As more research is able to be conducted on CBD, more potential uses and benefits come to light. One of CBD’s listed properties is antibacterial. In this guide, we’ll dive into what CBD’s antibacterial properties mean for additional applications and uses.
What does Antibacterial Mean?
An item displaying antibacterial properties is one that is able to suppress the growth of bacteria. It also prohibits bacteria’s ability to reproduce. Essentially, antibacterials destroy bacteria.
Some forms of antibacterial products are used to treat topical cuts and abrasions to prevent infection. Others are used to treat viral diseases. There are also antibacterial cleaning products and health and beauty items to prevent the spread of bacteria.
Antibiotics
It’s likely that you’ve been prescribed an antibiotic at least once in your life. If you’ve ever had surgery or a dental procedure done, an antibiotic was likely prescribed to protect your body against infection. Use of antibiotics is typically short-term, but more severe illnesses may require use for a longer period of time.
Antibiotics fall into several different categories. Each category is formulated to fight specific ranges of bacteria. Some medications combine more than one antibiotic agent.
Penicillin and amoxicillin are two commonly-prescribed antibiotics.
Antibiotics don’t always work as some infections are antibiotic-resistant. The human body may also resist an antibiotic, making an illness or infection harder to treat. MRSA is one of the hardest to treat infections. It may take months, or longer, to successfully treat this type of infection.
Allergic reactions to antibiotics can be quite severe. The difference with CBD is that there aren’t any reported allergic reactions. It is considered to be safe and is all-natural. The body’s endocannabinoid system is already designed to work with the natural cannabinoids, which often prevents adverse reactions.
CBD as an Antibacterial Agent
Some scientific data exists to prove that CBD has some antibacterial properties. Specific research has indicated that CBD, as well as CBG and CBN, may work to fight MRSA effectively. The data demonstrates that six strains of MRSA were effectively treated with CBD and the accompanying phytocannabinoids CBG and CBN.
In this research, it was found that CBD and several other cannabinoids stopped the growth of bacteria at the same rate of the antibiotic vancomycin when treating MRSA.
Many cannabis industry professionals tout FECO oil as being a good topical option for helping to heal cuts, burns and other minor injuries topically. FECO oil is full extract cannabis oil. This can also be achieved with CBD when it is a full spectrum hemp CBD extracted product.
Additional research also shows that varying doses of CBD applied topically have been effective in treating microbial topical infections and reducing topical inflammation. This information demonstrates that CBD topical products may be an ideal option for helping reduce the irritation of skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis. Those skin disorders can also become infected from scratching and opening the inflamed skin.
Combining CBD with Other Cannabinoids or Terpenes for Increased Efficacy
While CBD on its own may work just fine for some, a more significant infection or bacterial disease may require the combination of several cannabinoids and/or terpenes. CBD is often combined with plant-based terpenes in order to effectively target specific symptoms. Terpenes such as alpha pinene, beta-caryophyllene, limonene, terpineol, and myrcene also have /antibacterial properties. The terpenes alpha pinene, nerolidol and myrcene have antimicrobial properties.
Speaking solely of alpha pinene, it is suggested that when combined with CBD, may be quite effective in treating antibiotic-resistant infections like MRSA.
When combined with CBD, the above mentioned terpenes may help the body naturally fight infections involving microbes and bacteria more effectively.
When it comes to cannabis-derived cannabinoids there are several that also display antibacterial properties. These cannabinoids are non-psychoactive, so when combined with CBD, will not produce a “high”. Cannabigerol (CBG), Cannabichromene (CBC) and Cannabinol (CBN) have also shown to have these properties. These cannabinoids are not often heavily concentrated in cannabis strains but can be isolated via careful extraction process to be included in a CBD oil blend.
It is important not to combine every item mentioned here as the cannabinoids and terpenes may cancel each other out. It is important to select just a few to combine for a specific purpose. For example, combining CBD with myrcene and/or alpha pinene would be ideal for those with topical infections involving pain and inflammation as both terpenes also have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.
Using CBD to Fight Infections
CBD may help the body in several ways when it comes to infections. If your body tolerates manuka oil or manuka honey, you may be able to blend these successfully with a high-quality CBD oil to make your own topical solution. Both manuka oil and manuka honey possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. For topical applications, only an amount the size of an eraser would be needed for an entire forearm.
A daily dose of CBD may be helpful in fighting viral infections and other infections. It can be taken with prescribed antibiotics. For those with a more severe ailment, two or more doses may be needed, but this should be discussed with your physician first.
From the author: A personal trial of CBD oil vape juice from https://hotjuice.com , plus olive oil was successful in eliminating a minor tooth infection. Three doses in 36 hours seemed to do the trick. I held the CBD oil blend in my mouth on the affected tooth for 2 minutes and swallowed the oil. By the next day, there was no more pain and no more infection. This opinion is my own and is not stating that it will work for everyone nor is it a medical claim of any kind, it is merely a personal observation.
If you have access to FECO, apply a small amount directly to a minor cut or abrasion. It may help to prevent infection and heal the wound faster. Full spectrum CBD oil can be applied the same way if it is not cut with another agent such as olive oil, MCT oil or coconut oil.
Closing Thoughts
Are you as impressed with the increasing benefits of CBD as we are? As more research is able to be conducted the potential of CBD continues to grow and strengthen. Is there anything CBD oil can’t help? From what research has shown us, there really isn’t much that CBD isn’t capable of helping with. When purchasing CBD, make sure it is a full-spectrum product or cleanly extracted CBD oil that has been tested for purity and potency. To help make sure you only get the best CBD we've set up an online store called CBDcity. Find your favourite CBD now.