In recent years, cannabidiol has become very popular in the wellness industry, with lifestyle and beauty brands highlighting its therapeutic benefits for many health conditions. Many products today are incorporated with CBD, from serums to drinks.

The Duchess of Cornwall revealed on her visit to the Swiss Cottage Farmer’s Market that she has heard ‘fantastic’ testaments about CBD, surprising the audience during her talk.

A visit to the market

Camilla visited the market with the Prince of Wales to celebrate their 20^th year. She tried CBD hemp oil by putting some on a piece of bread. She exclaimed that the oil was ‘wonderful.’ Hemp oil is extracted from the seeds of a cannabis plant.

The Duchess told Sophia Lysaczenko, owner of Hempen stall where the oil came from, that she has spoken to individuals suffering from severe maladies like epilepsy who have tried CBD and greatly benefited from it. She described the oil as fantastic since it is helping many people overcome ailments.

In her Evening Standard interview, Lysaczenko stated that the Duchess was knowledgeable about CBD. She noted how on-board Camilla was about the cannabis-derived substance.

Besides trying the hemp oil, the Duchess also sampled some products around the market, including caviar and cheese from some of the stalls. They were also entertained by performers from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a flash mob presentation of Oliver.

CBD in the UK

Cannabidiol has gained quite the exposure due to it being closely related to marijuana—both come from Cannabis sativa L. species. The difference is that CBD does not cause psychoactive effects that users experience when trying marijuana.

Today, CBD is known as a natural remedy for many health conditions, such as chronic pain, epilepsy, and PTSD. However, most of these therapeutic claims are mostly unfounded.

CBD is legal in the UK as long as it is derived from industrial hemp duly approved by EU standards. It should not contain THC to be allowed for sale and use in the UK.

The only exemption is the NHS-recognized Sativex, a CBD-based drug for multiple sclerosis that contains both CBD and THC. The NHS has recently implemented it into the healthcare system along with another CBD-containing medication for intractable epilepsy, Epidyolex.

Now that the NHS has allowed CBD-infused medication into the system, advocates are hopeful that other CBD products will gain more acceptance from the buying public and the government. Experts are also pushing for more research on CBD to gain concrete evidence about its efficacy.

The UK, like the rest of the world, is still struggling to regulate CBD products as of now due to it being a relatively novel discovery. As more people try it, the CBD market expands as well, which ultimately leads to the issue of sorting through what is real and what is not.