Science & Health
CBD Helps People Achieve ‘Dramatic Reductions In Anxiety’ After Just One Week Of Use, New Study Shows
A non-intoxicating cannabis product that is being sold across the U.S. can ease symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety after a short duration of use, a new study has found.
“Results from this open-label clinical trial provide evidence that a hemp-derived, full-spectrum, high-CBD product similar to those currently available in the marketplace may be both safe and efficacious for the treatment of anxiety,” the authors wrote.
The standardized formulation of the cannabidiol (CBD) product is helpful for evaluating how consumers on a broader level may behave outside of a lab setting, the researchers said.
The trial included 12 adults with moderate to severe anxiety, all of whom were required to abstain from marijuana use prior to enrolling and throughout the seven-week duration of the study. Participants self-administered the CBD formulation twice daily for six weeks, totaling 30 milligrams per day.
Participants were tested every visit for the presence of THC-COOH, a marijuana metabolite, through a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry device. Within a week of starting the trial, participants reported improvements in anxiety symptoms, sleep, mood, quality of life, cognition, executive function and memory. “Few side effects were reported, and no serious adverse events occurred,” the researchers noted.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in the country. While it is often treated by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the new results promise for alternative treatments.
“In the present study, dramatic reductions in anxiety occurred following just one week of treatment with the study product,” the authors wrote. “First-line treatments for anxiety,” such as SSRIs, the paper says, “can take several weeks to demonstrate efficacy.”
The study was authored by scientists affiliated with Harvard Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and carried out at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric facility of Harvard Medical School. The results were published in the August 2025 issue of Biomedicines, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The scientists used a proprietary CBD formulation also containing trace amounts of THC from the company Charlotte’s Web, which provided funding for the study. “The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results,” the authors wrote.
“Findings from this clinical trial provide preliminary evidence that use of this proprietary hemp-derived, full-spectrum, high-CBD sublingual product may result in clinical improvement with few side effects in patients with moderate-to-severe anxiety, extending previous work suggesting CBD may be efficacious for anxiety,” the paper notes.
While the trial’s findings show efficacy and tolerability of the CBD product in patients with moderate-to-severe levels of anxiety, the authors caution that more research is needed. “Given the potential benefits observed in this trial, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of hemp-derived high-CBD products are warranted to obtain robust data regarding the safety and efficacy of CBD-containing products for anxiety,” they concluded.
These study’s conclusions extend prior studies that suggest CBD may be effective for quelling symptoms of anxiety.
A study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, for example, found that medical marijuana was associated with “significant decreases in self-reported anxiety and depression” compared to before patients began treatment with cannabis.
Another study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that a citrusy-smelling terpene in marijuana could help ease anxiety and paranoia associated with THC. The findings, researchers wrote, could help unlock the maximum therapeutic benefit of THC and protect public health.
An industry-backed 2024 research paper into the potential anti-anxiety effects of cannabidiol found that an oral CBD solution effectively treated mild to moderate anxiety, as well as associated depression and poor sleep quality, with no serious adverse events observed.
And another study published in 2024 in the scientific journal Adolescent Heath, Medicine and Therapeutics examined medical marijuana patients in the U.S. who are under the age of 21. Researchers found that minors and young adults typically qualify for state cannabis programs for many of the same reasons that older adults do, including anxiety, PTSD and chronic pain.
