Shock: CBD is Bullshit!

Back in September I tried a little psychological experiment with CBD, cannabinoid oil, to see if it made any improvements to memory or anxiety. 

Shock. It did not. 

I had never expected it to. If a shitload of prescribed meds didn’t, the non-psychoactive elements of a cannabis plant won’t either. But people had been swearing by it, influencers promoted it and brands pumped out their own lines of CBD products. 

I’m not alone in calling bullshit on this movement. According to a new placebo-controlled study by The University of Arkansas, there’s little to back up the efficacy of CBD. 

‘The average reductions in worry were similar for the 300 mg and 50 mg cannabidiol doses, and the placebo… these findings suggest 300mg of oral cannabidiol does not attenuate cognitive symptoms of anxiety (i.e., worry), following both acute and repeated administration.’ 

Everyone’s personal circumstances are different. People deal with anxiety in different ways, and the condition is triggered by different situations person-to-person. Anxiety happens when your amygdala – your most primitive section of your caveman brain, in your antebellum – persistently tells you to expect a threat (when in reality, there isn’t one). Anxiety is not nervousness. Nerves can put you on edge before doing some thing risky, but anxiety wholly prevents you. It shuts you down and stops you from doing what you need to do. Dropping a bi-product of a plant into your mouth and expecting to solve problems such as these is wholly unrealistic. 

So what’s the point in taking it? 

Well, I’ve got it so I may as well continue using it ‘til I run out. 

But if you want my advice, if anxiety is putting a hold on your life, you need therapy. Talking to a professional will put new understanding and ideas into your situation. A good therapist will tell you what you don’t already know, and work with you to form a plan for moving forward.