Cannabidiol

What is cannabidiol?

The plant cannabis sativa contains over 70 different constituents, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which are the most concentrated substances found in cannabis extracts. Recreational cannabis use during adolescence is a well documented risk factor for schizophrenia, particularly cannabis with high THC content. While THC induces symptoms in healthy volunteers that resemble psychosis, CBD interferes with the detrimental actions of THC in terms of psychotic proneness. Therefore, there is potential for CBD to act as an antipsychotic agent.

What is the evidence for cannabidiol?

Moderate to low quality evidence is unable to determine the benefits of cannabidiol for the symptoms of schizophrenia.

October 2020

Last updated at: 2:46 am, 1st October 2020
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Fact Sheet Technical Commentary

NeuRA Libraries

Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.