You’ve probably heard your friends talking about it. You’ve heard your relatives mention it. But is it legitimate? What is CBD, and is it really a miracle cure for anxiety?

Well, no. It’s not. CBD is definitely not a cure for anxiety or any other condition. It can, however, treat their symptoms. Numerous people are turning to CBD, short for cannabidiol, as a more natural alternative to pharmaceutical medications.

CBD products come in many forms. You’ve probably heard of oils and tinctures, but there are also topicals, vapes, patches, and edibles. Gummies are becoming increasingly popular; many hemp-derived products can taste earthy, but gummies provide the benefits of CBD while tasting delicious. Can CBD gummies, you wonder, treat anxiety? Yes, indeed they can.

How does CBD work?

First, let’s briefly explore how and why CBD works. Cannabidiol is one of over a hundred compounds found the cannabis plant called cannabinoids. Another one of those hundred-plus is THC, which is the molecule that makes marijuana famous for inducing a high. Unlike THC, CBD is not an intoxicant, so you won’t feel stoned after ingesting it.

Now, it’s essential to understand your body’s endocannabinoid system (and the answer is yes, to answer your next question; this system was named after the plant because it was discovered relatively recently).

This system, the ECS, plays a vital role in maintaining your body’s homeostasis. If something is out of balance, your ECS helps correct it: it tells your stomach to growl when you’re hungry so that you know to eat something, and it instructs your sweat glands to activate when it notices your body is becoming overheated.

With such a critical role, your ECS is involved with all sorts of bodily functions. Mood, sleep, memory, pain, pleasure, inflammation, digestion, and motor control are all examples. Your ECS is comprised of receptors, enzymes, and endocannabinoids.

When you ingest phytocannabinoids like CBD and THC from a plant, it gives your ECS a boost as it performs its duties. This is why many people have found that CBD can alleviate pain, treat insomnia, and reduce other symptoms—including anxiety from anxiety disorders because it helps calm the brain.

What can you take CBD for?

Admittedly, CBD’s effects require a significant amount of further research. Most studies have been conducted on animals, so the evidence we have of CBD working the way it does in humans comes from personal anecdotes. However, what research that does exist suggests that people can ingest cannabidiol to treat conditions like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, OCD, panic disorder, and PTSD.

Many doctors advise people with anxiety disorders not to smoke marijuana because the THC can make them even more paranoid. Because CBD does not induce a high, and because it’s not an addictive substance, CBD is a viable option for reducing anxiety symptoms. It helps to quell your mind’s fight or flight response, reminding you that you’re safe.

Why people love gummies

Besides being delicious, people are learning to love CBD gummies because they are discreet. If you are feeling anxious during the middle of the day, you don’t want to wait until you get home to take a drop of oil under your tongue.

Well, you could, but you might attract odd looks from people (and maybe even get in trouble) who are not on board with cannabis products yet. No one will question what looks like a multivitamin, though, so you can eat cannabidiol edibles when you need to. CBD gummies from Verma Farms are known for being particularly delicious.

A few words of warning

As mentioned previously, there is not much official research regarding CBD’s effects on humans. It is generally regarded as safe, but side effects like liver damage (from a study conducted with mice), diarrhea, fatigue, and changes in weight and appetite are possible. Talk with your doctor if CBD is a viable treatment for your anxiety and what dosage you should start at.

The CBD industry is also heavily unregulated. The only FDA-approved brand of CBD is Epidiolex, which is used to treat two kinds of pediatric epilepsy. As such, there is no entity setting or enforcing industry standards, so you kneed to be careful when shopping—the possibility of purchasing a fraudulent or even harmful product is higher than you know.

Only buy CBD gummies from reputable sources, like those Forbes and Entrepreneur recommend, and make sure that it is transparent about where its hemp comes from and publishes its lab results (known as Certificates of Analysis) online.

If you want to know more about research regarding CBD and anxiety, make sure that you are looking at studies that pertain to cannabidiol specifically, as much research looks at marijuana instead of CBD on its own.

CBD is not a cure-all, but it can do wonders for people living with anxiety. If you’ve tried CBD gummies, how has it helped your anxiety symptoms?