By Miguel Ordoñez

Conventional medicine will tell you that ibuprofen is one of the most effective means of treating pain. Since the 1960s[1], it’s been the go-to medication for run-of-the-mill malaises like headaches, toothaches, and back pain.

On the flip side, you have cannabidiol, a promising compound from the cannabis plant. CBD, as it’s most commonly known, has been a subject of study for several conditions, including pain. But, unlike ibuprofen, it does not have approval from medical experts yet.

Regardless, CBD remains in conversation as a natural, versatile compound with intriguing effects. But, how effective is it really? This article aims to answer that question.


How Ibuprofen Works

Ibuprofen is one of the most common forms of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Additionally, it is effective in eliminating fever and headaches.

Ibuprofen works by reducing the hormones that cause both pain and swelling. It inhibits the release of prostaglandins[2], chemical compounds responsible for controlling inflammation and blood flow.

Ibuprofen specifically targets the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes by decreasing their activity. These two enzymes trigger inflammation and fever[3].

But, when it comes to benefits, ibuprofen goes beyond just pain control. It’s proven to be effective against rheumatoid arthritis and diseases, minor musculoskeletal injuries, and fever, and it also helps prevent the formation of blood clots.

CBD vs Ibuprofen

We now have a general idea of how ibuprofen works. So, let’s shift our attention to CBD and how it operates in the body.

CBD primarily interfaces with the body via the endocannabinoid system. It doesn't bind directly to innate receptors in this system (CB1 and CB2), but it can enhance natural endocannabinoid levels and benefit the system in other ways[4]. The ECS is responsible for regulating several major functions, including sleep, pain, immune system response, and appetite. Thus, any compound capable of boosting this system's efficacy is deemed worthy of exploration.

But, if ibuprofen is so effective, why would we even be courting CBD for its potential? Well, because taking ibuprofen carries several risk factors that are definitely worth taking into account. According to the FDA, NSAIDs including ibuprofen may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, even with short-term use[5]. Symptoms may arise within a few weeks.

Ibuprofen is derived from propionic acid, the same fatty acid present in processed food. It is primarily used to fight off mould and bacteria, and may severely irritate the skin upon direct interaction. However, the FDA deemed it to have little toxicity[6] in humans.

As for CBD, it is extracted from the hemp plant with the help of a solvent like ethanol or carbon dioxide. The cannabidiol is then transformed into oil, topical, or capsule gel form for consumption.

Can You Take CBD and Ibuprofen Together?

On the one hand, you have a fast-acting synthetic drug with known side effects and health risks. On the other, you have an organic substance that’s perceived to have its own benefits—without the risks[7]. Looking at it on paper, combining the two isn’t such a bad idea.

And it may not be. This 2019 study[8], for one, reports no direct interactions between ibuprofen and CBD. However, that isn’t the case with other NSAIDs like naproxen and celecoxib. Experts advise against the co-administration of cannabidiol and these aforementioned drugs.

The likelihood of side effects may vary between individuals. Your best bet here would be to consult your doctor before taking CBD alongside ibuprofen.

How Does CBD Affect Pain?

We previously mentioned CBD’s interaction with the endocannabinoid system as the jumping-off point for scientific interest in this domain. Now, let’s take a deeper look at the research.

  • CBD for Acute Pain

If a person is experiencing acute pain, they will likely be prescribed an analgesic. It could be in the form of paracetamol, or NSAIDs like ibuprofen. For severe cases, doctors can turn to opioids like oxycodone and morphine.

However, research[9] is investigating whether CBD’s effects could serve analgesic functions as well. Take, for example, a phase III study[10] published in 2009 on cannabinoids as a plausible medium for pain management.

One of the focal points of the study concerned Sativex, a cannabis extract containing both CBD and THC, versus a THC-dominant extract and a placebo. It was found that the Sativex achieved significant pain relief compared to both the THC-dominant extract and placebo.

That’s not all. According to a 2006 study[11] performed on mice, CBD also promoted the signalling of adenosine receptors. Adenosine receptors[12] are scattered throughout the entire body. One of their primary roles: pain and inflammation regulation.

Antioxidants are also known to be effective in fighting pain[13]. Studies are testing the antioxidant capacity of CBD[14] to see how it fares against popular supplements used for this purpose.

CBD for Acute Pain

  • CBD for Peripheral Pain

Peripheral pain, otherwise known as peripheral neuropathy[15], is a condition resulting from nerve damage. Usual symptoms are numbness, pain, and weakness. Some people also feel a tingling sensation in their fingers.

Instead of going for steroids and immunosuppressants for treatment, could cannabidiol be another plausible option?

As this 2004 study[16] on CBD derivatives shows, cannabidiol didn’t have a direct effect on the central nervous system. However, it did display peripheral effects related to antinociception and immune signalling.

CBD for Peripheral Pain
  • CBD for Chronic Inflammation

It’s one thing to experience mild inflammation in certain parts of the body. But if it lasts for several months, even years, then you’re suffering from chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation happens when your body is in constant fight mode, a supposed reaction against diseases. But, in this case, the immune system is attacking healthy tissues by mistake. Experts see it more as an autoimmune disorder.

Like with pain, chronic inflammation can be treated by taking NSAIDs and steroids. Experts also prescribe certain supplements[17] like fish oil and lipoic acid. They are now also looking to CBD’s effects profile for answers.

Take this 2012 study[18] on rodents, which shows that CBD and its modified derivatives targeted α3 glycine receptors. Glycine receptors play crucial roles related to pain and motor control.

CBD for Chronic Inflammation

  • CBD for Migraines

If you’re experiencing a dull, impairing headache with episodes of nausea and hypersensitivity to light, you’re dealing with a migraine. The throbbing, pulsing sensation is usually felt on one side of the head.

Doctors usually prescribe over-the-counter medication like NSAIDs, codeine, even caffeine as a form of migraine treatment. But, since the early part of the 20th century, cannabis has been considered as an alternative.

A 1998 review[19] explored the current body of research on the cannabinoids in marijuana as they relate to migraine mitigation. Noting antiemetic (anti-nausea and vomiting) and vasodilator (blood vessel dilation) properties, the authors concluded that cannabinoids are of great interest in the conversation of migraine treatment.

CBD for Migraines
  • CBD for Fibromyalgia

People who suffer from fibromyalgia know how disruptive this condition can get. Widespread physical pain can cause a person to feel constantly fatigued, lose sleep, and basically be deprived of living a normal life.

The causes of fibromyalgia vary from genetics to physical and emotional trauma. Antidepressants and anti-seizure medication are usually given to patients who deal with this disease.

As this study notes[20], endocannabinoid deficiency is also identified as one of the potential underlying causes of fibromyalgia. In this case, CBD was deemed as a potential solution to boost endocannabinoid levels.

CBD for Fibromyalgia

Could CBD Replace Ibuprofen in the Future?

Dr Stewart Adam’s discovery of ibuprofen in the 1960s is still considered one of the biggest breakthroughs in modern medicine. Thanks to this happy accident[21], pain and discomfort aren’t as debilitating as they were in decades past.

At the same time, you have cannabidiol, a compound that has garnered significant attention for its wellness-boosting potential. But could CBD replace ibuprofen in the near or distant future?

Right now, more studies need to be conducted. A lot of questions still need answers. However, existing research has done the groundwork for more in-depth trials.

External Resources:
  1. A brief history of ibuprofen https://pharmaceutical-journal.com
  2. Prostaglandins: What They Are and Their Role in the Body https://www.healthline.com
  3. COX-2 Inhibitors Drug Class Information on RxList.com https://www.rxlist.com
  4. Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publishing https://www.health.harvard.edu
  5. FDA strengthens warning that NSAIDs increase heart attack and stroke risk - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publishing https://www.health.harvard.edu
  6. Propionic Acid - ScienceDirect https://www.sciencedirect.com
  7. WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence Critical Review: Cannabidiol (CBD) https://www.who.int
  8. Potential Adverse Drug Events and Drug–Drug Interactions with Medical and Consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) Use https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. DEFINE_ME https://www.jpsmjournal.com
  11. Inhibition of an equilibrative nucleoside transporter by cannabidiol: a mechanism of cannabinoid immunosuppression - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  12. Frontiers | The Role of Adenosine Receptors in Psychostimulant Addiction | Pharmacology https://www.frontiersin.org
  13. Antioxidant therapy for pain relief in patients with chronic pancreatitis: systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  14. Cannabidiol and (-)Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol are neuroprotective antioxidants - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  15. Peripheral neuropathy - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org
  16. (+)-Cannabidiol analogues which bind cannabinoid receptors but exert peripheral activity only - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  17. Chronic Inflammation: Definition, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment https://www.healthline.com
  18. Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  19. Cannabis for migraine treatment: the once and future prescription? An historical and scientific review - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  20. Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions? - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  21. The hangover that led to the discovery of ibuprofen https://www.bbc.com
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: