CBD and Parkinson's
We know that some people with Parkinson’s have tried CBD oil, or are interested in learning more about whether CBD can help them with their symptoms. Here we take a closer look.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is an active ingredient, which is found in the cannabis plant. Unlike cannabis, CBD doesn’t make people high.
Although we may think of cannabis as a single ‘drug’, it contains many drug-like chemicals that have different effects on the body.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is also found in the cannabis plant. THC mainly affects brain function. It’s thought to cause the psychoactive effects of cannabis that make a person high. Psychoactive effects can include changes in perception, mood, levels of consciousness or behaviour.
What's the difference between CBD and cannabis?
CBD is legal. CBD oil is classed as a food supplement, and you can buy it from high street health shops. It comes from the hemp plant.
‘Industrial’ hemp is legal to grow in the UK under licence as long as it has a very low percentage of THC. The CBD oil you can buy from health shops is made from industrial hemp and doesn’t contain THC.
Cannabis, on the other hand, contains high amounts of THC and is a known psychoactive drug. It’s illegal to process, produce and supply cannabis in the UK.
The UK's food regulator, the Food Standards Agency, recommends that adults shouldn't consume more than 10milligrams of CBD a day.
We would advise people to talk to their healthcare professional before trying a CBD product as researchers aren’t sure how it may interact with Parkinson’s drugs.
Is CBD the same as cannabis-based medicines?
CBD products, such as CBD oil, are often referred to as ‘cannabis-derived’ products. These products aren’t licensed as medicines and so aren’t regulated in the same way as prescription medication. This means that their quality and content can’t be guaranteed.
Sellers shouldn’t make claims around any health benefits of these cannabis-derived products, either.
Some cannabis-based medicines (also known as ‘medical cannabis’) are now available on prescription for certain conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. But the strict criteria for prescribing mean that access is still very limited.
Cannabis-based medications aren’t available on prescription for people living with Parkinson’s. And using cannabis to help with your Parkinson’s symptoms is not seen as a valid reason in the eyes of the law.
We don’t yet have enough evidence to know whether cannabis-based medicines are safe and what the benefits may be for people with Parkinson’s.
Our research into CBD
In 2019, we announced we’d be funding a pioneering research study to investigate whether CBD could be used to treat hallucinations and delusions in people with Parkinson’s.
The first phase of the study gave researchers an idea of a suitable dose of CBD that could be used to have an effect. The team have now moved to the next phase, to test how well this dose of CBD can reduce symptoms of psychosis. They need people with Parkinson’s who experience these symptoms to take part.
Find out more about the CBD research study.
The capsules being used in this clinical trial contain more CBD than products you can get from health shops and trial participants are being closely monitored.
Take part in research to investigate CBD for Parkinson’s
Research teams across the UK aim to investigate whether CBD is an effective treatment for people with Parkinson's who experience hallucinations or delusions.