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Reaching your ideal weight can be a huge challenge. At times, it might even seem impossible. People often hold this perspective on weight loss because they can’t seem to succeed despite their best efforts. Rest assured, if you’re one of these people, the problem isn’t you. The problem lies in your strategy.

Just like with evidence-based strategies to get a lean tummy, more often than not, weight loss is about the little evidence-based habits that add up to profound change.

If you’re already working on healthy habits, CBD Oil may tip the scales in your favor thanks to five key benefits that support weight loss.

1. CBD Oil May Help You Burn More Calories

Research suggests that the cannabidiol (CBD) in hemp can affect your metabolism, which could make it much easier to shed unwanted pounds.

One Korean study published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry discovered that CBD can affect specific proteins and genes in such a way that promotes lipolysis and reduces lipogenesis. In other words, CBD both promoted the breakdown of fat cells and discouraged the generation of new fat cells (1).

But that’s not all. The Korean researchers also discovered that CBD can modulate the body’s metabolism by promoting fat browning. A process where white fat is converted into brown fat. Why does that matter?

White fat is the type of fat that stores lots of energy. It forms when you consume too many calories and don’t exercise enough. You know, it’s the stuff you wish would go away when looking in the mirror. Brown fat, however, has a high number of mitochondria. This type of fat actually burns calories and can help you maintain a lean, healthy weight (2).

2. CBD Oil May Ease Temporary Inflammation

Inflammation and carrying excess weight often go hand-in-hand. This association is well-established in the scientific community. In fact, a simple search in the US National Library of Medicine results in over 10,000 articles on the topic (S). Without getting into the nitty-gritty science of this relationship, here’s a quick overview of some popular studies:

• Elevated inflammatory markers are often associated with future weight gain (3).
• Inflammation begins in fat cells themselves. As fat mass expands, inflammation proportionally increases (4).
• Inflammation causes insulin resistance (5), which in turn can promote obesity (6).

With this in mind, it makes sense that managing inflammation could help you maintain a healthy weight. This is where CBD oil comes into play. Researchers have found that the CBD in hemp may ease temporary inflammation by targeting α3 glycine receptors in the body (7).

The strong relationship between inflammation and weight gain is also why scientists have proposed that diets high in anti-inflammatory foods could help treat obesity (8).

3. CBD Oil May Improve Sleep Quality

When you’re looking to lose weight, sleep is probably the last thing you would think of, but it shouldn’t be. That’s because studies have found that decreased sleep duration and quality are associated with weight gain (9, 10). In some cases, it also increases the risk of obesity.

Experts believe this happens for several reasons. One of them being that reduced sleep duration and quality results in more fatigue. Less energy throughout the day means you will be less likely to exercise. Other studies have found that sleep deprivation can cause fluctuations in the hormones leptin and ghrelin which can increase your appetite (11).

Since poor sleep quality and deprivation can increase your weight, it makes sense to do the opposite: improve the quality of your sleep. CBD Oil may be the answer. Research has found that CBD can have a positive impact on your sleep.

One systematic review, for example, found that CBD was effective at treating the symptoms of insomnia (12). That means CBD shows promise for reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, preventing disrupted sleep or nighttime waking, and improving daytime tiredness.

4. CBD Oil May Melt Away Stress

Stress is another important component of maintaining a healthy weight that people often overlook. Every time you get stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. In small doses, this is fine. But if you’re constantly stressed out, this chronic release of cortisol can cause you to gain a considerable amount of weight. One study even found that elevated cortisol levels from chronic stress can increase the accumulation of fat around your midsection (13).

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) also plays an important role in stress adaptation—or how you cope with stress (14). Cannabinoids such as CBD bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system to balance the body. And research shows that CBD can significantly decrease the levels of cortisol in the body to help reduce the effects of stress (15).

5. CBD Oil May Reduce Oxidative Stress

The cannabinoids, including CBD, in the hemp plant are also known to be powerful antioxidants (16). This means they can protect your body from oxidative stress. Why does this matter? Adipose tissue, or fat cells, can ramp up the body’s production of reactive oxygen species, or ROS (17). In turn, these ROS can cause oxidative stress and promote inflammation (18), which can result in weight gain.

In theory, this means the more weight you carry, the harder it is to lose. All thanks to oxidative stress. To drive this point further, studies have even shown that diets high in antioxidants have positive effects on weight loss (19, 20). Which is why antioxidant-rich CBD oil from hemp may help with weight loss.

The Bottom Line

CBD Oil is becoming an increasingly popular dietary supplement due to the growing body of scientific research that supports its benefits. This article specifically focused on the evidence supporting CBD oil’s ability to help you maintain a healthy weight.

Research suggests CBD Oil does this by boosting your metabolism, promoting fat browning, easing temporary inflammation, improving sleep quality, reducing stress, and acting as an antioxidant in the body. All of this suggests that CBD Oil may have multiple benefits for your waistline.

Your immune system is the keystone to optimal health. When it’s working like a well-oiled machine, your immune system protects you from getting sick, speeds healing, prevents wounds from getting infected, and even destroys cancer cells before they can multiply (1).

The problem is, your immune system is constantly under siege. Environmental toxins, processed foods, stress, and countless other attackers chip away at its strength. This causes the immune system to progressively weaken, leaving you completely exposed.

That’s why taking steps to nourish the immune system is crucial. Along with regular exercise, eating organic fruits and veggies, and cleansing toxins from your body, one of the best ways to restore the immune system is with herbs.

Here are 7 of the most effective herbs to nourish the immune system.

1. Medicinal Mushrooms

When it comes to healing the immune system, mushrooms are superstars. While considered a veggie for nutritional purposes, mushrooms are widely used in herbal medicine. They have compounds that ease inflammation, balance the immune system, and even help fight infection.

But not any ordinary mushroom will do the trick. Only medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, chaga, turkey tail, tremella, maitake, and cordyceps produce worthwhile immune-modulating effects.

For example, turkey tail has bioactive compounds called beta glucans, which can enhance macrophage and natural killer cell function, making your immune response more effective (2).

Cordyceps mushrooms are bidirectional immunomodulators. This simply means that cordyceps can upregulate the immune system when it’s weak and downregulate it when it’s overactive (3).

Together, maitake and shiitake mushrooms stimulate the cellular and humoral branch of the immune system (4). Some evidence also suggests they can help fight tumors by increasing tumor necrosis factor alpha (5).

Not all medicinal mushrooms are easy to add to your diet, so you can supplement with mushroom extracts to get added immune support.

2. Echinacea

Echinacea is by far the most popular herb for enhancing immune function. Many immune supplements, cough drops, and other products that help you deal with the sniffles contain echinacea.

Several studies in mice have found that echinacea can support the immune system by activating innate immune cells—the body’s first line of defense against infection (6). The key is to take it while you’re well, to help prevent catching any colds that may be going around (7).

3. Full Spectrum Hemp Oil

Full spectrum hemp oil contains a wide variety of beneficial phytochemicals like cannabidiol (CBD). Evidence suggests that the CBD found in hemp oil can stimulate what’s called the endocannabinoid system (8). 

Among its countless other tasks in the body, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) controls how the immune system behaves (9). Why is this important?

By stimulating the ECS, studies have found that it can help the immune system achieve homeostasis, or balance. So, cannabinoids in hemp oil can both inhibit and stimulate the immune system, depending on what’s needed.

This immune-modulating effect is essential because an overstimulated immune system can create autoimmune health challenges. Which is why hemp oil is among the best approaches for supporting immune health.

4. Black Elderberry

While it may not technically be classified as an herb, black elderberry is often found in a variety of herbal blends and tinctures that are designed to enhance immune function.

Research indicates black elderberry may bolster the immune system by normalizing and stimulating the production of cytokines—molecules that regulate immunity and inflammation (10).

Elderberry is also rich in quercetin, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that helps to block compounds involved in allergies (11).

5. Adaptogen Herbs

Stress is a surefire way to undermine and weaken your immune system. When you’re subjected to stress, the hormone corticosteroid is released, actively suppressing the immune system and making it more likely you’ll get sick (12).

Aside from learning how to effectively manage stress levels, you can support your immune system with the use of adaptogen herbs. Herbs such as ashwagandha, eleuthero, holy basil, and rhodiola rosea help the body respond to stress and become more resilient against the effects of stress.

In particular, rhodiola rosea has been extensively studied for its ability to strengthen the stress response (13), and reduce stress-induced fatigue (14). Rather than taking one herb, seek out a supplement with multiple extracts to provide the best overall immune protection against stress.

6. Olive Leaf Extract

Olive leaf extract contains a powerful polyphenol called oleuropein. This herb is gaining in popularity due to the fact that it contains considerably more oleuropein than olive oil.

Studies have found that oleuropein has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and immune-modulating properties (15).

In addition to these effects, olive leaf extracts were found to increase the production of CD8+ and natural killer cells. Both of these cell types play an important role in eliminating infections and supporting overall health (16).

7. Ginger Root

Although ginger and its components are well-studied in the scientific community, researchers have just begun to realize its immune-modulating potential.

One recent scientific review looked at 59 different studies on the health effects of ginger. The review revealed that ginger can inhibit the production of immune cells that promote inflammation and that its compounds have important anticancer potential (17).

The Bottom Line

An optimized immune system can quite literally be the difference between sickness and health. It helps you fight off germs, can keep wounds from getting infected, and acts as a sentinel against serious health issues.

With environmental toxins, stress, and processed foods, the immune system can lose its strength over time. That’s why it’s important to take steps to nourish your immune system—to get it back into top shape. Aside from eating organic fruits and veggies, one of the most effective ways to do this is to use immune-modulating herbs. You can also double-down and incorporate immune-modulating mushrooms into your diet for even better results.