Does CBD Help With Anxiety? What Studies Have Found
Several small human studies have tested CBD in anxiety settings, and some reported lower anxiety scores than placebo. Here is what each study tested and found, plus THC, medication and EU safety information.
By Helen CrossUpdated 11 min read
Does CBD help with anxiety? Several small human studies have tested it. In a 2011 study (opens in a new tab), 24 people with social anxiety disorder took a single 600 mg dose of CBD or a placebo before a simulated public-speaking test, and the CBD group rated their anxiety lower during the speech. A 2019 trial (opens in a new tab) gave 37 teenagers with social anxiety disorder 300 mg of CBD or a placebo every day for four weeks, and their scores on two social anxiety scales were lower with CBD.
Most of these studies were small, and results have varied between them. Below is what each one tested, on whom and at what dose, plus what to know about THC, medication and EU rules.
Key points
- Human studies on CBD and anxiety have mostly been small. Several gave one dose before a stressful task such as public speaking, and some reported lower anxiety scores with CBD than with placebo.
- The studies used between 100 and 900 mg of CBD, given as a single dose or daily.
- In a four-week trial, 37 teenagers with social anxiety disorder who took 300 mg of CBD a day had lower scores on two social anxiety scales than those on placebo.
- CBD can change how the body breaks down some antidepressants and benzodiazepines. EFSA says CBD safety cannot be established for people on medication.
- The European Commission has ended many CBD novel food applications (opens in a new tab) without adding CBD to the EU list of authorised novel foods, and EU food law (opens in a new tab) does not allow any food to be sold as a treatment for a disease.
Does CBD help with anxiety? What the research says
So far, lower anxiety scores with CBD than with placebo have been reported in public-speaking tests and in people with social anxiety disorder: two single-dose studies and one four-week trial. The table in the next section has the details.
A 2020 synthesis by Wright, Di Ciano and Brands (opens in a new tab) described the human evidence as preliminary and called for research on other anxiety disorders, doses and long-term effects. It also noted that most of the research had been done in men.
What the human studies on CBD and anxiety actually tested
The studies most often quoted fall into two groups: one-off doses before a stress test, and short courses of a few weeks.
Bergamaschi et al., 2011 (opens in a new tab)
- Who took part
- 24 people with untreated social anxiety disorder
- CBD dose and design
- Single 600 mg dose or placebo, 1.5 hours before a simulated public-speaking test
- What was reported
- Lower self-rated anxiety during the speech than placebo
Zuardi et al., 2017 (opens in a new tab)
- Who took part
- 60 healthy adults aged 18 to 35
- CBD dose and design
- Single dose of 100, 300 or 900 mg, clonazepam 1 mg or placebo, before a real speech
- What was reported
- Lower anxiety scores than placebo after the speech with 300 mg only, not with 100 or 900 mg
Masataka, 2019 (opens in a new tab)
- Who took part
- 37 Japanese 18- and 19-year-olds with social anxiety disorder
- CBD dose and design
- 300 mg a day in oil or placebo for 4 weeks
- What was reported
- Lower scores on two social anxiety scales than placebo
Berger et al., 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- Who took part
- 31 people aged 12 to 25 whose anxiety had not improved with standard treatment
- CBD dose and design
- Up to 800 mg a day for 12 weeks, open label (no placebo group)
- What was reported
- Anxiety scores fell 42.6 %; adverse events in 25 of 31
Kwee et al., 2022 (opens in a new tab)
- Who took part
- 80 adults in the Netherlands with treatment-resistant social anxiety or panic disorder
- CBD dose and design
- 300 mg or placebo before each of 8 exposure-therapy sessions
- What was reported
- No difference from placebo at any time point, up to 6 months
Single-dose stress tests
Two of the studies above used a public-speaking test. People rate their own anxiety before, during and after giving a speech, and researchers record heart rate and blood pressure.
Each test covers one dose during one stressful session in a lab. In Zuardi's 2017 study, the 300 mg group reported lower anxiety than placebo after the speech, while the 100 mg and 900 mg groups did not differ from placebo. The authors described this as an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve.
Studies over several weeks
Masataka's four-week trial reported lower social anxiety scores with CBD than with placebo. The author notes that CBD blood levels were not measured and that side effects were not assessed systematically.
In Berger's 12-week study, anxiety scores fell 42.6 % in young people whose anxiety had not improved with standard treatment. There was no placebo group, and the authors call for randomised trials.
Kwee's trial is the largest placebo-controlled one in the table. Adding 300 mg of CBD before exposure-therapy sessions gave outcomes similar to placebo.
Reviews that pooled the trials
Two larger reviews in The Lancet Psychiatry looked at cannabinoids more broadly. In 2019, Black and colleagues (opens in a new tab) found 17 randomised trials on anxiety with 605 participants in total; across the review, few trials had tested pharmaceutical CBD. In 2026, Wilson and colleagues (opens in a new tab) pooled 54 randomised trials with 2,477 participants across mental and substance use disorders. The pooled anxiety result was not statistically significant, and certainty was rated low for most outcomes.
Doses used in the studies
The trials used 100 to 900 mg of CBD, as a single dose or daily. These amounts were set by each research protocol, and this article does not recommend a dose.
Product quality varies too. A 2017 analysis in JAMA (opens in a new tab) of 84 CBD products bought online in the US found that 31 % contained the amount of CBD stated on the label (within 10 %), which is why a batch lab report is worth checking.
Everyday stress, anxiety disorders and panic attacks are different questions
People search "CBD for anxiety" when they mean very different things: nerves before a presentation, months of worry, or sudden panic attacks.
The World Health Organization (opens in a new tab) (fact sheet, 15 September 2026) describes anxiety disorders as fear and worry that are intense, excessive and hard to control, and can last a long time if untreated. It lists separate types such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. It also states that highly effective treatments exist, yet only about 1 in 4 people with an anxiety disorder receive any treatment.
The CBD studies above mostly tested healthy volunteers or people with social anxiety disorder in a speech task. None of them tested everyday stress, and none replaces a diagnosis. If anxiety is new, severe, persistent or comes with panic attacks, a doctor or psychologist is the right first stop.
CBD vs THC and anxiety
CBD and THC are both cannabinoids, but they behaved differently in the lab. In a brain-imaging study published in 2010 (opens in a new tab), 15 healthy men took 10 mg THC, 600 mg CBD or placebo on separate days. THC raised measured anxiety and increased activity in the amygdala when they viewed fearful faces. CBD did not raise anxiety and reduced that amygdala response.
A product sold as CBD can also contain THC: in the 2017 JAMA analysis, THC was detected in 18 of the 84 products (21 %). For the basics of how the two compounds differ, see our guide to CBD vs THC explained, and for why THC traces depend on the extract type, read about full-spectrum, broad-spectrum and isolate CBD.
Can CBD make anxiety worse?
In the placebo-controlled trials above, anxiety scores with CBD were either lower than or no different from placebo. Side effects are a separate question. In Berger's 12-week study, 25 of 31 participants reported adverse events, including fatigue, low mood and hot flushes or cold chills, with no serious events. The 2026 Lancet Psychiatry meta-analysis found higher odds of any adverse event with cannabinoids than with placebo (odds ratio 1.75), but not of serious ones.
The prescription CBD medicine Epidyolex gives the clearest safety data. The European Medicines Agency (opens in a new tab) lists sleepiness, decreased appetite, diarrhoea, fever, tiredness and vomiting as its most common side effects, and raised liver enzymes as the most common reason for stopping treatment. Epidyolex is authorised for specific forms of epilepsy, not anxiety.
In the 2010 imaging study it was THC, not CBD, that raised anxiety, which is one reason a product's THC content matters. Our overview of known CBD side effects and liver risks covers the rest.
Can you take CBD with SSRIs, benzodiazepines or other anxiety medication?
This is a question for your doctor or pharmacist, because CBD affects enzymes in the liver that break down many of these medicines.
A 2021 review of CBD drug interactions (opens in a new tab) (Balachandran et al.) reports that:
- CBD inhibits the enzyme CYP2D6, so blood levels of SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants and beta blockers may rise.
- CBD raises levels of clobazam and diazepam through the enzyme CYP2C19, and may raise lorazepam levels.
- Citalopram, paroxetine, mirtazapine, gabapentin and pregabalin are broken down by enzymes that CBD inhibits.
EFSA's 2026 statement (opens in a new tab) says the safety of CBD cannot be established for people taking medication. The UK Food Standards Agency (opens in a new tab) does not recommend CBD for people taking any medication, unless under medical direction, and advises anyone with health concerns to contact a healthcare professional before taking CBD. Never stop or change a prescribed anxiety medicine on your own. More detail is in our guide to CBD and medication interactions.
CBD for anxiety and depression
Anxiety and depression often occur together, and the WHO notes that anxiety disorders raise the risk of depression. Berger's open-label study measured depressive symptoms as a secondary outcome, without a placebo group. The 2026 Lancet Psychiatry review only counted trials in which a cannabinoid was the primary treatment for the disorder, and with its search running to May 2025 it found no such randomised trial for depression. Our article on CBD and depression and its evidence limits covers this in detail.
Is CBD legal and safe to buy in the EU?
CBD counts as a novel food in the EU (opens in a new tab), EU food law forbids selling any food as a treatment for a disease (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 7(3) (opens in a new tab)), and our guide to CBD rules across European countries covers authorisation status and national rules.
Who should not use CBD?
EFSA (February 2026) (opens in a new tab) concluded that the safety of CBD cannot be established for people under 25, pregnant and breastfeeding women or people taking medication, and our guide to who should avoid CBD covers the UK FSA's advice and the open safety questions.
FAQ
When did the studies give CBD before the stress test?
The single-dose studies gave CBD about 1.5 to 2.5 hours before the speech. That timing came from the lab protocol and is not a guide to use.
Will CBD get you high?
The concern is THC rather than CBD. The authors of the 2017 JAMA analysis (opens in a new tab) wrote that CBD appears to have no abuse liability, but that the THC they found in some products may be enough to cause intoxication or impairment, especially in children.
Can CBD make you fail a drug test?
The risk comes from THC: in the 2017 JAMA analysis (opens in a new tab), 18 of 84 products contained THC, so the label alone does not settle it. Our guide to driving on CBD and roadside drug tests covers what studies found, and CBD rules across European countries sets out the THC limits.
Which CBD is best for anxiety?
The prescription CBD medicine Epidyolex (opens in a new tab) is authorised for specific forms of epilepsy, not anxiety, and EU food law (opens in a new tab) does not allow any food to be sold as a treatment for a disease. Whatever CBD you buy, check for a batch lab report and the THC result.
Should I take CBD if I have anxiety?
Talk to a doctor first, especially if you take medication or are under 25.
Sources
- Wilson J et al. (2026). The efficacy and safety of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab). The Lancet Psychiatry.
- Black N et al. (2019). Cannabinoids for the treatment of mental disorders and symptoms of mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab). The Lancet Psychiatry.
- Wright M, Di Ciano P, Brands B (2020). Use of cannabidiol for the treatment of anxiety: a short synthesis of pre-clinical and clinical evidence (opens in a new tab). Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
- Bergamaschi MM et al. (2011). Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients (opens in a new tab). Neuropsychopharmacology.
- Zuardi AW et al. (2017). Inverted U-shaped dose-response curve of the anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol during public speaking in real life (opens in a new tab). Frontiers in Pharmacology.
- Masataka N (2019). Anxiolytic effects of repeated cannabidiol treatment in teenagers with social anxiety disorders (opens in a new tab). Frontiers in Psychology.
- Berger M et al. (2022). Cannabidiol for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders in young people: an open-label trial (opens in a new tab). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
- Kwee CMB et al. (2022). Cannabidiol enhancement of exposure therapy in treatment refractory patients with social anxiety disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia: a randomised controlled trial (opens in a new tab). European Neuropsychopharmacology.
- Bhattacharyya S et al. (2010). Opposite effects of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on human brain function and psychopathology (opens in a new tab). Neuropsychopharmacology.
- Balachandran P, Elsohly M, Hill KP (2021). Cannabidiol interactions with medications, illicit substances, and alcohol: a comprehensive review (opens in a new tab). Journal of General Internal Medicine.
- Bonn-Miller MO et al. (2017). Labeling accuracy of cannabidiol extracts sold online (opens in a new tab). JAMA.
- EFSA NDA Panel (2026). Update of the statement on safety of cannabidiol as a novel food (opens in a new tab) and news release, 9 February 2026 (opens in a new tab).
- UK Food Standards Agency. Cannabidiol (CBD) (opens in a new tab), consumer advice updated October 2023.
- European Medicines Agency. Epidyolex: EPAR overview (opens in a new tab).
- World Health Organization (2026). Anxiety disorders fact sheet (opens in a new tab).
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (opens in a new tab).
- European Commission. Novel food: decisions terminating the procedure (opens in a new tab).
