CBD for Anxiety: What You Need to Know

If you’ve been looking into anxiety treatments lately, you probably ran into CBD. If you are skeptical, you probably dismissed it, and for a good reason. The current marketing surrounding CBD can almost be described as hysterical.

Companies are making crazy claims, from using CBD to treat infertility to using it as a cure for AIDS. However, while some of the marketing surrounding CBD is exaggerated, this natural substance does seem to have a positive effect on people suffering from anxiety. At least for some people.

The current state of affairs

CBD is a natural calming substance found in cannabis plants. Currently, most commercially available CBD is extracted from hemp, which is a variant of cannabis that contains only tiny amounts of THC. As a result, CBD will not get you high, nor will it make you fail a drug test. At least in theory.

One of the challenges facing the CBD market is the lack of regulation. In 2019, FOX 11 tested dozens of CBD products purchased from different sellers in Los Angeles and New Jersey. The tests were conducted by an independent laboratory that specializes in cannabis products, and the results were staggering. Not only did many of the products in question contain no CBD, but many of them were contaminated with heavy metal and dangerous bacteria. A couple of products even had enough THC to get an adult high.

The lack of regulation and proliferation of bad actors would help explain why anecdotal evidence surrounding CBD is so conflicting. While some who use it report miraculous effects, others report feeling nothing at all and call the substance modern snake oil. And depending on who you buy CBD from, the latter may well be true.

If you are going to try CBD to treat a medical condition like anxiety, make sure you buy it from reputable sellers. Look for sellers who publish the results of tests conducted by independent laboratories on each batch of their product.

How it helps you

For people suffering from one of the many recognized anxiety disorders, CBD offers a series of benefits.

1 – It is effective

Granted, a lot of the studies talking directly about CBD have only been conducted on animals. But there have been a couple of studies conducted on humans that show CBD has a positive effect in treating anxiety. The mountain of anecdotal evidence in favor of the substance’s anxiolytic properties can’t be dismissed, either.

The large amount of evidence supporting the use of cannabis to treat other anxiety disorders also lends credibility to CBD. Cannabis has been used to treat everything from PTSD to panic disorders, and it’s widely believed that CBD is behind the improvement experienced by people who use medical marijuana. Most medical marijuana users opt for strands that have high amounts of CBD.

2 – The side effects are minor

CBD users often report feeling no side effects at all. Compare that to the range of negative effects often caused by anxiety medication. Depending on the severity of the effects, some patients prefer to deal with anxiety than with the medication. Or they dread the days when their anxiety gets bad enough that they need to take an anxiety pill.

In contrast, the side-effects of CBD — when they exist — are minor. CBD has been linked to stomach and bowel problems, causing loss of appetite and constipation in some people. It may also make you cranky. If you experience any of those problems, you should experiment with lower doses.

3 – CBD is versatile

No one enjoys needing pills to function, and sadly there is still a social stigma surrounding mental health. The good news is that CBD comes in all sorts of shapes and forms. The substance is versatile, and its association with weed culture means that many manufacturers enjoy offering up new fun ways to consume CBD. Drinking CBD coffee or enjoying a CBD gummy are both more fun — and discreet — than using pills.

4 – CBD is non-addictive

There have been no reported cases of CBD addiction, and no indication that stopping the substance leads to any sort of withdrawal effect. In that regard, CBD is safer than coffee and vastly safer than a lot of pharmaceuticals. If you’d like to learn more about CBD, check out this Cibdol guide.