CBD for anxiety

CBD Oil can help people with anxiety reduce their symptoms with few or no side effects.

CBD and its many therapeutic uses is fast garnering interest around the world from both inside and outside the medical profession.

And yet, evidence of its efficacy remains largely anecdotal.

Apart from that is for the treatment of anxiety where a number of small clinical trials have found it definitely lessens anxiety symptoms.

That could be exciting news for the 60 million people in Europe and 20% of the population of the United States suffering from anxiety disorders.

If you suffer from anxiety your life is probably a constant stomach churning cycle ranging from panic attacks, constant worry and sleepless nights to extreme phobias and depression.

But whatever form it takes, life becomes severely limited as anxiety provoking situations are avoided.

The standard medical route is to prescribe antidepressants such as SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), which can in some circumstances make anxiety symptoms worse.

It seems strange then that there is such resistance against the use of CBD for the treatment of anxiety disorders within the medical profession, particularly as the groundswell of evidence of its effectiveness mounts.

CBD and anxiety

Most people have heard of THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol – the one that gets you high – although for many people THC can actually bring on feelings of paranoia and anxiety.

Much of the research on cannabis products has looked at the use of marijuana rather than at CBD oil as a standalone product.

Some studies have found that cannabis might help anxiety. Others suggest that having anxiety is a risk factor for recreational marijuana use, or that using marijuana can make a person more vulnerable to anxiety.

People interested in managing their anxiety with CBD oil should look exclusively at research on cannabidiol, not generalized studies of medical marijuana.

Although there are fewer studies on cannabidiol specifically, the preliminary research is promising.

A small 2010 study found that cannabidiol could reduce symptoms of social anxiety in people with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Brain scans of participants revealed changes in blood flow to the regions of the brain linked to feelings of anxiety.

In this study, cannabidiol not only made participants feel better but also changed the way their brains responded to anxiety.

A 2011 study also found that cannabidiol could reduce social anxiety. For that study, researchers looked specifically at cannabidiol to treat anxiety associated with public speaking.

Research published in 2014 found that CBD oil had anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects in an animal model.

A 2015 analysis of previous studies concluded that CBD oil is a promising treatment for numerous forms of anxiety, including social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.