Cannabidiol as a therapeutic alternative for post-traumatic stress disorder: From bench research to confirmation in human trials

Bitencourt & Takahashi (2018) examine cannabidiol (CBD), a constituent of Cannabis sativa without the psychoactive effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol since they have been reported to help remove undesirable memories and block their reconsideration. Since the endocannabinoid (eCB) system is thought to be involved, CBD may be a potentially therapeutic drug for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD affects around 10% of people at some point in life, the current pharmacological therapies are lacking in efficacy and cause substantial side effects. Recent studies have confirmed that CBD can modify important aspects of unpleasant memories in humans and significantly improve the symptomatology of PTSD. The aim of this review was to demonstrate CBD’s therapeutic potential by presenting preclinical and human experimental studies. Hopefully this raises awareness of CBD’s use cases in treating these disorders related to inappropriate retention of unpleasant memories. [NPID: herbs, memories, endocannabinoid, fear, PTSD]

Year: 2018

Reference: Bitencourt, R. M., & Takahashi, R. N. (2018). Cannabidiol as a Therapeutic Alternative for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: From Bench Research to Confirmation in Human Trials. Frontiers in neuroscience, 12, 502. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00502

Related Studies

Attenuation of anxiety-like behavior by Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench methanolic extract through up-regulation of ERK signaling pathways in noradrenergic neurons

Since there has been a recent growth in long-term use of alternative medicine, Borgonetti et al. (2020) inspected Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench methanolic extract (HSE) as a potential treatment for anxiety- and depression-related symptoms. HSE has shown its ability to inhibit monoamine oxidases (MAOs), which is how a class of existing antidepressants (called MAO Inhibitors) […]

An open-label study to elucidate the effects of standardized Bacopa Monnieri extract in the management of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children

Dave et al. (2014) point out how poor the average response rates are (70%) of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taking psychostimulant medications. The children may not respond to the medication or in some cases suffer from adverse effects such as nausea, insomnia, and weight loss. This study therefore tries to find an effective […]