CBD Oil's Effect on Anxiety and Depression
If you suffer from Anxiety or Depression, CBD oil could be an effective natural way to help lower your symptoms.
What is CBD oil?
CBD is one of many compounds, known as cannabinoids, in the cannabis plant. Researchers have been looking at the possible therapeutic uses of CBD. Cannabidiol is extracted from the flowers and buds of marijuana or hemp plants. It does not produce intoxication; marijuana's "high" is caused by the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
How is it different than marijuana?
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the better known compound from the marijuana plant known to cause intoxicating effects. THC is the most a active ingredient in the marijuana plant. Although, the marijuana plant contains other compounds as well that carry different effects. CBD is made from the marijuana plants that don’t carry THC (hemp).
Will it get me high?
Unlike THC, CBD oil is not psychoactive. This means that CBD does not change a person's state of mind when they use it. However, CBD does appear to produce significant changes in the body, and some research suggests that it has medical benefits which include reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Why is it effective for treating depression and anxiety?
Anxiety:
In one study, 24 people with social anxiety disorder received either 600 mg of CBD or a placebo before a public speaking test. The group that received the CBD had significantly less anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance, compared to the placebo group (1). CBD oil has even been used to safely treat insomnia and anxiety in children with post-traumatic stress disorder (2). CBD has also shown antidepressant-like effects in several animal studies (3, 4).
Depression
Multiple studies have shown that CBD oil can with depression. The compound actually has the ability to act on the brain’s receptors for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and social behavior. For example, CBD helped relieve depression in rats, even when they also suffered from diabetes (5). However, this benefit wasn’t immediate: Scientists had to give them a few doses of CBD, starting 24 hours before testing. Another study found that a single dose of CBD had rapid antidepressant effects on both mice and rats, lasting up to 7 days after the treatment (6).
CBD oil is just one method that may be able to help you fight anxiety and depression. When being taken for anxiety or depression it really should be used in conjunction with talk therapy. Please make sure to consult your doctor or mental health professional before using CBD oil as the effects are different for everyone.