Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
This review looked at animal and human studies of cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety. In animals, CBD often reduced anxiety-like behaviors at low or medium doses but sometimes increased anxiety at high doses. Small human studies and public-speaking tests suggest CBD might reduce anxiety in healthy people and in social anxiety…
This 2023 review looks at many studies of cannabidiol (CBD) for brain and nerve conditions. It found lab, animal, and human evidence that CBD can reduce seizures and may protect nerve cells, lower inflammation, and act as an antioxidant. The review says results are promising for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's…
Project Twenty21 is the UK’s first medical cannabis registry. It began in August 2020 to collect real-world data because randomized trials are hard and NHS prescribing remained rare after medical cannabis was legalised in November 2018. By 12 March 2021, 678 people had joined; most were men and the most…
This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled eight clinical studies to examine cannabidiol (CBD) for anxiety. Across 316 participants, the analysis found a statistically significant and sizable effect on anxiety (Hedges' g = -0.92, 95% CI -1.80 to -0.04). The review covered generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and PTSD, but…
This review looked at 47 completed clinical trials of cannabinoids (mainly THC and CBD) for brain and nerve conditions. Some trials showed benefits for symptoms like spasticity in multiple sclerosis and for certain forms of epilepsy, but results for pain were mixed. The authors say the evidence is promising but…
