CBD has exploded in demand over the last year, with lots of people giving it a try as a sleep aid or relief for pain and anxiety. One concern is, there has been no trustworthy guides on the various ways to safely use CBD, which stands for cannabidiol.

This is the main reason why some weeks ago, the Arthritis Foundation released helpful guidelines for those who want to give CBD a go. This has been the first time a major patient advocacy group or foundation has ever given guidance regarding that topic.

The advices are an attempt to provide clarity for the usage of CBD, even though there is a lack of scientific evidence proving that it can actually treat arthritis pain.

"It was important for us to respond to the public's interest, and release some guidelines on the current state of science," said Kevin Boehnke, a member of the research team who works in anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. Boehnke helped develop and write down those guidelines for the Arthritis Foundation.

The group of scientists makes it clear that patients should never abandon arthritis medications already prescribed by doctors when they consider using CBD.

The guidelines are not saying, 'you should try this.' They're saying, 'if you want to try, here's how you should do it‘, so the Arthritis Foundation does not specifically recommend to use CBD, they just want to give those who want to try it a safe source of advice.

By itself, CBD doesn't cause a “high”. Marijuana’s psychoactive effects instead originate from a distinct compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

Since a few years, there has been a huge public interest in CBD products, which are marketed and sold with a variety of health claims, including relief for pain, insomnia and stress. Those statements caught the attention of many people suffering from arthritis, a condition for which there sadly is no cure.

The Arthritis Foundation made a survey with more than 2,600 patients, where they found out that almost 80 percent are either currently using CBD, have used it, or are considering it for treating their joint pain.

The team of researchers responsible for the study admits that any evidence showing CBD might be an effective pain reliever is coming from a variety of analysed different single cases and encourages that more scientific research will be needed to prove the efficacy and safety of CBD.

Until those further studies are completed, the foundation suggests that people who want to try CBD none the less start slowly with a very low dose and are to observe possible symptoms over time.

The Arthritis Foundation recommends the kind of full-spectrum and 100% organic CBD oil found in sprays or liquid drops that patients hold under their tongue for at least one minute until it’s fully absorbed. This method allows the CBD to go directly into the bloodstream, which results in a fast and strong effect.