A study published in the July 2024 issue of the Asian Journal of Psychiatry has found that oral CBD is a safe and effective treatment for mild to moderate anxiety disorders.

178 patients took part in a 15 week long clinical trial run by an international team of investigators. All patients had previously tested negative for a range of drug-of-abuse substances.  The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 89.  1 group was treated with 150mg/mL of CBD as a nanodispersible oral solution.  The other group was given a matching oral solution containing only a placebo.

The primary outcome measures used were based on GAD-7 and HAM-A scores: standardised measures of anxiety levels.  The positive effects for the CBD treatment group became noticeable by week 2 of the 15 week trial.

Researchers said the: “CBD oral solution showed therapeutic efficacy, excellent safety, and tolerability in treating not only mild to moderate anxiety disorders, but also associated depression and disturbances in sleep quality with no incidences of withdrawal anxiety upon dose tapering and at the end of the treatment.”

The CBD oral solution exhibited “superior efficacy in achieving the primary and secondary objectives when compared to the placebo group. CBD interacts with various receptors, transporters, ion channels, and enzymes, yet it does not exhibit high potency towards any of these targets, resulting in minimal AEs (Adverse Effects).”  There were no serious AEs during the trial and the small number of minor AEs mainly required no intervention or just a short break in the treatment.