CBD is more than just the latest health fad. The CBD industry has exploded into a $3.5 billion market globally and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
The CBD business is big business these days, but how did everything start? How many different types of CBD oil are there? And what does the future hold in store for the best CBD oil products?
Join us on a fascinating journey through the history of CBD!
The Early History of CBD: The Cannabis Plant
Indigenous to central Asia, the cannabis plant was likely one of the first plants to be cultivated by humans. Our ancestors quickly saw the value of using hemp’s strong, fibrous properties to make clothing, rope, and other daily necessities. In fact, in the 1500s, King Henry VIII fined farmers if they failed to grow industrial hemp on their land.
We don’t know exactly when or how people started ingesting cannabis. However, researchers have found evidence of cannabis-infused tea in Imperial China dating back to 2737BC!
Hemp arrived in the New World with Christopher Columbus and later the colonial settlers at Jamestown. In the late 1700s, medical journals published reports that hemp could effectively treat pain and inflammation.
The Discovery of CBD & THC
Although hemp has been used for thousands of years, no one really understood its full potential until 1940. That’s the year Roger Adams identified and isolated the CBD cannabinoid.
A few years later, in 1946, Raphael Mechoulam isolated CBD’s famous mind-altering cousin, THC. Until then, it was believed that all components of the marijuana plant would produce a “high” in users. Following more research in the 1960s, scientists correctly concluded that CBD contains no psychoactive properties.
The Rise of CBD for Medical Use
Nowadays there are many reputable companies that offer healthful CBD products, such as anandahemp.com. But what explains the sudden surge in interest in CBD oils and products?
The first victory occurred back in 1978 when New Mexico passed a bill that legally recognized the potential medical benefits of cannabis. In the 1980s, researchers began to study CBD and its potential use to treat epilepsy.
Fast-forward to the late 1990s, when more states began to legalize marijuana for medical use. This paved the way for more research on cannabinoids and CBD in particular. Through the early 2000s, more evidence came to light that CBD can effectively address pain, inflammation, epilepsy, and anxiety.
For a while, however, the stigma against cannabis continued. Many people (and lawmakers) were quick to lump CBD with THC. The biggest victory came in 2018 when the Farm Bill officially legalized hemp-derived CBD products in all 50 states.
What Does the Future Hold for CBD?
As we’ve discussed, the history of CBD dates back before the compound was actually discovered or understood. Humans have used the cannabis plant for thousands of years, and there’s no doubt we’ll continue to find new uses for it as more research emerges.
Now that you have a better grasp of the CBD industry, what’s next? Keep browsing our site for more interesting articles like this one!