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OCTOBER 2024 TOPIC: Can CBD Reduce Stress and Anxiety?
Mary Therese Yamamoto
Founder of CannActive Life Photo Courtesy: Mary Therese Yamamoto |
OUR EXPERT:
Mary Therese Yamamoto is founder of CannActive Life, a company focused on educating and encouraging an active lifestyle and plant-based recovery methods. She created CannActive Life in 2019 after months of using CBD to help her mobility issues and wanted to learn more and share her findings with others. Studying the Cannabis plant and all of its benefits has been an adventure for this accounting services-trained entrepreneur. Mary Therese is certified by the Cannabis Coaching Institute as an educator, and has spoken at events in the Hudson Valley, New York, area. In addition to owning and running her businesses, she's running her home life as well with husband, Frank, and children Billy and Julia. "CBD can have a calming effect and make life experiences more pleasant and less stressful. It binds with CB2 receptors in the brain to encourage less inflammation. Dopamine and Serotonin levels can be positively affected by CBD." ~ M.T. |
We've compiled some questions for Mary Therese to inform and educate those who may not be familiar with this chemical found in the hemp plant.
What is the difference between CBD and THC?
Both of these chemical substances come from the cannabis plant; although they have different effective properties. CBD has a healing/anti-inflammatory effect and THC has psychoactive effects which can make one feel “high”
What type of CBD do you sell? Does it have traces of THC?
I sell Full Spectrum CBD, which, in the U.S., has the legal 0.3% trace of THC. It is calming, but not enough to get a person high. The cream and roll-ons are Broad Spectrum CBD, which have no trace of THC.
How important is it to be sure a company is following regulations about what it lists on its labels? What should you look for?
It’s very important to buy products with USA grown hemp. The U.S. has strict regulations on the quality of the plant and other countries use hemp to clean their soil. Always look for a Certificate of Analysis to find out where the hemp originated from.
Note: From a regulatory standpoint, the difference between cannabis and hemp is the chemical composition, specifically as it relates to the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary intoxicating compound found in Cannabis. By this classification, hemp is a chemovar of C. sativa with low concentrations of THC. Although limitations on THC concentrations for hemp differ internationally, the THC concentration in the United States cannot exceed 3/10ths of 1% (0.3%). ~ National Library of Medicine, 2018
How does CBD reduce anxiety and stress? What chemicals in the brain does it affect?
CBD can have a calming effect and make life experiences more pleasant and less stressful. It binds with CB2 receptors in the brain to encourage less inflammation. Dopamine and Serotonin levels can be positively affected by CBD.
In contrast, products with high concentrations of THC can actually increase anxiety, right?
Sometimes. It really depends how each person tolerates THC. A little trick is to take CBD if you’ve had too much THC. This can offset a bad experience.
Have you used CBD to decrease stress? How long does it take to kick in?
I use my Full Spectrum Gummies daily for overall mobility help. During my menstrual cycle, I double dose to help with anxiety and sleep. If it’s consistently taken, it takes effect within 15 to 20 minutes.
Does it matter if you eat or drink with it?
It may make you more drowsy if you drink alcohol when taking CBD, but it depends on the person.
Are there studies that have shown that CBD helps to reduce anxiety?
Project CBD is a wonderful resource for all questions regarding CBD and the science and data to back it up. Project CBD formed in 2010 to educate the medical cannabis community about the therapeutic potential of CBD.
There are many studies which discuss CBD’s effects on anxiety. An article published in 2020 by Project CBD lists results of several studies.
One such study found: “In an open label retrospective study also published in 2019, 72 psychiatric patients with anxiety or sleep disorders were given between 25-175mg of CBD a day, alongside existing psychiatric medications. After two months of treatment, 78.1% of patients reported feeling less anxious and 56.1% experienced improved sleep.”
And a 2023 article in WebMD reports, “Young people whose regular anxiety medicine wasn’t working well showed improvement after adding CBD in a study published in 2022. Results from the first phase of an ongoing trial using CBD and other cannabis compounds published in 2022 found the medication could ease symptoms over four weeks.”
What is the difference between CBD and THC?
Both of these chemical substances come from the cannabis plant; although they have different effective properties. CBD has a healing/anti-inflammatory effect and THC has psychoactive effects which can make one feel “high”
What type of CBD do you sell? Does it have traces of THC?
I sell Full Spectrum CBD, which, in the U.S., has the legal 0.3% trace of THC. It is calming, but not enough to get a person high. The cream and roll-ons are Broad Spectrum CBD, which have no trace of THC.
How important is it to be sure a company is following regulations about what it lists on its labels? What should you look for?
It’s very important to buy products with USA grown hemp. The U.S. has strict regulations on the quality of the plant and other countries use hemp to clean their soil. Always look for a Certificate of Analysis to find out where the hemp originated from.
Note: From a regulatory standpoint, the difference between cannabis and hemp is the chemical composition, specifically as it relates to the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary intoxicating compound found in Cannabis. By this classification, hemp is a chemovar of C. sativa with low concentrations of THC. Although limitations on THC concentrations for hemp differ internationally, the THC concentration in the United States cannot exceed 3/10ths of 1% (0.3%). ~ National Library of Medicine, 2018
How does CBD reduce anxiety and stress? What chemicals in the brain does it affect?
CBD can have a calming effect and make life experiences more pleasant and less stressful. It binds with CB2 receptors in the brain to encourage less inflammation. Dopamine and Serotonin levels can be positively affected by CBD.
In contrast, products with high concentrations of THC can actually increase anxiety, right?
Sometimes. It really depends how each person tolerates THC. A little trick is to take CBD if you’ve had too much THC. This can offset a bad experience.
Have you used CBD to decrease stress? How long does it take to kick in?
I use my Full Spectrum Gummies daily for overall mobility help. During my menstrual cycle, I double dose to help with anxiety and sleep. If it’s consistently taken, it takes effect within 15 to 20 minutes.
Does it matter if you eat or drink with it?
It may make you more drowsy if you drink alcohol when taking CBD, but it depends on the person.
Are there studies that have shown that CBD helps to reduce anxiety?
Project CBD is a wonderful resource for all questions regarding CBD and the science and data to back it up. Project CBD formed in 2010 to educate the medical cannabis community about the therapeutic potential of CBD.
There are many studies which discuss CBD’s effects on anxiety. An article published in 2020 by Project CBD lists results of several studies.
One such study found: “In an open label retrospective study also published in 2019, 72 psychiatric patients with anxiety or sleep disorders were given between 25-175mg of CBD a day, alongside existing psychiatric medications. After two months of treatment, 78.1% of patients reported feeling less anxious and 56.1% experienced improved sleep.”
And a 2023 article in WebMD reports, “Young people whose regular anxiety medicine wasn’t working well showed improvement after adding CBD in a study published in 2022. Results from the first phase of an ongoing trial using CBD and other cannabis compounds published in 2022 found the medication could ease symptoms over four weeks.”
Additional Resources:
Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders (National Library of Medicine)
How to Use CBD for Anxiety: Uses, Dosage and Side Effects (Forbes.com)
Disclaimer: The advice posted here is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for seeking medical and/or psychological advice from your personal, licensed healthcare provider.
Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders (National Library of Medicine)
How to Use CBD for Anxiety: Uses, Dosage and Side Effects (Forbes.com)
Disclaimer: The advice posted here is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for seeking medical and/or psychological advice from your personal, licensed healthcare provider.
