As more retailers fill store shelves with cannabidiol (CBD) products, researchers are urging caution. Marketing is outpacing the evidence, and collectively we would benefit from taking a few steps back to understand what’s real and what's not concerning the latest health panacea.
A new research review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings takes on the task of separating clinical substance from inflated claims about hemp-derived CBD oils, and offers suggestions for both consumers and health professionals on how to navigate ahead.
Yes some of the research shows promise, but…
Hardly a month passes without new studies pointing to the promise of CBD to treat sleep disorders, anxiety and chronic pain (among the most common claims). Some of these are small pre-clinical trials, others are more impressive clinical studies, and together their results suggest that CBD isn’t a baseless fad.
But, as the authors of the new research review point out, there’s been few worthwhile human studies on the safety and efficacy of CBD products. Clinicians don’t yet have the information they need to make solid recommendations to their patients. At the same time, CBD marketing is exploding with largely unsubstantiated claims circulating for everything from lotions to sprays to capsules.
"There are many intriguing findings in pre-clinical studies that suggest CBD and hemp oil have anti-inflammatory effects and may be helpful with improving sleep and anxiety," says Brent Bauer, M.D., an internist and director of research for the Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine program. "But trials in humans are still limited, so it is too early to be definitive about efficacy and safety."
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