently taking the world by storm. 
 
Now, here’s the interesting part: CBD benefits the hemp plant itself, yet it’s also greatly beneficial to us humans. Talk about symbiotic relationships! The important thing is that CBD truly, verifiably works. According to a 2,000-person poll done by Quartz, Americans are using CBD as “a cure-all for the modern condition”— and for many of them, it’s working.  

What does CBD do?

CBD users report that the plant compound reduces anxiety, improves sleep quality, and relieves pain. Many are so impressed with CBD that they become full-blown advocates—and most of CBD’s popularity has spread by word of mouth. 

These benefits, though anecdotal, are real. It may leave you wondering: how can one little plant molecule do so many apparently-unrelated things?  

CBD’s mode of action lies in its holistic interaction with that highly important system we mentioned earlier: the endocannabinoid system. By unlocking the endocannabinoid system, CBD opens the door to an incredible number of health benefits.  

You can think of the endocannabinoid system, or ECS, as the body’s orchestra conductor. All the different facets of our biology—everything from our muscular and skeletal systems, to our nervous system and endocrine system—are overseen by the endocannabinoid system. It’s what helps these other structures communicate and stay aware of each other, ideally in perfect harmony.

If this system is so important, then why hasn’t it been talked about more? An orchestra’s conductor, after all, can make or break its entire performance.

It’s because the endocannabinoid system was discovered just recently—at least by science’s standards. And the endocannabinoid system’s best description is still a simple one coined by Harvard Ph.D. and leading researcher Bradly Alger, who called it “a literal bridge between body and mind.” 

When the body and mind are bridged, good things happen. By activating the endocannabinoid system’s delicate receptor networks, CBD helps with just that, strengthening a person’s connection to themselves. 

The precise ways that CBD helps can get pretty complex—this is CBD 101 after all, right? What’s most important to know is that CBD’s impact on the ECS (and on the rest of the body) can promote balance and erase stress. If anything, stress relief is actually CBD’s most important effect. And though CBD’s been proven to lower stress hormones like cortisol, its impacts go fundamentally deeper than that. 

CBD may help one’s body adapt to and overcome the stressors of life so that they can truly thrive. This adaptation initiates a cascade of positive health changes, which may include:

- Better sleep

- Less anxiety

- Reduced pain

- Increased energy

- Less Inflammation

- Increased immunity

- Improved life outlook 

Do any of these benefits sound like what one experiences through practicing yoga? If so, there’s a reason for that—yoga aims to merge the body and mind in a way that only a healthy endocannabinoid system can make possible. 

CBD for you!

In light of these qualities, could CBD help you specifically? While the regulatory standards of the CBD industry prevent us from making medical claims, we can say this: If you have an endocannabinoid system, then your body could benefit from the inner balance that comes from CBD.  

What if CBD was the missing link in your wellness routine? If you could use a little less stress in your life, that might be the case. Just think: if you were calmer and more peaceful, what more could you accomplish? How would it benefit your fitness? How might your everyday life become more meditative?

CBD’s benefits aren’t limited to just alleviating bad things, after all. The compound is also a perfect complement to good things, like your pursuit of fitness and wellness. CBD could provide the energy needed to help you reach your physical goals—the goals your mind has dreamt up, but not yet actualized. 

Of course, CBD isn’t the only thing that promotes inner balance. It’s not even the only supplement that provides stable energy! But it could provide the perfect biochemical foundation on which to place all the elements of a healthy, vibrant, holistic life.  
 
If you’re ready to take your wellness routine to a new level, consider adding premium CBD to your life. Of course, we’d encourage you to select a brand that’s open and transparent...and just as earth-conscious as those who first recommended hemp would’ve been. 
 
Thousands have already rediscovered the benefits of CBD; thousands have already enjoyed placing it within their holistic lifestyle. Are you ready to join them? You might discover a more calm, centered, and focused version of yourself that was waiting to spring forth.

Providing the highest-quality hemp-based products, Jasper is a collection of carefully chosen CBD products that have been created through excellence and innovation. Unlocking the power of plant-based remedies that will improve and enrich your life is our mission. We believe in safety, transparency, and education to help support a healthy endocannabinoid system.

Want to try it yourself? Use code MINDBODY for 20% off all Jasper products!