Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies
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.
Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Neurological Disorders: A Comprehensive Review
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…
Interpretation of Workplace Tests for Cannabinoids
This article explains how workplace drug testing for marijuana usually looks for an inactive THC metabolite in urine. A positive urine test does not prove a person was impaired or recently using marijuana. Tests usually start with a quick screen and then use a lab confirmation. Urine is the most…
Efficacy of Phytocannabinoids in Epilepsy Treatment: Novel Approaches and Recent Advances
This 2021 review looks at plant-derived cannabinoids as possible treatments for epilepsy. It focuses on four compounds — CBD, CBDV, Δ9-THCV and CBG — and reviews what is known about how they might work in the brain and what animal and human studies have shown. The authors say there is…
Cannabidiol (CBD) in Rheumatic Diseases (Musculoskeletal Pain)
This is a lab certificate for the topical product “Rapid Relief” (Sample ID AR60115, 96.0 g) tested by Steep Hill Arkansas and reported 2/5/2025. The lab found 1.25% CBD (12.5 mg/g; 1200.02 mg per package) and a small amount of delta‑8‑THC at 0.02% (0.25 mg/g; 23.83 mg per package). The…
Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in neurological conditions: a systematic review of clinical trials
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…
SSRIs, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Disease Modeling: Strategies to Advance PTSD Treatment
This paper is a position review that looks at three drugs—SSRIs (a common antidepressant), psilocybin (a psychedelic), and MDMA—and how they change brain circuits that use serotonin. The authors note that all three are already used or being tested as treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They say we still…
