My guest this week is Martin Lee, the primary author of the recent book The Essential Guide to CBD (affiliate link), which offers a solid introduction to the many possible benefits of CBD. Martin and I explored how it is that a single substance can have such wide-ranging effects, and got into specific conditions like anxiety, depression, and sleep. If you’re new to CBD, or interested to learn more about the science behind its effects, I think you’ll find a lot of good information here.

Other topics we discussed included:

• The body’s endocannabinoid system that regulates countless processes
• The regulation of ion channels and mitochondria function by CBD
• The potential role of CBD in treating chronic fatigue
• Effects of CBD on the GABAergic system, the main inhibitory part of the nervous system
• Anti-anxiety effects of CBD, and its relative safety as an anxiolytic
• The potentiating effect of CBD in priming a healthier lifestyle
• CBD as a health aid more so than as a pharmaceutical
• Lifestyle ways to tone one’s endocannabinoid system: Diet, sleep, exercise, and social interactions
• Effects of CBD on depression
• The need for randomized, controlled, double-blind studies of CBD
• Benefits of CBD on public speaking anxiety and performance
• Effects of CBD+THC for chronic pain, versus either alone
• The effectiveness of CBD oil for epilepsy among children
• The safety of CBD, and the high potential for drug interactions with pharmaceuticals
• Lowering the dose of chemotherapy needed by adding CBD

Martin A. Lee is the co-founder and director of Project CBD.

He is the author of several books, including Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana (affiliate link), which received the American Botanical Council’s James A. Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature.

Named by High Times as one of the 100 most influential people in cannabis, he is the 2016 winner of the Emerald Cup’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Martin is also co-founder of the media watch group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) and the author of Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD—The CIA, the Sixties and Beyond.

Learn more about CBD on the Project CBD website.