Table 3.
Clinical trials investigating the effect of CBD on subjective anxiety
| Citation | Study design | Participants | Treatment(s) | Context | Treatment effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy participants | |||||
| Zuardi et al. (1993) [207] | DB (PC); BSD |
I: 10; 23 y C: 10; 23 y |
Oral 300 mg | Public speaking (90 min post-tx) | CBD sig. reduced SA post-public speaking. SA prior to, in anticipation of, and during speaking were unaffected. |
| Crippa et al. (2004) [45] | DB (PC); BSD |
I: 5 M; 30 ± 5 y C: 5 M; 30 ± 5 y |
Oral 400 mg | Low stress | CBD sig. reduced SA 60 and 75 min post-tx. |
| Bhattacharyya et al. (2010) [18] | DB (PC); WSD | 15 M; 27 ± 6 y | Oral 600 mg | Low stress | SA was unaffected 1, 2 and 3 h post-tx. |
| Martin-Santos et al. (2012) [123] | DB (PC); WSD | 16 M; 26 ± 5 y | Oral 600 mg | Low stress | SA was unaffected 1, 2 and 3 h post-tx. |
| Hindocha et al. (2015) [86] | DB (PC); WSD | 48; 22 y | Vaporised 16 mg | Low stress | SA was unaffected 2, 30, 60. 90 and 120 min post-tx. |
| Zuardi et al. (2017) [208] | DB (PC); BSD |
I: 12 (6 M); 23 ± 3 y I: 11 (5 M); 23 ± 3 y I: 12 (6 M); 23 ± 3 y C: 12 (6 M); 22 ± 2 y |
I: Oral 100 mg I: Oral 300 mg I: Oral 900 mg |
Public speaking (150 min post-tx) |
300 mg CBD sig. reduced SA compared to 900 mg CBD (but not placebo) during public speaking. SA prior to, in anticipation of, and post-speaking were not affected by any treatment. |
| Linares et al. (2019) [116] | DB (PC); BSD |
I: 15 M; 24 ± 3 y I: 15 M; 25 ± 3 y I: 12 M; 23 ± 3 y C: 15 M; 25 ± 4 y |
I: Oral 150 mg I: Oral 300 mg I: Oral 600 mg |
Public speaking (90 min post-tx) |
300 mg CBD (but not 150 or 600 mg) sig. reduced SA during public speaking. SA prior to, in anticipation of, and post-speaking were not affected by any treatment. |
| Clinical populations | |||||
| Crippa et al. (2011) [44] |
DB (PC); WSD SAD Participants |
10 M; 24 ± 4 y | Oral 400 mg | Low stress | CBD sig. reduced SA 60, 75 and 140 min post-Tx. |
| Bergamaschi et al. (2011) [15] |
DB (PC); BSD SAD Participants |
I: 12 (6 M); 23 ± 2 y C: 12 (6 M); 23 ± 2 y |
Oral 600 mg |
Public speaking (90 min Post-Tx) |
CBD sig. reduced SA during public speaking. SA prior to, in anticipation of, and post-speaking were not affected. |
| Hundal et al. (2017) [90] |
DB (PC); BSD High Trait Paranoia |
I: 16 (8 M); 26 ± 9 y C: 18 (8 M); 25 ± 8 y |
Oral 600 mg |
Virtual reality (130 min Post-Tx) |
SA was unaffected. |
| Masataka (2019) [124] |
DB (PC); BSD SAD Participants |
I: 17 (8 M); 18–19 y C: 20 (8 M); 18–19 y |
Oral 300 mg·d-1 (28-days) | Low stress | CBD sig. reduced SA 4-weeks post-tx. |
BSD between-subject design, C control group, CBD cannabidiol, DB double-blind, I intervention group, M male subjects, PC placebo-controlled, SAD social anxiety disorder, SA subjective anxiety, SB single-blind, Tx treatment, WSD within-subject design
The “Treatment effects” described are in comparison to a placebo condition, unless otherwise stated