Does CBD Actually Do Anything?
A new study just ruled CBD safe. But can it help heal your body and mind?
A few weeks ago, I was complaining to a friend about feeling especially stressed out. (Shocking in this era, I know.) Later that day, she sweetly dropped off a care package, including a bag of peach-flavored CBD gummies.
For those with a vague sense of what that means, CBD is a phytocannabinoid, or a naturally occurring chemical that accounts for 40% of a what’s extracted from a marijuana plant — and it does not have psychoactive properties. In other words, CBD doesn’t get you high. It’s been approved by the FDA as a prescription anti-seizure medication, but has otherwise been considered somewhat experimental and remains unregulated.
“There is evidence that CBD works for some conditions,” says Robert Graham, MD, MPH chef, and founder of New York-based integrative medicine practice, Fresh Medicine. “Definitely not for all the conditions it is being promoted or marketed for these days.” True believers employ it in hopes of relieving myriad issues including chronic pain, inflammation, headaches, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Over the years since CBD has become popular, as a wellness writer, I’ve sampled many a lovely product — a CBD, arnica, and ginger cream for…
