CBD oil is prized for its reputed ability to reduce anxiety and minimize inflammation, both of which could help to treat aspects of erectile dysfunction. However, more research is needed to confirm CBD’s medicinal properties.
Advertisements for the benefits of CBD oil are everywhere you turn these days. According to its manufacturers, vendors, and some devoted users, this cannabis derivative can treat virtually every ailment known to man (and woman).
CBD — short for cannabidiol — is being sold in head shops and vape stores, as well as some highly regarded chain pharmacies. Unlike THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which produces the “high” prized by marijuana users, CBD is not psychoactive. However, its purported medicinal properties are said to be very broad indeed.
What About ED?
All of which begs the question: Can CBD help impotent men to overcome their symptoms of erectile dysfunction? And on this key question, the jury is still out.
Scientists do know that CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is made up of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoid molecules, and metabolic enzymes. This system is responsible for maintaining the body’s homeostasis, or the stability and healthy balance of the body’s physical and chemical components. It does this through the regulation of many bodily processes, including appetite, communication between cells, immune response, and metabolism.
CBD and Libido
However, CBD’s effect on libido, one of many bodily functions, is the subject of debate, according to Healthline.com. While some scientists argue that the use of cannabinoids, including both CBD and THC, fire up libido, others contend that these cannabinoids tamp down libidinal impulses.
One of the less controversial of CBD’s medicinal properties is its ability to reduce anxiety and depression in those who use it. According to Weedmaps.com, this should make CBD oil a natural for men whose ED stems from performance anxiety or any other form of anxiety as well.
Anti-inflammatory Effects
Some proponents of CBD use contend that the oil has a natural anti-inflammatory effect, which in theory should help reduce symptoms in men whose ED is caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis. Inflammation of the endothelium, the single layer of smooth muscle cells lining the inside of artery walls, hampers blood flow to the genitals.
Inflammation also plays a key role in atherosclerosis, another major cause of ED. This buildup of fatty plaques on the inner walls of arteries reduces blood flow to the penis and thus can cause ED.
Inflammation in Diabetes
Men with diabetes face a far higher risk of ED than men who are nondiabetics. Here again, inflammation plays a major role in the damage that diabetes does to blood vessels. According to IntrinsicHemp.com, researchers have found a strong link between the insulin resistance characteristic of diabetes and inflammation.
At this point, many of the arguments for CBD’s use as a form of treatment for ED are based on speculation, albeit informed speculation. Nevertheless, these theories have not yet been subjected to intensive scientific scrutiny, which will be needed to firmly establish CBD’s value as an ED treatment.
ED Drugs Could Help
In the meantime, men suffering from the most common forms of ED — caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis — can find relief in Viagra or one of the other oral ED drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors.
Available by prescription only, these ED drugs are sold at pharmacies everywhere and can also be ordered online through respected prescription drug services such as eDrugstore.com. Many men prefer to order these drugs online because the process is both convenient and private.
If you don’t yet have a prescription, eDrugstore has a solution for you. Take advantage of its complimentary consultation service and you’ll be matched up online with a licensed U.S. physician who can authorize a prescription if appropriate. To learn more, visit eDrugstore’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
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