New Study Reveals One Cannabis Terpene Significantly Reduces THC-Caused Anxiety
Cannabis effects differ from person to person. While some use it to treat anxiety, others say it makes them anxious. A new study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists offers insights into cannabis’s effects on anxiety.
According to the research published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, a chemical compound naturally occurring in cannabis can reduce the anxiety-inducting effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the primary psychoactive substance of the marijuana plant.
Scientists discovered that the substance called d-limonene, one of the most abundant terpenes in the cannabis plant, reduces anxiety behaviors, writes Medical Xpress. Terpenes are the primary constituents of essential oils and are responsible for the aroma characteristics of cannabis.
“People use cannabis to help reduce anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, but since THC levels vary widely if a person overshoots their tolerance of THC, cannabis can induce anxiety rather than relieve it,” said study senior author Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School …