CBD has the ability to help people with multiple types of anxiety disorders. Several studies have been conducted to determine how CBD specifically combats anxiety.
Initial studies on the anxiolytic impact of CBD were initially demonstrated on animals during the 1970s and 1980s, and later shown in humans with the Simulated Public Speaking Test. Results of this research revealed that CBD could improve social anxiety brought on by the test.
More recent research has highlighted the potential roles of CBD in alleviating symptoms of anxiety across a variety of anxiety related disorders such as (Blessing, Steenkamp, Manzanares, & Marmar, 2015):
Generalized anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Panic disorder
Similarly to depression, CBD may mitigate anxiety through its impact on specific chemical systems of the brain. Imaging studies have been done that show CBD leads to patterns of activity that are consistent with the lowering of anxiety. In addition to its interaction with receptors in the brain, CBD may help anxiety by modifying cerebral blood flow (Zuardi, Garrido, et al, 2004).