Does CBD Help With Nausea?
Even if you don’t throw up, feeling nauseous can negatively impact your quality of life. You may not be able to ride in a car, complete basic daily activities, or eat to nourish your body. The longer your symptoms persist, the more negatively they will impact your quality of life. Here’s what you need to know if you are considering CBD for nausea.
Please Note—CBD companies cannot provide medical advice and we cannot guarantee that CBD will effectively soothe your mind or body. The data we provide is for informational purposes. Consult with your physician for guidance on all dietary supplements.
What Causes Nausea?
Before we get into using CBD for nausea, let’s look at the top causes of nausea. Depending on the cause, the treatment may vary. The most common causes include:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Motion sickness
- Morning sickness
- Phobias
- Migraines
- Food poisoning
- Illnesses such as the flu
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Prescription medications
- Inner ear problems
- Thyroid disorders
- Chemotherapy
- And more
Does CBD Work For Nausea?
Most of the research available related to using cannabinoids for nausea is for marijuana, not hemp-derived CBD. Speaking more specifically of nausea, the research is limited to reducing the nausea and vomiting that are common side effects of chemotherapy. There is also research on marijuana for improving appetite for patients suffering from a variety of conditions, including cancer, HIV, and eating disorders.
However, when it comes to extreme and chronic forms of nausea, research shows that THC does most of the heavy lifting—but works together with CBD and terpenes to reduce symptoms. In fact, marijuana can be more effective than prescription anti-nausea drugs or may work when prescriptions fail.
However, CBD may also help with your nausea, particularly if it is not chronic or severe.
Does CBD Settle Your Stomach?
If your stomach is upset from stress or anxiety, you have an internal imbalance. For example, if you get nervous before you fly, speak in public, or interview for a new job. Knowing your nausea triggers is essential, as it empowers you to take a proactive approach to settle your nerves and your stomach.
CBD helps to promote the process of homeostasis, which is a naturally occurring process that empowers our body to self-regulate. When you are stressed or anxious, your body produces more of the stress hormone cortisol. When cortisol ends up in your digestive tract it can disrupt your gut microbe and create the feeling of nausea or butterflies in your stomach.
By taking a proactive approach, which may include CBD to activate the process of homeostasis, you may be able to soothe your symptoms.
Can CBD Help With Nausea And Headaches?
Stress and anxiety can trigger multiple symptoms, including both nausea and headaches. There are many over-the-counter headache treatments, but they may make your nausea worse. However, studies show that CBD can be effective for treating headaches and migraines. Results are best with consistent use, so be as proactive as possible.
For example, if you always get stressed and anxious the last few weeks before a big deadline at work—start your proactive strategy 2 or 3 weeks prior. This can include CBD, but managing stress often requires a multi-pronged approach.
Your stress management strategy may include any combination of:
- Massage
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Talk therapy
- Creating a sleep routine
- Remaining physically active
- Improved nutrition
- Minimizing alcohol consumption
- Minimizing caffeine consumption
Does CBD Make You Nauseous?
CBD causing nausea is rare, but it is a possible side effect. If you are already feeling nauseous, it may be difficult to gauge if you are having a side effect of CBD or if your symptoms are simply worsening.
However, if you only feel nauseous after taking CBD, you may be experiencing a rare side effect. Check first to ensure your CBD is pure, as it could be the synthetic additives that are making you sick.
What Are The Side-Effects Of CBD?
In terms of overdosing, there are currently zero studies or reported cases that have resulted in either a minor or fatal overdose of hemp-derived CBD. This includes data from around the globe where CBD is both legal and illegal.
While there are zero reports of overdose, almost anything we consume can have a side effect. Everyone responds differently to plant-based dietary supplements so pay attention to how you feel once you start taking CBD. While extremely rare, and most often when taken in extremely high doses (more than 20,000 milligrams per day), side effects include:
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Low-blood pressure
- Reduced appetite
- Negative interaction with prescription medications
How To Choose The Right CBD?
Not all CBD is created equally and not all products that are marketed as CBD are CBD. Here’s what you need to know to make an informed purchasing decision:
Hemp oil vs. Hemp Seed Oil—many hemp seed oil brands utilize misleading marketing to lead you to believe they are a CBD product. However, hemp seed oil is a cooking oil that does not contain measurable milligrams of CBD per serving. If the label does not share the milligrams per serving, it’s probably hemp seed oil.
Isolate vs. Full Spectrum—once you identify a true CBD oil, you must determine if it is isolated CBD or full-spectrum CBD. Full-spectrum products contain terpenes which we discuss below. Isolate products only contain CBD, which means that you miss out on the synergizing effects of terpenes.
Terpenes—generally speaking, terpenes are aromatic compounds secreted from the glands of every plant, herb, and flower. They are what give flowers and natural essential oils their distinct aroma. In terms of CBD’s effectiveness, terpenes work with CBD to create a synergetic effect. CBD connects the endocannabinoid system to promote homeostasis and terpenes bind the endocannabinoid system for optimized results.
Organic vs. Non-Organic—few CBD brands are USDA-Certified Organic. By purchasing an organic product, you ensure quality and purity. Choosing organic means you can purchase your product with the confidence that it’s not filled with synthetic additives that water it down.
Milligrams Per Serving—we mentioned this in the hemp seed oil section, but any reputable CBD brand clearly labels how many milligrams of CBD is in each bottle or product and how many milligrams per suggested serving. For most products, this is between 10 and 30 milligrams. Milligrams per use are less for topical creams, which is fine as applying them topically to targeted muscles and joints is the objective.
Third-Party Lab Tested—reputable brands have a third-party lab test their product for purity after it’s processed. They will also readily share these lab results with you for your confidence.
Holmes Organics uses the CO2 extraction process to purify our products and deliver broad-spectrum and USDA-Certified Organic CBD. We have a versatile range of products to empower you to personalize your wellness routine.
Alternative Nausea Remedies
Managing nausea is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution, so you’ll have to personalize your approach. Discuss natural remedies with your physician, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have any other health conditions. If you aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding, this may include turning to CBD for nausea, as well as any combination of the proactive and reactive alternative remedies below:
Dietary Modifications—peppermint tea, ginger tea, and sparkling water may help to alleviate your symptoms. Also, minimize sugary foods, processed foods, and greasy foods. If it’s difficult to eat, stick to bland foods such as dry toast, plain eggs, mashed potatoes, plain yogurt, creamy soup, gelatin, plain crackers, and pretzels.
Hypnosis—hypnosis must be performed by a trained and certified professional. It can help to alleviate a variety of physical symptoms, including nausea. If it sounds too woo-woo to you, hypnosis probably won’t work as you must be open and receptive.
Relaxation Techniques—there are countless relaxation treatments and techniques to choose from including acupressure, massage, yoga, guided meditation, solo meditation, deep breathing, stretching, sleep and relaxation apps, and more.
Sound Therapies—you could work with a music therapist or listen to music that minimizes your anxiety. This might be classical music, the sounds of nature, chanting, gongs, chimes, binaural beats, and more. Also, consider live sound therapy sessions such as live gongs and chimes so that you feel the vibration too.
Biofeedback—if your stress, anxiety, or nausea is chronic biofeedback may help. Biofeedback is most often performed by a trained therapist in combination with talk therapy and it is not the right fit for everyone. It’s a method of retraining your brain to create healthier patterns. You may need to identify the root cause of your stress and anxiety first.
Systematic Desensitization—often used to treat phobias, systematic desensitization can also be used to treat the anxiety that causes your nausea or headaches. Again, this treatment is not the right fit for everyone and must be performed by a trained professional.
Ready To Try CBD For Nausea?
If you would like to try CBD as a proactive approach to your stress or anxiety-induced nausea—we invite you to browse the product line at Holmes Organics. We offer both oral and topical products, all of which are broad-spectrum.