It’s 2020 and CBD is everywhere. It’s touted as a cure-all for just about everything from your immune system to your gut and everything in-between. But what about allergies? Can CBD oil work ease allergy symptoms? Could it cause allergic reactions?

Wonder no more! We’ve dug into the research behind using CBD oil for allergies and compiled all the information we could find for allergy sufferers here! It’s important to remember that while CBD oil may help, research is still in its very earliest stages and little is known as absolute fact.

What Are Allergies and Why Do We Have Them?

Allergies, be they food or seasonal allergies, are caused by an overactive immune system. The body confuses the allergens (dust particles, pollen, certain foods) for a threat, rather than the harmless particles that they are. This triggers a response in the immune system that causes it to kick into hyper-gear. The allergy symptoms with which you’re familiar are your body’s way of ridding you of the toxins.

What Treats Allergies?

There are a variety of methods proven to help treat allergies, most involving prescription and/or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Antihistamines and decongestants are the two most popular types of drugs people will use to reduce their allergy symptoms and minimize allergic reactions. These types of medications include Zyrtec (cetirizine), Allegra (fexofenadine), Claritin (loratadine), Singulair (montelukast), Flonase (fluticasone), and Benadryl (diphenhydramine), among a few others.

As with any pharmaceutical, there’s a bit of risk/reward weighing you’ll have to do in finding the right allergy treatments for you. For example, some may not work that great for you, but the ones that do may cause things like increased anxiety, drowsiness, nosebleeds, etc. which may be intolerable or at least incongruent with your way of life. This has led scientists to try new drugs, like CBD oil, for allergies to see if they will work to reduce allergy symptoms with minimal risks.

How Can CBD Help?

CBD is touted as a cure-all because of the magic of the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a system of receptors in your body that sends out messages to your brain, muscles, immune system, gut, etc. Cannabinoids and molecules like them connect to these receptors in the endocannabinoid system, allowing us to experience some of the medicinal benefits of these cannabinoids, like the “high” feeling THC produces, and the calming or pain-relieving effects of CBD. 

So what does this have to do with allergies? Remember before when we said that symptoms of allergies and allergic reactions were caused by your immune system? CBD helps to promote wellness and regulate your immune system, among other things, which could have the potential to help some people with seasonal allergies. 

It’s important to keep in mind that the research surrounding all of this is in its very early stages and nothing has been proven. Many people swear by the positive effects of using CBD oil for allergies, but others say they see absolutely no difference. And for some, CBD and cannabis set off allergic reactions like itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, and sore throat because, after all, it is a plant. So remember that when using CBD, it’s a trial and error process; people react differently to it and it may help you or it may make your seasonal allergies worse.

Benefits to CBD

CBD oil offers a wide variety of benefits. People have seen results in using it as a pain reliever; treatment for skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and acne; a treatment for anxiety; and so much more. In the way of allergy treatments, it helps promote a healthy immune system while also having some pretty potent anti-inflammatory properties. This allows it to help decrease the swelling in your sinuses and potentially your eyes as well. 

Most of the CBD oil benefits touted all the time come from full-spectrum CBD which has more cannabinoids than just CBD alone. CBD is largely known for its anti-anxiety, pain-relieving, and anti-inflammatory properties, rather than the potential use of CBD for allergies or as treatment for various skin conditions, though it does work for those as well. How can CBD have all of these benefits and work for so many different conditions? The endocannabinoid system, which cannabinoids bind to to produce the desired effects, is connected to all of these things: your immune system, your brain, your gut, your skin, everything. Using full-spectrum CBD as opposed to just CBD isolate, you can enjoy even more great health benefits as other cannabinoids like CBN and CBG bind to your ECS.

Top 5 CBD for Allergies to Try

We’ve picked out our top 5 CBD brands for you to give CBD oil for allergies a shot. Each CBD oil is full-spectrum, third-party tested, and 100% reliable. 

Chong’s Choice CBD Oil 1000mg - $127.49

High dosage Quality product Endorsed by Tommy Chong

Our staff pick has to go to the amazing CBD oil from Tommy Chong. Chong’s Choice is a strong, reliable, full-spectrum CBD oil. It has many uses and benefits beyond allergies. Due to its high potency, this CBD is highly effective. If any CBD oil for allergies is meant to work for you, it’d be this one!

DiamondCBD Full-Spectrum MCT Oil 3500mg - $168

High-quality Very high dosage Quality brand you can trust

If the one above doesn’t do the trick, this CBD for allergies sure should. With a high dosage of 3500mg of CBD, this one follows closely behind our staff pick in ranking. Give this high-quality CBD for allergies a shot; if it doesn’t work, it still has all the other amazing benefits. What do you have to lose?

Lazarus Naturals Full-Spectrum CBD Oil 6000mg - $119

High-quality CBD oil Dosage options Quality brand

Lazarus Naturals is all about the purity and quality of the products they provide. All of their CBD oils are additive-free and unflavored, so you can rest assured you’re getting purely CBD at the highest quality available. If you want to try taking CBD for allergies or to help boost your immune system, we highly recommend this amazing company and all of their CBD products. Lazarus Naturals’ CBD oil comes in a variety of dosages, so you can find the right one to fit your needs.

Relax Full-Spectrum CBD Oil - $24

High-quality CBD Affordable  Lower dosage

This CBD features a lower dosage. It’s potent and effective. If you’re new to CBD and would like it for more than just your allergies, we recommend starting slow with a low dose like this until you find the dosage with which you are most comfortable. CBD can have different effects on different people. If you’re like me, it makes you sleepy and the higher the dose you take, the quicker you’ll be out. This low dose CBD is much better for day-to-day use like for allergies, so you won’t have to worry about your energy lasting you through the day.

CBDistillery Full-Spectrum CBD Oil 1000mg - $59.99

Affordable Highly effective High quality

We’ve heard nothing but good things about CBDistillery and, after trying this, we can see why! This product is highly effective on a variety of symptoms, including but not limited to reduce inflammation, relief from allergies, headache relief, muscle pain relief, anxiety relief, and sleep. This CBD is high quality, tasty, and affordable at a high dosage, which isn’t so easy to come by.

Conclusion

Do you suffer from horrible seasonal allergies? Have you tried all the over-the-counter treatments for allergies but still seen no results? Try giving a CBD oil a try! Some people experience drowsiness with CBD, but there are no other harmful symptoms from regular use. CBD can help reduce inflammation all over your body, not just inflammation in your sinuses. It works great, plus it’s all-natural! 

Can’t get enough CBD? Try researching these great topics:

• How does CBD help inflammation in the body?
• What effects does CBD have on the body?
• Can CBD help migraines?
• Can CBD hurt the body?
• How does CBD work in the body?
• Is THC or CBD more effective with inflammation?

Bio:

Megan Medeiros is a freelance writer and editor in Harrisonburg, Va. She’s the owner and operator of Medeiros Writing, providing freelance writing, editing, and social media management services. She’s been working as a cannabis writer since 2017, mostly following the legal climate of marijuana, especially in areas like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Canada and reviewing CBD products and vapes. Since 2019, she’s focused more on the science behind the endocannabinoid system, CBD, and other cannabinoids as well as potential medicinal benefits these cannabinoids might offer. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and is a second-year Master’s candidate at JMU.