The CBD industry in the UK is growing at a very rapid rate. Awareness of the benefits of cannabidiol, from helping with anxiety and stress, to the potential of improving sleep and boosting immunity, is constantly increasing, to the extent that a whopping 6 million of us used CBD products in the last year – that’s 11% of the total population. The figures from research carried out by the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis showed that 1.3 million of those are regular users. And it’s big business. The market for CBD products is now larger than the vitamin C and D markets combined  with a total of £690 million of products sold last year and, at current rates of growth, is set to be worth nearing a non-too-shabby £1 billion in the next three years. 

As well as CBD oils and tinctures, gummies and supplements, lotions and balms, the food industry has cottoned on to the powers of CBD, with cannabidiol now added into treats like chocolate, coffee, cakes and pastries, as well CBD infused teas, coffees and juices (though there is little in the way of research over what happens to CBD when cooked or added to drinks). 

Clinical trials, animal studies and human research all suggest that CBD can control pain and inflammation, reduce cravings when curbing addictions, and help with insomnia and mental health issues like depression. And the people are listening – the UK’s cannabinoid market is now second in the world, behind only the USA. So what does the future hold for the CBD industry?

More understanding

As more awareness of the rather vast difference between taking CBD and smoking a giant marijuana-packed doobie increases, so are the amounts of people trying out cannabidiol products to improve their wellness. A report from the World Health Organisation officially showed that CBD has relatively low toxicity and does not exhibit dependency in humans in the way that THC does. Plus, the public are getting increasingly confident in what they are getting from their CBD products – because the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency rules mean products can’t make direct health claims without going through formal licensing.

More personalised treatment

Rather than the one-size-fits-all approach, CBD treatment is set to become more individually tailored. Cannobotech is one company blazing a trail here by using DNA screening to provide personalised cannabinoid health programmes.

Cannabotech’s My-being is a 6-month plan that includes products based on the company’s unique M²CBD formula – a powerful combination of pharmaceutical-grade, isolated CBD and a unique blend of functional mushrooms that simultaneously targets both your immune and your endocannabinoid systems to create a supercharged effect on your health.  Plus, a focus on stress reduction, sleep quality and immune strength, as well as monthly sessions with a healthcare professional and the My-Being app to track your progress.

Cannabotech’s rigorous screening includes insights into your body’s responses to stress and sleep, mood support, how you are ageing, your skin health, immune function, and muscles, joints, and bones. Each month those who sign up receive a personalised kit packed with a product to support a specific area of wellness.

More science

While scientific studies into the proven effects of CBD usage are still in their relative infancy, more and more is being gleaned all the time about the health and wellness properties of cannabinoids. Most recently and significantly, research at the University of Chicago showed that taking pharmaceutical-grade CBD could mean that people would be less likely to contract COVID-19, it may lessen the severity of the virus, and it could even prevent its spread.

Those behind the study were mindful not to add fuel to the anti-vax movement and emphasised that a) smoking a joint does categorically not reduce your chances of contracting Covid and b) people should still get vaccinated – nothing in the study suggests CBD is a replacement for preventative measures such as jabs and mask wearing. “Going to your corner bakery and buying some CBD muffins or gummy bears probably won’t do anything,” said Marsha Rosner, professor of cancer research at the University of Chicago and a lead study author. “What we don’t want is people just running out and thinking, ‘I can take CBD, and then I don’t have to get vaccinated or I don’t have to be masked.”

More combinations of CBD with other medicinal ingredients

CBD products are often offered alongside other wellness-boosting ingredients, such as essential oils, or with fruit flavours to mask the bitter, earthy taste. But developments in CBD products mean they are now also combined with other medicinal products for maximum wellness benefits. Cannabotech’s method of blending high quality traditional mushrooms with pharmaceutical grade CBD for their M²CBD formula strengthens both the immune and endocannabinoid systems . Studies have shown that mushrooms can offer immunomodulating properties, helping your immune system stay in harmony.

Using CBD as prevention rather than cure

Even if you consider yourself to be in tip top mental and physical shape, CBD can be used to avoid any future ailing. The research scientists, medical doctors and pharmacists behind Cannobotech want to turn around the way modern health care works by treating illnesses, by preventing them from happening in the first place. Their combination of modern and traditional Asian medicines takes a precision approach and offers a tailored prescription based on scientific proof that our endocannabinoid system (ECS), a biological network in our bodies responsible for our responses to everything from mood and memory to appetite, metabolism and energy, interacts well with CBD. In layman’s terms, think of your ECS as an operating system helping your body’s computer to run – when CBD comes along, it helps your system run smoothly. As the clever folk at Cannobotech say, paired together, your ECS and CBD are a powerful force of nature. 

Click here for your chance to win Cannabotech’s My Being programme subscription, worth £1,200

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