Nausea and vomiting are usually symptoms of an underlying health issue like stomach flu or food poisoning. They can also be side effects of a medication you’re taking.
Whatever the reason may be, an increasing number of people nowadays are using CBD oil for nausea and vomiting. They find that not only can CBD suppress nausea and vomiting but also help reduce their severity and frequency.
But can CBD oil for nausea and vomiting really help? Or is it just hype? Read on to know more!
An Overview of Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea is the feeling of queasiness in your stomach. It’s oftentimes accompanied by the feeling or the urge to vomit, but the latter doesn’t always lead to vomiting. Vomiting, on the other hand, is the voluntary or involuntary expulsion of stomach contents.
As mentioned earlier, nausea and vomiting aren’t really diseases. They are just symptoms of several health problems — from the common stomach flu to chronic diseases like cancer. They may also even be caused by medication side effects, pregnancy, and emotional stress.
Noxious stimuli like these trigger the brain areas responsible for controlling nausea and vomiting. They also directly or indirectly trigger other sites such as the vestibular system in the ears and gastrointestinal tract.
Their activation makes you feel nauseous. You feel your stomach heaving as contractions push the contents out through the mouth, resulting in vomiting.
In cases of food poisoning, nausea and vomiting are considered protective mechanisms since they force out the irritating substances. But when it comes to diseases, nausea and vomiting can be detrimental to our health. They help delay healing by preventing you from getting the nutrients you need. They can also cause dehydration, which can further complicate your medical condition.
While medications like antiemetics help, they sometimes cause side effects like headaches, lightheadedness, blurry vision, fatigue, dizziness, and even dry mouth. These medications can even cause changes in bowel movements.
How CBD Oil for Nausea and Vomiting Helps
We don’t have enough studies that solely focus on CBD for nausea and vomiting. However, we do have some scientific studies on CBD and cancer that also showed how CBD helped reduce the symptoms of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy drugs.
A study published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology noted that CBD has the potential to relieve nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy drugs. According to the study, CBD suppressed anticipatory nausea, which can result in conditioned gaping and vomiting. The study found that CBD acts on the serotonin receptor to produce its antiemetic effects. CBD also acts on the endocannabinoid system, one function of which is to regulate nausea and vomiting.
Another study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology also noted that CBD was able to suppress or inhibit the gaping reaction caused by cues. This, in turn, prevented vomiting. According to the study, CBD’s activation of the serotonin receptors found in the brain’s vomiting center resulted in its anti-nausea and anti-vomiting effects.
Benefits of Using CBD Oil for Nausea and Vomiting
CBD benefits people suffering from nausea and vomiting in many ways:
It reduces anticipatory nausea which often results in a gaping reaction as well as vomiting. It stimulates not just the brain center for vomiting but the endocannabinoid system as well.
Compared to antiemetic drugs, CBD oil offers limited side effects. You may feel some dryness of the eyes and the mouth as well as lightheadedness and dizziness. But these are usually well-tolerated. The side effects also disappear once you get used to CBD.
In addition to using CBD oil for nausea and vomiting, you can also use it for a variety of symptoms. It can help reduce pain and discomfort. CBD can also help improve sleep and appetite. It can also help fight chronic, low-grade inflammation, which worsens many chronic medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, among others.
Contraindications to Using CBD Oil for Nausea and Vomiting
You might be wondering — Can I use CBD oil for nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy?
Some expectant mothers use CBD oil to help with their morning sickness, symptoms of which include nausea and vomiting. They report that CBD oil is an effective remedy against this condition. It even helped control their stress, anxiety, and back pain.
While CBD may help, we recommend though that you exercise extreme caution in using CBD oil for nausea and vomiting. Studies have shown that CBD (as well as other cannabinoids like THC) can cross the placental barrier and may cause a weakening of the fetus’ immune system.
It can even be passed on to the baby through the mother’s milk, so breastfeeding mothers should also be careful when using CBD oil.
We need more studies that focus on CBD and its effects on the developing fetus as well as the growing baby. If you think you’ll benefit from CBD oil for your pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting, we recommend speaking about it with your doctor first.
How to Use CBD Oil for Nausea and Vomiting
For fast relief, we suggest placing the drops under your tongue and letting them absorb for about two minutes. This allows the cells in your mouth to quickly absorb CBD. Once absorbed, CBD will enter the bloodstream and go directly to the brain’s vomiting center.
Using CBD oil and finding the right dosage take a bit of a personal journey, a trial-and-error approach. This is especially true since our endocannabinoid systems are built differently. To find the right dosage based on your symptoms, you may use our ICARIA chart:
- Mild nausea and vomiting symptoms, use 6.25 mg to 12.5mg of CBD (5 to 10 drops)
- Moderate nausea and vomiting symptoms, use 18.75 mg to 25 mg of CBD (15 o 20 drops)
- Severe nausea and vomiting symptoms, use 25 mg to 50 mg of CBD (20 to 40 drops)
- Extra-strength CBD oil, use 100 mg of CBD (80 drops)
If you’re new to CBD, you may start with a lower dose than what we listed above. This allows you to easily control your CBD doses. If there’s no improvement after about three days, then increase your CBD dose. Should you develop side effects, then decrease the dose.
Where to Find CBD Oil for Nausea and Vomiting in Canada
You can buy CBD oil for nausea and vomiting from local dispensaries and health stores. But if want premium-grade CBD oil, then go online where you can also read reviews about the CBD company as well as the CBD oil they’re offering. These customer reviews and feedback can help you reach a more informed decision.
When looking for a good CBD brand, make sure its products are laboratory tested and have certificates of analysis as proof. See to it, too, that the company and its products received high ratings and reviews.
We, at ICARIA, only offer laboratory-tested products made from premium-grade, organically grown hemp. To know more about our products, please feel free to contact us. We’d love to help you find the best CBD oil for your needs.
