If you have ever had chickenpox, decades later you could develop shingles because it comes from the same virus. This nasty rash can cause all sorts of trouble causing pain, redness, and itchiness. Because it is a skin rash, can CBD help with shingles?
Cannabidiol has shown in studies that it can kill viruses. However, they have yet to run any definitive tests on CBD and shingles exclusively. So, while we don’t know if CBD hemp oil can cure shingles, we do know that it may be able to help with some of the symptoms that arise.
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is a painful rash that happens to people who have had the chicken pox. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body inactive. However, something could wake the virus up causing the individual to develop shingles.
Risk Factors Of Developing Shingles
- Being over 50
- Having HIV or AIDS
- Physical trauma
- Being under a lot of stress
- Taking medicine or substances long term that negatively affects your immune system
Symptoms Of Shingles
- Pain in your skin
- Itchy rash
- Red skin
- Oversensitivity
- Blisters
- Ulcers
- Fatigue
How CBD May Be Able To Help With Shingles
Shingles are painful! Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown in studies that it may be able to help reduce your sensitivity to pain. It can do this by elevating the endocannabinoid anandamide, which binds to the CB1 receptor. Binding to this receptor helps to mediate neurological functions in your body, including your sensitivity to pain.
Shingles cause inflammation in the skin which is why you see that painful red rash when you have them. Putting a CBD hemp oil topical on your shingles may be able to help decrease the inflammation which is another way that CBD can help with the pain.
Cannabidiol elevates the endocannabinoid 2-AG which binds to the CB2 receptor. The CB2 receptor is in charge of regulating the immune system, and elevating 2-AG has shown to help calm down the immune effects which in turn reduces inflammation.
Talk With Your Doctor
Medical cannabis is not a known cure for shingles, so you still need to see a doctor if you are experiencing an itchy rash. You can spread shingles with open blisters, so it is important to be careful knowing you have this condition. Talk to your doctor about using CBD oil for your shingles, and then stop by our shop and check out our wide variety of topical ointments that may be the right option for you.
