Best CBD Oil for Anxiety and Depression 2021 – Top Brands Reviewed

CBD Oil for Anxiety
In the past several years, CBD has earned a reputation as one of America's go-to sources for natural health and wellness. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and is one of the most prominent, active ingredients found in cannabis. Though CBD is a critical component in medical marijuana, most commercially available CBD products are derived from the hemp plant. These products are said to offer a range of personal health benefits, and one of the most significant of those benefits is relief from anxiety.
Indeed, a Harvard report notes that CBD is commonly prescribed as a cure for anxiety symptoms, and that those who struggle with various mental health concerns may use CBD to help them combat sleeplessness.
But what does the science really say about using CBD oil for anxiety? And for those who wish to use cannabis products to ease their stress or their worry, which CBD brands are the most reliable and recommendable?
Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Editor's Choice
cbdMD Premium CBD Oil
- Quality, broad spectrum relief
- Strong hemp oil extracts
- Regularly tested for impurities
What Science Says About CBD for Anxiety
First, let's consider what clinical researchers have found about the use of CBD as a possible treatment for anxiety disorders.
Studies have shown that, while CBD doesn't necessarily alter a person's baseline anxiety level, it can be useful for reducing experiential anxiety. Indeed, research points to CBD as a potentially effective way to address the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), general anxiety disorder (GAD), and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additional research confirms that, while more clinical testing is needed to verify safe dosage levels, CBD "has a promising role as alternative therapy in the management of anxiety disorders."
There is also clinical evidence to suggest that CBD can be a tool for managing panic attacks. Panic disorder (PD) impacts about five percent of the total global population, making the anxiolytic effects of CBD products potentially impactful on a widespread level.
There is even clinical evidence that CBD can help minimize the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a nervous condition that can be debilitating. Currently, OCD is treated primarily through cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants, but the recovery rate is exceedingly low. The prospect of CBD as an alternative intervention is potentially game-changing.
But how exactly does CBD impact those with anxiety conditions? The short answer is that products from the cannabis plant tend to have a strong, reactive effect with the endocannabinoid system, a molecular system that regulates many core functions of the body… including emotions. Cannabinoids can bind to receptors in the endocannabinoid system and modify the way they function, yielding a range of possible health benefits.
Indeed, one study notes that "modulating the activity of the endocannabinoid system turned out to hold therapeutic promise in a wide range of disparate diseases and pathological conditions, ranging from mood and anxiety disorders, movement disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, to cancer, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension, glaucoma, obesity/metabolic syndrome, and osteoporosis, to name just a few." Based on the available evidence, anxiety disorders deserve their place near the top of this list.
The Best CBD Oil for Anxiety & Depression
- cbdMD - Best overall
- Naternal - Best value
- Spruce - Strongest hemp oil
- NuLeaf Naturals - Best full spectrum
- CBDistillery - Best product variety
- Medterra - Best THC-free
Detailed Reviews on the Best CBD Oils For Anxiety 2020
1. cbdMD Premium CBD Oil
cbdMD CBD Tinctures
cbdMD oils are made from USA-grown hemp and come in a variety of flavors and concentrations. We tend to prefer full spectrum products—those that contain a legal amount of THC—but consumers also really like broad spectrum oils. These oils allow you to get a range of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other valuable plant material with no THC. For people who take CBD to manage stress at work, cbdMD allows relief and prevents any failed drug tests.
Pros:
- Affordable products and a good variety
- 60-day guarantee—allowing you to return any product you don't love
- 30% savings on auto-shipped products
Cons:
- Not a full spectrum oil
2. Naternal Full Spectrum
Naternal is made from hemp grown in the USA. And, importantly, these products are very affordable. You can get this lab-grade tincture in 20, 40, or 80 mg per serving. All concentrations have the same light natural flavor in a nearly-clear oil. Once you find the right dose of Naternal, the strong effects can put you to sleep easily or allow you to kick back and relax with a strong body relaxation. It's a great product at a hard-to-beat price.
Pros:
- Good, strong products
- Regularly tested for quality
- Simple dosing instruction on every package
Cons:
- More for mood and sleep than pain
3. Spruce CBD Oil
Spruce CBD checks all the right boxes: It's all-natural. It's from USA-sourced hemp. It has low THC, and thus won't get you high. And it's backed by rigorous third-party lab testing. You can get this lab-grade CBD oil tincture in a range of potencies, ranging from 750mg to 2,400mg, and there are also some fun flavors to choose from. (Our seasonal favorite: Pumpkin spice!) And if you find that Spruce CBD oil offers the desired health and wellness effects, you may also want to check into their other products, like CBD topical creams and lotions.
Pros:
- Very strong products
- Consistent quality
- Very in-depth customer reviews and testimonials on website
Cons:
- More expensive than some products
- Too strong for entry-level consumers
4. NuLeaf Naturals CBD Oil
Our final recommendation is for NuLeaf CBD oil, which is about as natural as a CBD tincture can get: It's made from organic hemp, it's additive- and pesticide-free, and it's carefully lab-tested. This Colorado-grown, full-spectrum CBD offers anti-anxiety effects without any risk of getting you high.
Pros:
- Industry leader
- Consistent products make dosing easier
- Strong full spectrum effects
Cons:
- Very earthy flavor profile
- Too "natural" tasting for some beginners
5. CBDistillery Full Spectrum Tincture
CBDistillery is renowned for their high-quality, pure CBD products, including full spectrum and 0 percent THC drops. All are vigorously lab-tested and confirmed by third parties to be safe and effective. There are a ton of options, both in terms of potency and price, but the main thing we love is that this product line is very no-nonsense: If you need CBD oil help for your anxiety issues, here's a brand that offers clinically-tested, thoroughly-vetted treatment options.
Pros:
- Great website selection and experience
- Strong products plus THC-free options
- Hemp Authority approved
Cons:
- Need to catch sales and discounts at the right time
- Hard to open lid (could be good if kids around)
6. Medterra THC-free CBD Oil
Medterra offers a wide range of CBD products, including topicals, pet products, and more. We like the THC-free oil, which is made with organically-grown, CO2-extracted hemp. Their oils only contain CBD and MCT oil (basically a saturated fatty acid), and they meet rigorous third-party testing standards. 500mg, 1000mg, and 3000mg options are available, and the cost starts at around $60.
Pros:
- Kentucky-grown hemp
- Industry leader for many years
- Simple online checkout experience
Cons:
- THC-free options lack full hemp potential
- Many oil types to choose from
How much CBD oil should you take for anxiety?
For those who are eager to try CBD products to help ease anxiety, the next question is: How much should you take?
There's not a single, clear answer to this question, as the amount of CBD needed may vary from person to person, based on their level of anxiety and other health concerns. One thing that holds true across the board is that using CBD consistently is best for improving stress levels, as the compound builds up within the body, amplifying its effect. In other words: CBD may help with anxiety symptoms, but don't expect it to be an immediate cure.
Those who are new to CBD will likely want to start at the lower end of the dosing spectrum and work their way up; this can be the wisest way to gauge efficacy and also to avoid any adverse effects..
Should you try CBD oil for anxiety?
If you're looking for a natural way to combat the effects of anxiety, CBD oil drops may be a good place to start. Note that none of these products are cleared by the FDA to treat anxiety disorders, so if you have any apprehension, you may want to chat with your doctor first.
F.A.Q
Q: How fast does a hemp CBD work for anxiety?
A: Depending on the way you use CBD products such as the amount you take, how do you consume it in, and where you got your CBD from can affect the time it takes to give its benefits.
Q: Do you need to take hemp CBD products daily?
A: Some people notice that taking a daily dose will help sustain a level of hemp CBD in your body, which could stimulate your endocannabinoid system to make it react a lot more to cannabinoids like CBD products.
Q: What is plant-based CBD hemp oil products?
A: Cannabinoid oil products contain no psychoactive drugs so they won't get your high or produce that high feeling.
Q: What anxiety issues can it improve?
A: It can help with post-traumatic stress disorder, social stresses, work-related stress, depression, and many other issues related to stress
Q: How do I use it to treat my anxiety?
A: You should first figure out what kind of tincture you would like to try and then from there figure out the ideal dose for you.
Josh Hurst is a journalist, critic, copywriter, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. As a writer and independent reviewer of CBD products, Josh covers the relationship between cannabis-based products and the human body. His writing has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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<p>Think of it as a game of Jenga and the planet's climate system as the tower. For generations, we have been slowly removing blocks. But at some point, we will remove a pivotal block, such as the collapse of one of the major global ocean circulation systems, for example the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), that will cause all or part of the global climate system to fall into a planetary emergency.</p><p>But worse still, it could cause runaway damage: Where the tipping points form a domino-like cascade, where breaching one triggers breaches of others, creating an unstoppable shift to a radically and swiftly changing climate.</p><p>One of the most concerning tipping points is mass methane release. Methane can be found in deep freeze storage within permafrost and at the bottom of the deepest oceans in the form of methane hydrates. But rising sea and air temperatures are beginning to thaw these stores of methane.</p><p>This would release a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, 30-times more potent than carbon dioxide as a global warming agent. This would drastically increase temperatures and rush us towards the breach of other tipping points.</p><p>This could include the acceleration of ice thaw on all three of the globe's large, land-based ice sheets – Greenland, West Antarctica and the Wilkes Basin in East Antarctica. The potential collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet is seen as a key tipping point, as its loss could eventually <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/324/5929/901" target="_blank">raise global sea levels by 3.3 meters</a> with important regional variations.</p><p>More than that, we would be on the irreversible path to full land-ice melt, causing sea levels to rise by up to 30 meters, roughly at the rate of two meters per century, or maybe faster. Just look at the raised beaches around the world, at the last high stand of global sea level, at the end of the Pleistocene period around 120,0000 years ago, to see the evidence of such a warm world, which was just 2°C warmer than the present day.</p>Cutting Off Circulation
<p>As well as devastating low-lying and coastal areas around the world, melting polar ice could set off another tipping point: a disablement to the AMOC.</p><p>This circulation system drives a northward flow of warm, salty water on the upper layers of the ocean from the tropics to the northeast Atlantic region, and a southward flow of cold water deep in the ocean.</p><p>The ocean conveyor belt has a major effect on the climate, seasonal cycles and temperature in western and northern Europe. It means the region is warmer than other areas of similar latitude.</p><p>But melting ice from the Greenland ice sheet could threaten the AMOC system. It would dilute the salty sea water in the north Atlantic, making the water lighter and less able or unable to sink. This would slow the engine that drives this ocean circulation.</p><p><a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/atlantic-conveyor-belt-has-slowed-15-per-cent-since-mid-twentieth-century" target="_blank">Recent research</a> suggests the AMOC has already weakened by around 15% since the middle of the 20th century. If this continues, it could have a major impact on the climate of the northern hemisphere, but particularly Europe. It may even lead to the <a href="https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/39731?show=full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cessation of arable farming</a> in the UK, for instance.</p><p>It may also reduce rainfall over the Amazon basin, impact the monsoon systems in Asia and, by bringing warm waters into the Southern Ocean, further destabilize ice in Antarctica and accelerate global sea level rise.</p>The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has a major effect on the climate. Praetorius (2018)
Is it Time to Declare a Climate Emergency?
<p>At what stage, and at what rise in global temperatures, will these tipping points be reached? No one is entirely sure. It may take centuries, millennia or it could be imminent.</p><p>But as COVID-19 taught us, we need to prepare for the expected. We were aware of the risk of a pandemic. We also knew that we were not sufficiently prepared. But we didn't act in a meaningful manner. Thankfully, we have been able to fast-track the production of vaccines to combat COVID-19. But there is no vaccine for climate change once we have passed these tipping points.</p><p><a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-risks-report-2021" target="_blank">We need to act now on our climate</a>. Act like these tipping points are imminent. And stop thinking of climate change as a slow-moving, long-term threat that enables us to kick the problem down the road and let future generations deal with it. We must take immediate action to reduce global warming and fulfill our commitments to the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paris Agreement</a>, and build resilience with these tipping points in mind.</p><p>We need to plan now to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, but we also need to plan for the impacts, such as the ability to feed everyone on the planet, develop plans to manage flood risk, as well as manage the social and geopolitical impacts of human migrations that will be a consequence of fight or flight decisions.</p><p>Breaching these tipping points would be cataclysmic and potentially far more devastating than COVID-19. Some may not enjoy hearing these messages, or consider them to be in the realm of science fiction. But if it injects a sense of urgency to make us respond to climate change like we have done to the pandemic, then we must talk more about what has happened before and will happen again.</p><p>Otherwise we will continue playing Jenga with our planet. And ultimately, there will only be one loser – us.</p>By John R. Platt
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