CBD and Anxiety

 

CBD has several well established benefits that include pain relief, reduction of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and helping to improve the quality of sleep of people suffering from insomnia. Unfortunately, the market is very lightly regulated and so the marketing departments of companies selling CBD will often stretch the truth - to put it politely.

In several trials, very high doses of CBD appeared to lower the level of anxiety induced by stressful situations like public speaking. But various study results are inconsistent. In one of the better designed studies, 32 adults with non-psychosis paranoia were randomly assigned to take either 600mg of CBD or a placebo. Two hours later the study participants were subjected to stress sufficient to elevate their heart rate and blood pressure. Those who had taken the CBD fared no better than the placebo takers.

Research using lower doses is even less encouraging. The only study done to date using a low dose of CBD included overweight or obese adults who were given 15mg of CBD daily for six weeks. They reported no better stress levels, sleep quality, relaxation or mental clarity than the participants taking a placebo.

None of this has slowed down companies from marketing CBD products with a dose as low as 10mg as being effective at "easing anxiety" and "managing stress". It is standard practice within the food and supplement industries to add small amounts of an ingredient to a product and then trumpet it as an effective way to address a problem. Mostly it is not.

As for CBD, much more research is needed to establish is usefulness against anxiety.