Research shows that CBD can mitigate some of the most problematic side effects of THC, such as paranoia and anxiety. Therefore, if you feel paranoid after consuming too much THC, consuming CBD can help you return to a less anxious state of mind. However, a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggested consuming something else, cannabidiol or CBD. Using rat models, researchers found that those paranoid thoughts you might experience while smoking marijuana are not an appearance.
THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana, stimulates a molecule located in the hippocampus of the brain, where memory, learning, and emotional associations are often stored. One reason for the lack of significant results in this study could be that neither THC nor CBD concentrations were high enough to have significant effects. A recent study explored the effect of CBD and placebo on naive people at high risk of developing psychosis and compared their brain activation through fMRI during a verbal learning task with healthy, non-medicated controls. In many experimental studies, the routes of administration used for both THC and CBD are not comparable to the routes of administration found in recreational cannabis use.
The article will focus on the role that CBD plays in contributing to the psychological effects experienced during recreational cannabis use. While THC and CBD interact with the body through the endocannabinoid system to alter the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, altering mood, appetite and pain response, their modes of action are different. The high doses of CBD that have been used in experimental studies increase the concentration of CBD in the blood to levels that can never be achieved by smoking a joint. In this way, CBD can certainly mitigate the anxious and paranoid side effects associated with excessive consumption of THC.
If you're lucky enough to live in a state with legal cannabis, you have a growing selection of CBD products to choose from. While THC has been linked to an increased risk of psychosis, CBD is potentially beneficial for symptoms of psychosis. Studies examining the protective effects of CBD have shown that CBD can counteract the negative effects of THC. Using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach, Demirakca and colleagues studied hippocampal gray matter (GM) concentrations and volumes in 11 chronic recreational cannabis users and 13 healthy controls and correlated their findings with THC and CBD measurements from hair analysis.
The scientists then tried to administer CBD and THC to the rats simultaneously and discovered lower levels of anxiety and paranoia. In their study, 23 healthy marijuana users were randomly assigned to a group of low or high THC and low or high levels of CBD. In studies that reported anxiety-reducing effects, high oral doses of CBD were generally involved. Research has been conducted on the pharmacological and toxicological properties of CBD in different types of animals.
THC activates CB1 receptors within the brain, causing feelings of euphoria, but CBD is an antagonist of CB1 receptors, meaning it will never cause the “high” commonly associated with cannabis use and can counteract CB1 activation following exposure to THC.
