There are many people that talk about CBD as a kind of “miracle” compound that can cure everything. Unfortunately, magic pills or magic extracts have not yet been discovered, and sadly for all of us, CBD is not one of them either.

However, if you want to get rid of certain health problems, there are effective and even FDA-approved CBD-based products that have been found to help. One of the problems that CBD is known to be of great service with is anxiety.

How CBD Might Help Alleviate Your Anxiety

As you might already know, CBD is a cannabinoid which, unlike its counterpart, THC, does not produce any feelings of intoxication. However, CBD can still help calm you down, and produce effects similar to that of a painkiller, as well as a general state of well-being which experts believe is due to the interaction it has with the brain by triggering mild serotonin boosts. Unfortunately, this is still only a theory as of yet.

What is known, however, is that CBD is capable of interacting with CB1 receptors in the central nervous system and CB2 receptors in the peripheral nervous system. These receptors act as their name suggests, being protein-based chemical compounds that are used by the body to receive stimuli. Because CBD is able to interact with these receptors and alter the way they respond to various external stimuli, a number of body functions associated with nervous system activities will also be changed.

Anxiety is thought to be achieved through the interaction with the body’s serotonin levels and cannabinoid receptors. In fact, many experts believe that CBD can help manage anxiety more effectively than common drugs prescribed for the condition, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are usually recommended by psychiatrists and doctors alike.

But Does It Really Work?

The jury is still out on whether CBD is effective for treating anxiety in humans. Right now, there are very few studies that are recognized as being conclusive in this regard. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has officially admitted that CBD has shown much promise in animal testing for general anxiety.

Studies in which small mammals such as rats were given CBD oil proved that the main symptoms and behavioral signs of anxiety were in fact alleviated. Additionally, heart rate, blood pressure and other physiological functions that betray anxiety have also changed when the animals were provided with CBD. Many people do find it helpful to reduce their pets anxiety. If you want more information on this, look at CBD for dogs Frederick MD websites to see if cbd oil products can support your pets health.

One of the most promising signs of the beneficial effects of CBD on people was a 2011 placebo study performed on human patients with PTSD and SAD (seasonal affective disorder). The results showed that the number of those whose condition improved after having been given actual CBD, as opposed to the placebo, was notably larger.

Researchers continue to look at different ways to use CBD, either on its own or together with various methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which is known to help alleviate the symptoms of anxiety as well. The results have been extremely promising, and we might be looking at actual, FDA approved CBD products geared especially towards anxiety, in the near future.