This is a bigger issue than most people new to CBD realize.
There are three main considerations for the best CBD when looking at anxiety:
- Quality of CBD
- Full-spectrum versus CBD isolate
- Price and levels of CBD
Let's look at each one.
Quality of CBD
There is so many bad CBD product on the market right now. CBD products are not managed by the FDA so you have to have 3rd party testing.
These are the basic requirements that are essential (mandatory really):
- Organically grown in the US at FDA farms
- CO2 cold processed (much cleaner option)
- 3rd party testing (should be readily available online)
- No THC - we'll touch on this later…THC builds tolerance
- No Solvents
- No Heavy Metals
- No Pesticides
- No Mold
- No Bacteria
A few notes on these.
The US/FDA farm piece is very important. There's lots of questionable product coming over from China or Mexico from operators just trying to make a quick buck off of the buzz around CBD.
CBD's research (learn what CBD is here) is impressive and this brings out those that want to take advantage of it.
3rd party testing is really the key to quality. What's in the product. What isn't?
Here we can see the cannabinoid profile..so exactly how much CBD (another big issue) as well as other cannabinoids.
The issue with THC is that many people have histamine responses to it and longer-term, it builds tolerance.
Tolerance means your natural system (in this case, anandamide) gets worse and worse over time.
In terms of what's not in it, that's the solvent (not an issue with CO2 processing), pesticides (not an issue with organically grown hemp), mold, bacteria, and heavy metals.
You can find our 3rd party testing by batch here or at the top of any page.
Many brands out there don't have/show testing. That's a total dealbreaker.
Next up, is the type of CBD for anxiety.
Full-spectrum versus CBD isolate
This is probably the biggest issue we see with people who try CBD for anxiety and have bad results.
In fact, with full-spectrum, they can see anxiety gets worse which completely runs counter to all the research.
What gives?
The research is based on CBD isolate. CBD by itself!
What all these brands pushing full spectrum don't mention (and I do mean push) is that 40-60% of the population has histamine issues.
This number goes up as we get older and for women (as progesterone leaves).
75% of these people are allergic to THC! (see CBD versus THC).
All that plant material and even small amounts of THC can set off histamine responses (see our reviews to see the difference).
What's the big deal with histamine and anxiety?
Histamine is excitatory in the brain! The first class of antianxiety meds like hydroxyzine were actually…antihistamines!
See…histamine opposes GABA, our brain's brake pedal. GABA is the target for benzos so that gives you an idea of how it is THE immediate operator for anti-anxiety (and sleep and to some extent, pain).
Big review on CBD and GABA here.
This histamine effect is completely overlooked with full-spectrum proponents mainly because they don't dive deep enough into the research (we're periscope down over here).
Again, check out our reviews on any of the product pages and you'll many references to this effect.
The research for CBD and anxiety (here) is based on isolate.
Then there's cost.
Price and levels of CBD
Research points to a range of 50-300mg CBD daily for anxiety.
The 300mg is based on neurogenesis, the longer-term process of brain rewiring and repair.
50mg is more of a general wellness level but some people get results even there.
- Studies on public speaking for people with diagnosed social anxiety (research here) go all the way up to 600-800mg.
- Many brands might have 250mg for a full bottle (1 oz or 30ml). Good luck hitting researched levels with that option.
That's about 8mg per dropper.
Insult to injury, they charge a ridiculous amount for that level.
The key is the cost per mg of CBD. We price our CBD at about 2-3 cents per mg on the 6000mg bottle before discounts up to 50%.
Take the total cost for the bottle and divide the total amount of CBD.
For example, $60 for 250 mg would be .24 or 24 cents per mg!! 10x what we charge (and that's not unheard of…lots of bad actors out there).
So a recap on how to find the best CBD for anxiety:
- Make sure it's a quality product with third party testing
- Focus on CBD isolate which has the research and avoids histamine
- Consider cost per mg of CBD and keep around 2-5 cents
Always work with a doctor or naturopath with any supplement!
The information provided here is not intended to treat an illness or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified healthcare provider.