Super Stressed? Try One of the 7 Best CBD Oils for Anxiety

Yes! Research suggests that taking CBD can actually help you chill the F out. Even better, taking CBD in general has very few risks, so it can’t hurt to try.

BUT research into CBD for anxiety is still pretty new and ongoing — the consensus is that more human research is needed to find out how effective it *really* is. Still, research from 2020 and 2015 suggests that CBD may help with anxiety disorders like:

• panic disorder
• generalized anxiety disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• social anxiety disorder
• obsessive-compulsive disorder
• schizophrenia

But how does it work?!

Experts believe CBD interacts with your body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors and may impact your serotonin signals — and serotonin is a neurotransmitter related to mood. People often associate low serotonin levels with depression, but they may play a role in anxiety too.

Again, there’s still a lot we don’t know about CBD — and there’s not enough evidence to say that CBD is 100 percent an effective treatment for anxiety. So definitely don’t quit your doctor-prescribed treatment just yet.

Why take CBD *oil* for anxiety?

CBD is available in many forms, including oils, capsules, pills, and gummies. All these methods can help with anxiety.

You might choose to take a CBD oil if you’re looking for a little more flexibility with dosing, since capsules, pills, and gummies all come pre-dosed. Oil is also a good option if you’re not a big fan of swallowing capsules or pills.

When rounding up this list of awesome CBD oils for anxiety, we focused on products that:

• come from brands that use third-party testing by ISO 17025-compliant labs
• are made with high quality hemp grown in the US of A
• contain teeny-tiny amounts of THC (less than 0.3 percent) or none at all — verified by each product’s certificate of analysis (COA)
• aren’t filled with nasty molds, heavy metals, or pesticides — as per the COA

We also took into account:

• whether a company has any certifications or special manufacturing processes
• product potency
• ingredients
• signs that a brand is trustworthy, like:
  • positive customer reviews
  • lack of FDA warning letters
  • absence of red-flag health promises or claims 🚩 🚩 🚩

Best broad-spectrum CBD oil for anxiety

Joy Organics: Organic Broad Spectrum CBD Tincture

• Price: $$–$$$
• CBD type: broad-spectrum
• Potency: 450, 900, 1,350, or 2,250 milligrams (mg) per bottle
• COA: available online

This organic, broad-spectrum CBD oil is the perfect option for chillaxing before bed. The vegan formula is available in multiple potencies (450, 900, 1,350, and 2,250 mg per bottle), so you’ve got options.

Joy Organics is a member of the U.S. Hemp Authority Roundtable, an organization committed to making safe hemp and CBD products — move over, knights! Plus, all the company’s products are lab-tested and cruelty-free and have a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.

Did we mention the tasty peppermint flavor? Yum! Reviewers like the fresh taste and the company’s awesome customer service. And all of this product’s 243 ratings are 4 stars or higher!

Best high potency CBD oil for anxiety

Lazarus Naturals Full Spectrum, High Potency CBD Oil Tincture

• Price: $–$$$
• CBD type: full-spectrum
• Potency: 750, 1,500, 3,000, or 6,000 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

Instead of dropping multiple CBD oil drops under your tongue, you might want to try a highly potent oil to get the job done more quickly with less product.

This potent CBD tincture from Lazarus Naturals is available in multiple strengths: 750, 1,500, 3,000, and 6,000 mg per bottle. No matter which option you choose, you’ll get a whopping 50 mg of CBD per dropper. If that sounds like too much, you can use the dropper markers to lower the dose as needed.

The oil is also available in four flavors: classic, chocolate mint, French vanilla mocha, and yuzu — fun spins on the usual mint and fruit flavors.

The brand grows its own hemp and uses an ethanol-based extraction process to maintain potency. Each tincture is third-party tested and USDA-certified organic. People are head over heels for this oil and say the taste and value are off the charts.

Best full-spectrum CBD oil for anxiety

CBDistillery Full Spectrum CBD Oil Tincture

• Price: $$
• CBD type: full-spectrum
• Potency: 500 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

This popular brand’s full-spectrum CBD oil comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee — so if you’re interested in taking the entourage effect for a whirl, this oil is the way to go.

The “entourage effect” is a term referring to the synergistic effects of keeping allll the compounds naturally found in the cannabis plant together (that’s CBD, terpenes, flavonoids, *and* THC). Research suggests that keeping them together enhances CBD’s therapeutic benefits — especially when it comes to anxiety.

CBDistillery uses U.S. Hemp Authority-certified hemp grown in the United States that’s also non-GMO — and the products are all third-party tested in ISO-certified labs. We LOVE that.

Overall, customers love this full-spectrum product. One person even calls it a “miracle oil.” A few comment that the taste leaves a bit to be desired, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

Best natural CBD oil for anxiety

NuLeaf Naturals Full Spectrum CBD Oil

• Price: $–$$$
• CBD type: full-spectrum
• Potency: 300, 900, 1,800, 3,000, or 6,000 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

Terpenes, and cannabinoids, and flavonoids, oh my!

This full-spectrum CBD oil is packed with all the goodies from the cannabis plant, so you don’t miss out on any benefits. And that’s all you’ll get — just natural goodness that includes full-spectrum hemp extract and organic virgin hemp seed oil.

The oil is available in multiple strengths, from a low potency 300-mg bottle to one that contains a whopping 6,000 mg per 30 mL. Whoa.

The brand uses organic U.S.-grown hemp and CO₂ extraction to squeeze out the entire range of cannabinoids from the plant.

Reviewers rave about the customer service and say the oil totally helps lower their anxiety levels. A few people had issues receiving their shipment, but slow shipping complaints are few and far between, meaning they’re probably just a result of random, unexpected delays out of the brand’s control.

Best CBD isolate oil for anxiety

CBDistillery THC-Free Pure CBD Oil Tincture

• Price: $$$
• CBD type: isolate
• Potency: 1,000 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

A brand so nice we listed it twice!

This CBD isolate oil contains no THC, so it’s a great pick if you’re looking to avoid THC entirely. The high quality product contains MCT oil and is made with U.S. Hemp Authority-certified U.S.-grown hemp that’s also non-GMO.

THC-free oils are also a great choice if you want to take large doses of CBD without worrying about THC accumulating in your system. Each dropper of this stuff contains 33 mg of pure CBD.

Reviewers love that the brand ships quickly, sells affordable CBD products, and offers top-notch customer service. Quite a few reviewers mention that they’re repeat customers. BUT a few people say they prefer the brand’s full-spectrum CBD to the isolate version.

Best flavored CBD oil for anxiety

Kanibi Isolate CBD Oil Tincture

• Price: $$–$$$
• CBD type: isolate
• Potency: 750 or 1,500 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

If a flavorless CBD oil sounds BO-RING and you want something with a little more pizzazz, try Kanibi’s unique Skittles-flavored CBD oil. The brand uses no artificial flavors or preservatives and uses MCT oil as the carrier oil for its CBD products.

Kanibi’s CBD isolate oil comes with a 100 percent money-back guarantee, and there’s even a subscriber discount if you choose to order on the reg. The company uses U.S.-grown hemp and double-tests its products to make sure you’re getting pure CBD — nothing else.

Still pretty new to the market, Kanibi’s THC-free oil has only a handful of reviews, but everyone seems happy as a (super relaxed) clam with their purchases.

One reviewer with anxiety says they love the isolate because it allows them to chill without worrying about the effects of THC.

Best unflavored CBD oil for anxiety

FOCL Premium CBD Drops

• Price: $–$$$
• CBD type: broad-spectrum
• Potency: 1,000, 2,000, or 3,000 mg per bottle
• COA: available online

These flavorless CBD drops have zero aftertaste. That means no grassy, weed-like taste that you’ll need to chase with a mint. The broad-spectrum oil is also organic and comes in three strengths (300, 1,000, and 2,000 mg).

FOCL offers free shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee and uses hemp grown right here in the United States. The products are also third-party tested and free of nasty elements like pesticides and herbicides. You can also take advantage of FOCL’s bundling feature for a pretty sweet discount.

Reviewers say it helps with daily anxiety — and the taste is A+. Some people complain that the oil didn’t do it for them, but that’s how the cookie crumbles. CBD isn’t guaranteed to work for you!

OK, so how do you find a legit CBD product? Here are some tips.

Pay attention to CBD type

CBD comes in different types, and they’re not all equal:

• Full-spectrum. This fully loaded CBD contains everything from the cannabis plant — terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids — including trace amounts of THC.
• Broad-spectrum. A little bit less jam-packed with stuff, broad-spectrum products contain terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids but zero THC.
• Isolate. This is the purest form of CBD and contains no other cannabis plant compounds. Obvi a good choice if you want to steer clear of THC.

But what does this even mean? Which one is the best option?

Research suggests that CBD and other cannabis plant compounds, like THC, work better together than solo — that’s the entourage effect we mentioned before.

That means you might see better results (like lower anxiety levels) with a full- or broad-spectrum product than with an isolate. But if you’re not comfy with the idea of taking something that contains THC or other cannabinoids, it’s totally OK to stick with CBD isolate.

Keep dosage in mind

If you’re a total newb to the CBD world, you’re gonna want to start with a low dose. That means sticking to formulas that offer a small amount per dropper — 20 mg or less.

Some brands offer the same formula in different potencies, so make sure you know what you’re buying before checkout.

Check the ingredient list

Some CBD products contain other supplements, such as melatonin, to take it up a notch. There isn’t enough research on whether those kinds of products are effective, so we didn’t recommend any of them above — but you can still totally try them if you want. Just do your homework on the brand before buying.

Ultimately, you want to pick a product that contains high quality ingredients. And obvi check the ingredient list for anything you’re allergic to!

Quality control is KEY

“Look at us! Buy our product!”

There are a lot of CBD brands out there trying to rope you in as a customer. And if a company isn’t third-party testing its products, then say byeeee, Felicia!

Look for testing that checks for molds, pesticides, and heavy metals. The COA should have all that info — and the COA should be easy to find.

A bad reputation is bad news

Don’t buy from companies that make lofty promises about “curing” anything. CBD may help, but it won’t magically take away all your anxiety.

And if a company has received an FDA warning letter, that’s a big nope.

Here’s how to use CBD oil for anxiety:

• Go low and slow. There isn’t any research out there with specific dosage recommendations, so it’s a good idea to start with a low dose to see how the CBD oil affects you. If you tolerate it well, you can always increase the dosage.
• Check the serving size. Not all formulas have identical potencies. A dropper of one product might deliver 20 mg of CBD, while another delivers 50 mg. Double-check to make sure you’re not overdoing it.
• Take it at the right time. If you’re taking CBD oil that contains sleep-promoting ingredients like melatonin, take it before bed and not midday.
• Wait and see. Heads-up: CBD taken orally can take some time to kick in. Wait a few hours before you consider taking more.

What causes anxiety?

Experts don’t actually know for sure what causes anxiety disorders. But according to the National Institute of Mental Health, it’s possible that genetics, brain chemistry, environment, and stress levels play a role.

How long does it take CBD to work for anxiety?

It can take a few hours to notice the effects of CBD. Some people might find that they don’t feel any changes until they’ve been using CBD for a few days.

Does CBD work for panic attacks?

A 2018 review suggests that CBD may work as a remedy for panic attacks, but there’s not enough evidence to say it’s effective for sure.

What are the side effects of using CBD for anxiety?

Research suggests that CBD is generally safe, but minor side effects are possible, such as:

• diarrhea
• fatigue
• weight changes
• appetite changes

And CBD may interact with certain meds, including ones with a grapefruit warning.

Ideally, talk with a doc before taking CBD, especially if you’re already taking meds for your anxiety.

If anxiety is regularly ruining your party, you may want to try CBD oil.

CBD may help calm your mind and chill you out. Just remember that CBD doesn’t work for everyone.

If you want to try CBD oil for your anxiety, look for a high quality product that’s third-party tested and contains minimal ingredients. And make sure you’re starting with a small dose the first time you take it.

Is CBD legal?The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the legal definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act. This made some hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3% THC federally legal. However, CBD products containing more than 0.3% THC still fall under the legal definition of marijuana, making them federally illegal but legal under some state laws. Be sure to check state laws, especially when traveling. Also, keep in mind that the FDA has not approved nonprescription CBD products, and some products may be inaccurately labeled.