Compare the best CBD for Mental Health in 2022

How CBD Helps With Mental Health

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid from the Cannabis sativa plant.

Studies suggest that CBD possesses potential antidepressant and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties⁽¹⁾. Researchers believe these characteristics are a result of CBD’s interaction with the 5-HT1A neuroreceptor⁽²⁾.

Serotonin (5-HT) is linked to anxiety and depression. Studies suggest the 5-HT1A receptors inhibit both disorders⁽³⁾.

CBD works by engaging the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which regulates several body functions, such as mood and anxiety, memory, drug addiction, perception, and pain modulation⁽⁴⁾.

Mental health is the state of one’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It influences how you think, feel, and act. It may also determine your capacity to handle stress, develop relationships, and make sound decisions.

Mental health is equally crucial as physical health since poor mental health may lead to adverse physical conditions. For example, depression may result in long-term health issues like diabetes, heart disease, or stroke⁽⁵⁾.

Several factors may adversely affect your mental health or cause mental illness, including⁽⁶⁾:

• Adverse life experiences like a history of abuse or trauma
• Chronic or long-term medical conditions like diabetes or cancer
• Alcohol or substance abuse
• Feelings of isolation or loneliness
• Chemical imbalances in the brain

Mental disorders and illnesses such as clinical depression may be treated using psychotherapy and Western medicine⁽⁷⁾.

Clinical depression is a mental health disorder usually characterized by a heightened sense of hopelessness, emptiness, worthlessness, or despair⁽⁸⁾.

If left untreated, clinical depression may interfere with essential life aspects like working, sleeping, and eating.

Prescription medications like antidepressants or antipsychotic drugs are available to help manage clinical depression.

Alternative remedies like herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, massage, acupuncture, deep breathing, or yoga may also help manage mental health.

Additionally, CBD may be considered an alternative method to help with mental health due to CBD’s antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties⁽⁹⁾.

Uses and Benefits of CBD for Mental Health

A study on CBD use for reducing anxiety was conducted in 2011. The experiment involved a simulated public speaking test on healthy patients and patients with a generalized social anxiety disorder (SAD)⁽¹⁰⁾.

SAD is a condition associated with difficulty adjusting to social aspects of daily life and loss of productivity.

Some symptoms of anxiety caused by SAD include fear of being judged, worrying about embarrassment, fear of interacting with others, and expectations of the worst possible outcomes⁽¹¹⁾.

The lab results from the 2011 study showed that CBD pretreatment helped reduce the subjects’ anxiety, discomfort, and cognitive impairment during their speech performance.

The researchers also noted lower anxiety, discomfort, and cognitive impairment with the CBD group compared to the placebo group.

In another study published in 2015, researchers mentioned that CBD may provide therapeutic benefits for individuals with a range of neuropsychiatric disorders⁽¹²⁾.

These conditions include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Mental health disorders often have symptoms associated with embarrassment, worry, or panic attacks.

If you believe you have any of these symptoms, consult a doctor or mental health professional for a diagnosis before considering taking CBD.

CBD Dosage for Mental Health

There is currently no specific dosage for mental health approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). If you are using CBD for the first time, you are recommended to start with lower doses⁽¹³⁾.

In a 2011 study, patients with SAD were given 600 mg of CBD in gelatin capsules. The test results showed that volunteers who took CBD experienced reduced anxiety, discomfort, and cognitive impairment⁽¹⁴⁾.

Another study, published in 2017, examined the safety and side effects of CBD. Researchers noted that humans may tolerate high dosage levels of up to 1,500mg of CBD per day⁽¹⁵⁾.

Without a standard CBD dosage guide, intake may vary between individuals. Diet, health conditions, exercise, stress levels, and genetics⁽¹⁶⁾ are factors to consider when determining the amount of CBD to take.

Inform your psychiatrist or physician about your mental health condition before deciding to take CBD oil.

How to Take CBD for Mental Health

There are several high-quality CBD products to choose from that may help manage mental health conditions.

Methods to administer CBD oil products available include:

• Sublingual administration – CBD oil tinctures are applied under the tongue. CBD enters the bloodstream directly and bypasses the digestive tract.

Droppers or oromucosal sprays are standard methods of applying CBD oil sublingually.

CBD oil tinctures may be flavored or unflavored. They are usually mixed with a carrier oil such as medium-chain triglyceride or MCT oil, hempseed oil, and olive oil.

Note that hemp oil is different from hempseed oil.

Hemp oil is extracted from multiple parts of the plant, like flowers, leaves, and stalks. Hempseed oil (or hemp seed oil) is derived strictly from hemp seeds.

• Oral ingestion – Products like edibles or capsules are taken orally. They pass through the digestive tract before CBD is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Edibles may come in the form of CBD gummies (also called chewables or chews), candies, and brownies.

• Topical application – Topical CBD products, like creams, lotions, and balms, are applied to the skin. CBD delivered topically does not get absorbed into the bloodstream.

CBD transdermal patches are also applied to the skin. However, transdermal products release cannabinoids that are absorbed into the bloodstream.

• Inhalation – Vaping is one method to administer CBD oil by inhalation. The lungs absorb CBD before the drug spreads into the bloodstream. Vaping is considered a fast way to ingest CBD⁽¹⁷⁾.

Unfortunately, vapes have potential health risks and may be associated with lung disease⁽¹⁸⁾.

It is recommended that you consult your psychiatrist or doctor about your condition before considering vaping as a method to administer CBD.

How Long Does CBD Take to Help With Mental Health?

There are currently no studies that focus explicitly on CBD’s onset time for mental health issues.

The time for CBD to take effect may vary depending on several factors, including the individual’s health condition, product type, CBD dosage, or frequency of intake.

CBD tinctures applied sublingually get absorbed faster into the bloodstream since sublingual administration bypasses the digestive tract. CBD may take about 15 minutes to an hour before taking effect.

Edibles and capsules have onset times of about three hours when consumed with a full stomach. However, CBD oil usually takes about an hour when taken on an empty stomach⁽¹⁹⁾.

Onset times for CBD topicals may vary depending on the thickness of the skin.

Inhaling CBD oil using vapes may take from a few seconds to several minutes before effects take place.

However, vaping may cause lung damage⁽²⁰⁾. Thus, experts advise that you take caution when choosing CBD vapes as a method of administration.

Consulting with your physician before considering vaping is your best course of action.

How Long Will CBD Help With Mental Health?

There is limited research on the pharmacokinetics of CBD. However, no study has been performed focusing on how long the effects of CBD last on individuals with mental health issues.

Different forms of CBD have a varying duration of effectiveness depending on the product type.

A 2018 review in Frontiers of Pharmacology analyzed the pharmacokinetics of CBD in humans⁽²¹⁾. Pharmacokinetics is a study of how drugs act in terms of absorption, distribution, and metabolism in the body.

The review stated that the mean half-life for a single oral CBD administration at 10mg and 20mg doses is around 1.09 and 1.97 hours.

Half-life determines when a drug’s concentration or quantity in the body is reduced by 50%. Dosage and route of administration may affect a drug’s half-life.

The same review also mentioned that oromucosal sprays at 5mg to 20mg doses may have a half-life between 1.44 and 10.86 hours. The half-life for chronic oral CBD administration may last around two to five days.

For CBD edibles and capsules, effects may last for about 6 to 12 hours⁽²²⁾.

Effects of vapes may last for about two or three hours. This short duration may be appropriate for acute conditions⁽²³⁾.

Risks and Side Effects of Using CBD for Mental Health

To date, there are no studies centered on the side effects of CBD on individuals with mental health.

In general, CBD oil may cause side effects like dry mouth, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and drowsiness⁽²⁴⁾.

CBD products often include a grapefruit warning on the label. This warning means CBD may interfere with the effects of other drugs and prevent them from being metabolized in the body.

Grapefruit juice can prevent the CYP3A4 intestinal enzymes from breaking down medications. This situation may cause a larger quantity of the drug to remain in the body longer.

The severity of the interaction between CBD and the drugs taken alongside it can vary depending on the individual, the drug, and the amount of grapefruit juice consumed.

How to Choose the Right CBD for Mental Health

In choosing the best CBD oil for anxiety or other mental health issues, you need to review several factors before choosing a brand or type of CBD product.

CBD oil comes from the cannabis plant and is extracted using CO2, hydrocarbon, or ethanol extraction methods.

The CO2 extraction process uses highly pressurized and liquefied carbon dioxide to pull the CBD extract from the cannabis plant.

Ethanol extraction uses ethanol to extract cannabis compounds. Meanwhile, hydrocarbon extraction uses solvents like butane or propane to extract CBD.

Properly implemented hydrocarbon extraction is safe and effective in separating the essential cannabis components.

However, hydrocarbons are highly flammable solvents. If insufficiently removed from the CBD extract, hydrocarbons may cause health issues.

After the extraction process, the resulting hemp extract may appear as broad-spectrum, isolates, or full-spectrum products.

Full-spectrum CBD oil contains all the compounds and cannabinoids from the hemp plant, including THC, terpenes, and flavonoids.

Terpenes are aromatic compounds, while flavonoids affect the flavor and aroma of cannabis plants.

Combining these compounds in a full-spectrum hemp extract may result in an “entourage effect,” enhancing the purported health benefits of cannabis⁽²⁵⁾.

Broad-spectrum CBD contains cannabinoids and compounds present in full-spectrum CBD oil except for THC. You may choose THC-free broad-spectrum CBD products if you prefer taking CBD without the psychoactive effects.

CBD isolates do not contain other cannabinoids and compounds except for pure CBD only.

Reputable CBD companies provide updated certificates of analysis (COAs) accessible on their websites. COAs contain third-party lab testing results on the actual contents of CBD products.

The COA provides detailed information about the CBD product’s cannabinoid content, including pesticides and contaminants, if any. Credible CBD products must have the lab results on their labels matched with the COA results.

Some individuals may prefer natural flavors or CBD products that are non-GMO and gluten-free. Suppliers may extract these products from organic hemp grown in American farms.

States like Colorado, Kentucky, Texas, and California are some of the hemp sources in the U.S. Grown hemp is regulated by the U.S. Hemp Authority.

Additionally, consider other information on the CBD brand’s website, such as customer reviews or money-back guarantees to determine the brand’s credibility, safety, and effectiveness.

Legality of CBD

Currently, Epidiolex is the only CBD-based treatment approved by the FDA for seizures associated with epilepsy⁽²⁶⁾.

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp in the U.S. The bill removed hemp-based CBD products from the controlled substances list of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

However, CBD products and supplements that contain more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may likely be prohibited by law⁽²⁷⁾.

State laws regarding CBD and cannabis use may vary. Check your CBD products’ CBD and THC content to determine if CBD is legal in your state.