CBD and Inflammation: What the Research Has Found

What inflammation is

Inflammation is the immune system's response to injury, infection or irritants. Acute inflammation starts quickly and usually lasts a few days. Chronic inflammation can last months or years (opens in a new tab), and it is part of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, according to the NCBI StatPearls chapter on chronic inflammation (2023).

In research papers, "anti-inflammatory" usually refers to something measured: a lower level of a signalling protein (a cytokine such as IL-6 or TNF-α) in cells or in blood. Trials in people with a diagnosed condition also track disease activity scores.

If you want the basics of the compound first, start with what CBD is and how it differs from THC.

What lab and animal studies found

Most of the research on CBD and inflammation so far is pre-clinical.

A 2019 review by Atalay and colleagues (opens in a new tab) at the Medical University of Białystok summarised laboratory findings on how CBD interacts with oxidative stress and with receptors including CB2, TRPV1, PPARγ, 5-HT1A and adenosine A2A. The authors noted that the effects they described depend on concentration.

A 2021 systematic review of animal studies (opens in a new tab) (Henshaw et al.) included 26 experiments, 20 of them with CBD. In most of them, the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and interferon gamma were lower after CBD. The authors presented these findings as a basis for designing human trials.

Animal studies often use injected doses and induced diseases, so their results are tested separately in people.

What human trials have found

Blood markers. Candeloro and colleagues (2025) (opens in a new tab) pooled randomised controlled trials that measured inflammatory markers. Thirteen studies met their criteria. Pooled estimates favoured CBD for IL-6 (four studies), IL-8 (two), IL-10 (two) and TNF-α (three), and individual trials reported lower markers in people with high exposure or an existing disease. None of the pooled results reached statistical significance; IL-8 came closest. The authors described the effects across trials as inconsistent and often small, with certainty of evidence rated from very low to moderate.

A wider view. A 2026 meta-analysis in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (opens in a new tab) (Belvederi Murri et al.) looked at 46 studies of cannabinoid use and inflammatory biomarkers. The authors described cannabinoids as immunomodulatory, meaning they can shift immune signals in more than one direction. In the pooled CBD trials, pro-inflammatory markers rose slightly, and the credible interval included no change.

An inflammatory disease. In a 2017 randomised, placebo-controlled trial (opens in a new tab), 20 adults with moderately active Crohn's disease took 10 mg of oral CBD or placebo twice a day for eight weeks. Average disease activity scores fell from 337 to 220 in the CBD group and from 308 to 216 in the placebo group, so the difference between groups was not statistically significant. No side effects were observed. As possible reasons why the groups did not differ, the authors named the small dose, the small number of patients and the absence of other cannabinoids, and called for further research.

Trials on joint pain and on sport are covered in our articles on CBD and joint pain research and CBD, training and recovery.

Can CBD affect the liver?

It can: in a 2025 trial run by the FDA (opens in a new tab), some healthy adults taking CBD had raised liver enzymes, and our guide to CBD side effects and liver risks has the figures and EFSA's open questions.

Can you take CBD with ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory medicines?

Ask a pharmacist or doctor before combining them. Our guide to CBD with ibuprofen and other medicines sets out the enzyme data for ibuprofen and diclofenac.

EFSA says the safety of CBD can't be established for people taking medication (opens in a new tab), and the UK Food Standards Agency does not recommend CBD for anyone taking medication (opens in a new tab) unless under medical direction.

Which forms and doses did the studies use?

The 2025 meta-analysis treats CBD applied to the skin or mouth (local) and swallowed CBD (systemic) as separate bodies of evidence (opens in a new tab), because local tissue effects don't necessarily show up in the blood.

The human trials above used oral CBD: 20 mg a day in the Crohn's trial and 5 mg per kg of body weight a day in the liver trial. This article reports study doses only and doesn't recommend one.

If you have swelling, pain or a fever that doesn't go away, or symptoms you can't explain, see a doctor rather than treating it yourself.

Who should avoid CBD?

EFSA concluded that the safety of CBD can't be established (opens in a new tab) for people under 25, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people taking medication, and our guide to who should avoid CBD covers the other groups regulators name.

Can a CBD supplement claim to reduce inflammation in the EU?

No. Under Article 7(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (opens in a new tab), food information may not attribute to any food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease, and the rule covers advertising too.

Health claims of any kind are prohibited unless they are authorised and listed under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, Article 10(1) (opens in a new tab). The European Commission keeps those lists in the EU Register of Nutrition and Health Claims (opens in a new tab).

CBD also has no novel food authorisation. As of October 2026, the Commission's list of decisions terminating novel food procedures (opens in a new tab) includes many CBD applications closed in 2026 without adding CBD to the Union list. Our overview of whether CBD is legal in Europe explains what that means country by country.

The same claims rules apply to every ingredient in a supplement. Our guide to which claims curcumin, omega-3 and vitamins are authorised to carry sets out the approved wording.