A recent Medical News Today article discussed a study that shed light on one of the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), the part of cannabis that doesn’t produce a mind-altering effect. The study included 31 people between the ages 12 and 25 who met the criteria for a DSM-5 anxiety disorder and were unable to improve their condition with other treatments. Over a period of 12 weeks, participants received doses as high as 800 mg/d. By the end of the three months, participants saw a 40% decrease in anxiety severity based on the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale.
The author of the study, Professor Paul Amminger said, “There’s a lot of hope that a novel compound which is benign, like cannabidiol, could ease mental health problems. I think that the most exciting finding of the study was that the anxiety severity, which was on average severe to very severe, dropped by 50% at the end of the trial.” The results were promising, but not without side effects. Some participants experienced low mood, fatigue, cold chills, and hot flashes but no major adverse events.
