Cannabidiol is increasingly used in cosmetic products, due to its antioxidant and relaxing properties, among others.
If you like the world of cosmetics, you have surely noticed how, for some time now, cosmetic ranges based on CBD have been appearing all the time, which is, as explained by La Chinata, a natural, a safe, and a non-addictive compound found in hemp. “It is a plant that has been used since ancient times for therapeutic purposes and in which its antioxidant properties have been discovered for use in cosmetics,” they point out.
Taking advantage of this particular boom, we wanted to analyze the reason for its success, as well as its properties and its uses, both therapeutic and cosmetic.
A derivative of hemp
As pharmacist Mar Sierra explains, hemp is understood as the flowering or fruiting tops of the Hemp sativa spp. plant (except for the seeds and leaves not attached to the tops) from which the resin has not been extracted, is considered a narcotic substance according to the 1961 Single Convention.
“Therefore, it’s productized to medical and scientific purposes,” he explains. “However, cosmetic products containing elements obtained from the seeds or leaves not attached to the tops of the Hemp sativa plant can be marketed, i.e., crops used for legal commercial purposes cannot transform the plant into a flower,” the pharmacist clarifies, clarifying some aspects related to its name: “If the plant has more than 0.2% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) -the substance that provides the psychotropic effects-, it is usually called hemp or hemp. If it has less than 0.2%, it is called hemp in English or hemp in Spanish”.
With this in mind, Mar Sierra explains that CBD (cannabidiol), which is becoming increasingly common in cosmetics, is a legal compound with various properties found in hemp, “This is, therefore, the active ingredient that can be found in cosmetic formulas,” she explains.
He adds that “medical hemp” oil is obtained by extraction with a solvent from the female flowers of a variety of hemp rich in CBD and, once the solvent is removed, it is redissolved in a fixed oil (olive oil, coconut, or others) for use.
A bit of history
With the help of Mar Sierra, we review the use of this active ingredient throughout history. Thus, we know that the medicinal use of hemp comes from very far away, as it is already mentioned in antiquity, since 1,800 BC, in Sumeria. “Then in the “Victorian era” (1840-1900) doctors used it frequently in patients with epilepsy, although the reports are limited and even anecdotal. Its use decreased with the appearance of phenobarbital, in 1912, and even more, in 1937, with the appearance of hydantoin.
To this was added, in the same year, the imposition in the United States of the Marihuana Tax Act, which introduced a tax on all those involved with hemp: importers, producers, industrialists, traders, intermediaries, consumers, and even specialists who for some reason prescribed it or used it in their preparations, such as dentists, doctors, veterinarians or pharmacists. In 1970, this tax was replaced by the ‘Controlled Substances Act. This new law led to the collapse of hemp production in the United States, followed by a worldwide decline in the use of this product in the paper industry,” says the pharmacist.
An active ingredient for medical use?
It was in the 1990s that interest returned to the use of hemp for the treatment of epilepsy and other pathologies. “According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), data from clinical trials indicate that cannabinoids alleviate the symptoms of some diseases, often used as a complementary treatment, which means that they are added to other medical treatments rather than used alone.
In addition, they are normally used only when a patient has not responded to the recommended treatments for these disorders. Their main uses are as antiemetics, appetite stimulants, to treat neuropathic pain, chronic non-oncological pain or palliative treatment of pain in oncology,” says Mar Sierra, who points out, however, that their use must obviously continue to be investigated before reaching conclusions that favor approval for therapeutic purposes in the European Union, since the potential dependence that these active ingredients may develop must also be thoroughly evaluated.
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