​CBD and Traumatic Brain Injury

CBD and Traumatic Brain Injury:

The pandemic of sports-related traumatic brain injury and the associated

development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (also known as traumatic

brain injury or TBI) has prompted an interest within the medical community in

the role of the endocannabinoid system and the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) to

reduce brain inflammation among athletes.

Recent research supports the efficacy of administering Cannabidiol (CBD) both

preventatively and therapeutically in head injury. The decrease in human

cannabinoids after injury appears to be associated with neurological

inflammation, and, because the endocannabinoid system regulates the vast array

of pathways essential for human life, the impact of brain injury affects all facets

of the brain’s function. Administration of phytocannabinoids may be vital in

restoring neurological function which affects pain perception, mood, learning,

appetite, and metabolic function. Cannabidiol is safe and has shown great

promise as both a preventative and therapeutic intervention in the management

of TBI.

Physicians, exercise physiologists and neuroscientists are opening a new frontier

of therapy that could change the lives of those who have been injured, and

possibly prevent serious injury in the future.