How Safe is CBD Oil for Children?

CBD is a compound known as cannabinoid, found in hemp and cannabis.  

Since Raphael Mechoulam’s early findings on cannabis, scientists have continued to note that it has some interesting health benefits and can help manage a wide range of medical conditions, especially those that affect children.

Some of the benefits that have been seen include the fact that it is anti-inflammatory, a great pain reliever, reduces seizures for epileptic patients, an anxiety suppressant, and may also have anti-tumoral actions. This has made CBD an exciting prospect for recent scientific research.  

However, whether it can be administered for kids has been a recent bugging topic of huge concern among parents.

Is It Safe?

CBD oil has been gaining lots of attention when it comes to helping children with autism, sensory processing disorders, anxiety disorders, insomnia, epilepsy and more, and there are many studies, as well as scientific evidence showing that CBD oil can be of benefit for various kinds of health issues affecting children.

Many sites document successful experiments in treating children using CBD Oil. Although more research still needs to be done, findings so far indicate that CBD is safe for children.

Children are actually exposed to external sources of cannabinoids quite frequently, even as early as birth through their mother’s breast milk which is an abundant source of endocannabinoids, and which assists with infant development. So cannabinoids are not new to the body system of a child, and it has had a huge role to play in child development.

CBD oil is known to assist the body in creating more of its own cannabinoids which in turn aid the body in operating properly. We should note that CBD is a form of Cannabinoid found in cannabis plants. It’s different from another Cannabinoid known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the ingredient that gives that high or stoned feeling when ingested.

Since there are no psychoactive properties in a true CBD hemp oil, children are not at risk of getting that “high” feeling associated with cannabis products heavy in the cannabinoid cousin THC. So you don’t have to worry about your children experiencing that high feeling, should you use CBD oil on them.

Existing CBD Use On Children

CBD oil has been used for children with health issues. In countries like the United States, Australia, Brazil, Israel, the United Kingdom and Ireland, success stories involving administering CBD oil for kids abound.

One of them is the famous story of Charlotte Figi who was given CBD oil to help calm her seizures. Charlotte was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a condition which causes seizures and paralysis in the body.  She was experiencing more than 300 epileptic seizures every week and she could neither move, talk nor eat on her own. When doctors ran out of solutions, her mother purchased CBD Oil at a local marijuana dispensary, and this totally changed their lives.  

Charlotte’s seizures fell to fewer than one episode per week, and she stayed virtually seizure free throughout the entire first week of treatment. Due to the success in calming her seizures, the cannabis strain was named in her honor and it’s often used to treat chronic pain, anxieties, seizures, and stress among both children and adults.

Another is the story of Katelyn Lambert in Australia, whose grandfather was so thrilled by the effectiveness of CBD oil in lowering his granddaughter’s seizures that he donated $34 million (Aus) to medical cannabis research. 

Then there’s the story of Ava Barry in Ireland, who like Charlotte was also diagnosed with Dravet syndrome. She had already been sent home by doctors, who had told her parents that there was nothing else they could do.  But her parents wouldn’t give up, and after researching on the internet, they started giving Ava CBD oil, which reduced her seizures by over 80%. Apart from the notable reduction in seizures, Ava’s parents also saw a noticeable improvement in her overall well being and cognitive ability.  “she was standing up straighter” her mother says. “She was making more eye contact and the next thing, in a family joke, Ava was giggling just like the other kids. She had never laughed like that before.

Final Thoughts

As of now, since research has not proven otherwise, there is absolutely no harm in administering CBD oil to children who really need it. It has been said to be completely safe as it doesn’t cause stunted growth either physically or mentally.

Studies have shown that CBD is a safe alternative for children who need medication. This was made official by the World Health Organization in December 2017 after conducting extensive research. The WHO stated that it found no adverse risks in using CBD, and proclaimed it as of “relatively low toxicity” and having “a good safety profile”.  

For parents of sick children with seizures and other related disorders who seem to have run out of solutions and medications, CBD Oil drop is worth a try.