New research suggests that CBD oil may boost blood flow to the brain.

A study conducted by University College London showed improved blood flow to the hippocampus after the application of CBD oil.

Led by Dr Michael Bloomfield, the study followed 15 participants with no previous history of cannabis use. Each participant was given a 600mg dose of CBD or a placebo.

Using arterial spin labelling MRI, they found that CBD increased blood flow in the hippocampus of patients with no history of cannabis use.

Landmark discovery

Dr. Bloomfield said that this was the first evidence that CBD could help brain function.

While the study only included a small group of individuals he said the results are impressive.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to find that CBD increases blood flow to key regions involved in-memory processing, particularly the hippocampus,” he added.

“This supports the view that CBD has region-specific blood flow effects in the human brain, which has previously been disputed.”

Important discovery

However, Bloomfield pointed out that their research was limited by only using a single dose of CBD in healthy patients. This means it may not translate to repeated use.

In any case, they believe these results could be an “important discovery” for future research and treatment. In particular, memory conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and improving targeted-therapy approaches.

“If replicated, these results could lead to further research across a range of conditions characterized by changes in how the brain processes memories, including Alzheimer’s disease, where there are defects in the control of blood control flow, along with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder,” Bloomfield added.

Source: TheExtract