(Photo Credit - Sander van der Wel)

A recent study conducted at Federal University of Prana and Santa Catarina in Brazil just reported that pre-clinical and clinical studies suggested that cannabidiol, a.k.a. CBD may help prevent drug addiction relapse. Other studies have been conducted in the past that test the effects of rewarding these receptors. It's now being shown that inhibiting these receptors may prove to be more effective.

Related: CBD vs. THC - Cannabinoid Showdown

CBD can act as what's called an "inverse agonist" in the endocannabinoid system. This means that CBD is more of an inhibitor of CB1, rather than a stimulator. This inhibition of CB1 seems to help extinguish the emotional rewards that can interfere with maintaining one's abstinence from prior drug addiction.

The CB1 receptor in the body's endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in the processing of emotional memories, including the emotional rewards felt from ingestion of addictive drugs such as cocaine and more.

Related: Study Shows Cannabis Reduces Benzodiazepine Reliance

"Currently available data from mouse, rat, monkey and healthy human studies investigating the effects of cannabinoid drugs on extinction and reconsolidation of aversive memories are more consistent than those related to rewarding drug-associated memories."

There is still much to be uncovered regarding this phenomenon. As stated towards the end of the study's abstract - "the cannabidiol has shown to be effective in any of the aforementioned cases, albeit its mechanism of action is not fully understood." Essentially, the study showed that CBD does work for fighting drug addiction relapse, and now they have to figure out why it works.

Related: CBG Cannabinoid Shown to Stimulate Appetite

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