CBD has a whole new aura of a “cure for all disease” around it. Though it is pretty far from the truth still, the medicinal benefits of CBD are numerous. Clinically backed evidence suggests CBD gummies can help with chronic pain, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, people use CBD for many other ailments, such as helping out with digestive issues like malabsorption. 

As the name suggests, malabsorption means poor absorption, and the disease affects the small intestine. While the primary role of the small intestine is absorbing nutrients from the food, in malabsorption, the absorbing ability of the small intestine gets affected. 

The symptoms of malabsorption include inflammation in the small intestine, chronic diarrhea, bloating, acidity, and growth failure. The traditional treatment plan for malabsorption includes medication treating the symptoms and replacement of poorly absorbed nutrients. 

According to the experts, some of the symptoms of malabsorption are the same as those of irritable bowel syndrome. In malabsorption, carbohydrates are sometimes not absorbed in the small intestine and reach into the large intestine. There, carbohydrates interact with the large intestine bacteria, leading to IBS symptoms. Due to this, CBD gummies could also be helpful in the treatment of IBS. Apart from traditional medication, nowadays, people are using CBD products to treat the symptoms of malabsorption. So, let’s see if you can consume CBD gummies to help with malabsorption. 

How Do CBD Gummies Work On Our Bodies? 

Like the cannabinoids from the cannabis and hemp plants, the human body also has its cannabinoid, the endocannabinoid. Together, these endocannabinoids form a specialized regulatory system- the endocannabinoid system or ECS. The ECS regulates some of the vital functions of the human body, such as pain and inflammation response, sleep cycle, immune response, and gastrointestinal processes. The ECS has two types of receptors, namely, CB1 and CB2. 

While the CB1 receptors are mainly concentrated around the central and peripheral nervous system, CB2 receptors have high availability around the digestive and immune systems. Researchers believe that the deficiency of endocannabinoids may cause digestive issues. These issues include malabsorption and auto-immune diseases. 

Though CBD doesn’t directly bind with endocannabinoid receptors, it instead interacts with them to show its effects. Moreover, some newer research suggests CBD can interact with many other target molecules. These target molecules include sodium-potassium-calcium ion channels and receptors of serotonin and glycine. Due to the interaction mentioned above of CBD with another molecule, CBD may help in reducing the pain and inflammation caused due to malabsorption. 

Can CBD Help With The Symptoms Of Malabsorption? 

One of the most common uses of CBD is in cases of pain and inflammation. Besides effectively managing chronic pain, CBD may also help reduce inflammation in the small intestine. 

• The research from the National Centers for Complementary and Integrative Health suggests that CBD may help moderately ease inflammation of the gut. 
• Similarly, a review in the journal Molecules has noted that CBD has a practical application in treating pain and inflammation caused due to digestive issues. 
• In a separate study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, it was found that cannabinoids such as CBD can lower inflammation and neuropathic pain. CBD does so by targeting some specific receptors in the central nervous system. 
• Other studies have pointed out that the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD could be highly useful in treating disorders of the gut such as malabsorption and IBS. 
• A small study has found that using a combination of CBD and PEA (another endocannabinoid) may lower the occurrence of the leaky gut and inflammation of the intestine. 

Why Do People Consume CBD Gummies For Malabsorption?

At present, most of the research related to the effects of CBD on malabsorption is in the preclinical phase, or the reports are anecdotal. Due to this, there isn’t any specific kind of CBD which could be more beneficial than the other type. 

However, pure CBD has an earthy and bitter taste, making it relatively uninteresting to ingest. Due to this, people often don’t like to take CBD oil and tinctures. Instead, people now prefer CBD gummies. These gummies are sugar-coated candies containing CBD oil in it. The sweet taste of gummies helps in masking the original bitter taste of CBD. Moreover, these CBD gummies are pretty easy to store and consume. At the same time, gummies are also discreet, which helps in being safe from the prying eyes of nosy people. 

Is CBD Safe To Consume In Malabsorption? 

Researchers have found much new evidence suggesting that CBD is safe to use in malabsorption or other digestion-related medical conditions. According to the WHO, CBD is well-tolerated in humans. The WHO report has even found several medicinal uses for CBD, contrary to the popular belief of the FDA. 

However, CBD may interfere with the working of certain drugs or may negatively affect people with grapefruit allergies. CBD can also increase the blood-thinning level and other medications by competing with the liver enzymes that break down these drugs. 

For malabsorption, taking 20-40 mg of CBD daily should be enough, and you can gradually increase the dose before settling down to the correct dose. The interesting thing about CBD gummies is that it’s pretty easy to keep a tab on quantities as each gummy contains an equal amount of CBD. Researchers have found that CBD is well-tolerated between 20 to 1500 mg per day. So, keep your doses within this bracket, or you can face several side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

To conclude, consuming CBD gummies might help in case of malabsorption. However, the research on this subject is still in the preliminary stage. While most of the anecdotal evidence supports users’ claims, it is due to CBD’s ability to help with pain and inflammation. Mind that the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of CBD are back by much well-received scientific literature. 

However, there is only one FDA-approve pure CBD drug on the market, the Epidiolex. The drug is used to control seizures in children suffering from two rare forms of epilepsy. Other than this, there haven’t been any pure CBD-based drugs available. So, have some caution while taking CBD for malabsorption, and don’t forget to check with your health care provider even though CBD is safe to use.