There are countless reports of cannabidiol, or CBD, being used as an effective anti-anxiety therapy, but the physical changes that cause CBD to act as an Anxiolytic had not been previously studied. Researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil conducted an experiment to determine the physical cause of anxiolytic response by utilizing neuroimaging, in conjunction with, subjective testing.

The Study consisted of 10 healthy male volunteers, randomly divided into two groups of five, over two separate sessions.  The first test group of 5 men received an oral CBD treatment of 400mg, while the second group received a placebo.  Neuroimage testing was performed 90 minutes after dosing, along with, a subjective test, known as the Visual Analogue Mood Scale.  One week later, the process was repeated, but with the subjects receiving the treatment that they had not received in the previous session.

The results of the Visual Analogue Mood Scale showed that “CBD significantly decreased subjective anxiety and increased mental sedation, while the placebo did not induce significant changes.” Assessment of the neuroimaging showed a definite clustering of brain cells in the amygdala-hippocampal, hypothalamus and the left posterior cingulate gyrus, all contributing to the anxiolytic effects present during the subjective testing. The study confirmed that CBD does in fact seem to possess anti-anxiety properties, which are triggered by CBD’s effect on the limbic and paralimbic brain areas.

To read more about the study quoted above, please see here.