By Luke Sumpter

Inflammation contributes to a huge number of health conditions. But it’s not a standalone disease. Rather, this mechanistic process plays a key role in response to injury and infection. But chronic inflammation, arising from myriad factors, including diet and underlying health conditions, can cause havoc in the body.

Because chronic inflammatory diseases are the largest[1] cause of death across the world, scientists are on the hunt for therapeutics to tackle this physiological state. Some of them have their eyes on CBD as a potential candidate.

CBD AND THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM

CBD is formed within the trichomes of the cannabis plant as a secondary metabolite. The molecule interacts with the human body in numerous ways and exerts effects partly via serotonin and vanilloid receptors. Much like other cannabinoids, CBD can also influence the endocannabinoid system. This system is comprised of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that are found upon the cell membrane of many different cell types throughout the body.

Several cannabinoids achieve their medicinal effects by binding to these receptors sites. Although CBD does not directly bind to these receptors, and is in fact a known antagonist, it does sill influence the endocannabinoid system in an indirect manner. It has the ability to both enhance and reduce the binding action of certain receptors and also acts as an anandamide reuptake inhibitor.

What is anandamide, you ask? Superb question. Anandamide belongs to a class of molecules known as endocannabinoids. These molecules share a very similar shape with cannabinoids from the cannabis plant, or phytocannabinoids, which is why cannabinoids are able to bind to some of the same receptor sites.

Body Inflamation CBD

WHAT IS INFLAMMATION?

Although often vilified and looked at through a negative lens, inflammation is actually a vital physiological process and a fundamental aspect of the body’s innate immune response. However, too much inflammation is attributed as a contributing factor for chronic diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

Acute inflammation is usually the result of a traumatic injury, such as a sprained ankle or strained muscles, for example, and manifests as pain, redness, immobility, swelling, and heat. This form of inflammation is a response with the purpose of protecting the injured area and triggering the healing process. Specific cells move into the affected site and begin to clear debris and damaged tissues. Although anti-inflammatory medication is often used to hinder this response and deal with the pain, the body does need to undergo this phase, thus the use of these medicines can be seen as controversial. Acute inflammation can also be caused by harmful bacteria.

Chronic inflammation is defined as inflammation that persists over long periods of time and can be caused by pathogens, viruses, and an overactive immune response. This form of inflammation can span from periods of months to years, and can occur when the immune system perceives healthy tissues as a threat and starts to attack them. This is known as an autoimmune disease. Such conditions include asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and sinusitis.

CBD AND INFLAMMATION

Does CBD help to quell inflammation in the body? That’s a good question, and one that researchers are working hard to answer. Chronic inflammation causes oxidative stress, which in turn causes more inflammation. Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals (highly reactive molecules with one or more unpaired electrons) outnumber antioxidants in the body, enabling them to inflict damage upon cells. Although the body produces antioxidants to quell free radical damage, sometimes internal defences aren’t enough. Luckily, many foods contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, that help to neutralise these damaging molecules. Interestingly, researchers are exploring the potential of CBD as an antioxidant[2] in animal models of inflammation.

Ongoing studies are also exploring CBD’s potential to hamper inflammation by acting on various receptors in the body. However, the action of CBD on these sites remains unclear. acting on various receptors[3] -

Potential molecular targets include:

  • Cannabinoid receptors: The primary endocannabinoid system receptors are widespread throughout the nervous system and immune system, and play a regulatory role when it comes to inflammation. Although CBD has little affinity with these sites, it still interacts with them in impactful ways.
  • TRP channels: CBD binds to several transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, some of which are involved in inflammation and redox balance (the balance between free radicals and antioxidants).
  • PPARy: Regarded by some as a cannabinoid receptor, this nuclear receptor works to modulate proinflammatory gene expression.

Furthermore, studies are investigating the impact of CBD on models of intestinal inflammation. For example, research published in the journal PLOS One administered the cannabinoid[4] to mice to observe its effects on inflamed intestinal cells.

Inflamation CBD

CBD FOR ATHLETES

Athletes represent a population with a high risk of acute musculoskeletal injury and chronic pathologies. Acute injuries always start with an inflammatory response. Although the findings outlined above are encouraging, there is still a lot we need to learn about CBD’s impact on combating pain and reducing swelling and soreness. Interestingly, that hasn't stopped the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from recently removing CBD from its prohibited substances list. This means Olympic athletes and professional sports players will no longer be penalised for using CBD before or after competing.

Medical DisclaimerInformation listed, referenced or linked to on this website is for general educational purposes only and does not provide professional medical or legal advice.

Royal Queen Seeds does not condone, advocate or promote licit or illicit drug use. Royal Queen Seeds Cannot be held responsible for material from references on our pages or on pages to which we provide links, which condone, advocate or promote licit or illicit drug use or illegal activities. Please consult your Doctor/Health care Practitioner before using any products/methods listed, referenced or linked to on this website.

External Resources:
  1. Chronic Inflammation - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Cannabidiol reduces intestinal inflammation through the control of neuroimmune axis - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: