Parkinson’s CBD Research

Does CBD (or cannabidiol oil) offer relief from symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?

Reports from members of the Parkinsons Recovery audience say that taking CBD oil before bedtime facilitates sound and sustained sleep. This was motivation enough for me to examine 2023 studies that evaluated CBD as a treatment for Parkinsons symptoms.

Two review studies that summarize the results of research  that evaluated the impact of CBD reported positive effects for anxiety, improvement of sleep quality and Parkinson’s symptoms in general.

Abstracts of the two recent review studies are reported below.

Research on CBD

J Cannabis Res. 2023 Jun 13;5(1):21. The therapeutic potential of purified cannabidiol
Saoirse Elizabeth O’Sullivan Sanne Skov Jensen Gitte Nykjaer Nikolajsen Heidi Ziegler Bruun Rhenu Bhuller Julia Hoeng


Abstract

The use of cannabidiol (CBD) for therapeutic purposes is receiving considerable attention, with speculation that CBD can be useful in a wide range of conditions. Only one product, a purified form of plant-derived CBD in solution (Epidiolex), is approved for the treatment of seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis complex.

The areas in which there is the most clinical evidence to support the use of CBD are in the treatment of anxiety (positive data in 7 uncontrolled studies and 17 randomised controlled trials (RCTs)), psychosis and schizophrenia (positive data in 1 uncontrolled study and 8 RCTs), PTSD (positive data in 2 uncontrolled studies and 4 RCTs) and substance abuse (positive data in 2 uncontrolled studies and 3 RCTs). Seven uncontrolled studies support the use of CBD to improve sleep quality, but this has only been verified in one small RCT.

Limited evidence supports the use of CBD for the treatment of Parkinson’s (3 positive uncontrolled studies and 2 positive RCTs), autism (3 positive RCTs), smoking cessation (2 positive RCTs), graft-versus-host disease and intestinal permeability (1 positive RCT each).

Current RCT evidence does not support the use of purified oral CBD in pain (at least as an acute analgesic) or for the treatment of COVID symptoms, cancer, Huntington’s or type 2 diabetes.

In conclusion, published clinical evidence does support the use of purified CBD in multiple indications beyond epilepsy. However, the evidence base is limited by the number of trials only investigating the acute effects of CBD, testing CBD in healthy volunteers, or in very small patient numbers.

Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2023 Oct;8(5):716-730.Cannabinoids in Treating Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies
Karan Varshney Akash Patel Siraaj Ansari Pavan Shet Sohan Singh Panag 


Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a serious neurodegenerative condition impacting many individuals worldwide. There is a need for new non-invasive treatments of PD. Cannabinoids in the form of cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may offer utility as treatment, and our objective was hence to conduct a systematic review regarding the clinical evidence for the efficacy and safety of cannabinoids in treating PD.

Methods: Screening, data extraction, and quality assessments were all conducted by multiple reviewers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus.

Results: After conducting searches in 4 different databases, 673 articles were screened. Thirteen articles were deemed eligible for inclusion in this review. It was shown that cannabis, CBD, and nabilone (a synthetic form of THC) were capable of consistently improving motor symptoms more than a placebo. All treatments improved various non-motor symptoms, particularly with cannabis improving pain intensity, and CBD improving psychiatric symptoms in a dose-dependent manner. Adverse effects were usually minor, and, in the case of CBD, rare (except at very high doses).

Conclusion: Cannabinoids have been shown to safely offer important potential in treating motor symptoms in PD and some non-motor symptoms. More large-scale randomized control trials for specific forms of cannabinoid treatments are required to determine their overall efficacy.

Bottom Line

Studies report that  CBD may well offer the opportunity to get temporary relief from symptoms. This is a valuable benefit in itself. When energy focus and motivation return, the business of taking the actions necessary to heal from the inside out can begin at long last.

As with any natural treatment option, be sure to check with your doctor to insure that use. of CBD will not interfere with any treatments your doctor has prescribed for you.

Reliable Source of CBD Oil

The source of CBD oil that members of the Parkinsons Recovery audience have been using is a CTFO product called 10xPURE™-GOLD Super 1500.

parkinsonsrecovery.myctfo.com

Robert Rodgers PhD
Parkinsons Recovery
robert@parkinsonsrecovery.com

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