Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic constituent of Cannabis, has multiple pharmacological actions, including anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antiemetic and anti-inflammatory properties. However, little is known about its safety and side effect profile in animals and humans. This review describes in vivo and in vitro reports of CBD administration across a wide range of concentrations, based on reports retrieved from Web of Science, Scielo and Medline. The keywords searched were “cannabinoids”, “cannabidiol” and “side effects”. Several studies suggest that CBD is non-toxic in non-transformed cells and does not induce changes on food intake, does not induce catalepsy, does not affect physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature), does not affect gastrointestinal transit and does not alter psychomotor or psychological functions. Also, chronic use and high doses up to 1,500 mg/day of CBD are reportedly well tolerated in humans. Conversely, some studies reported that this cannabinoid can induce some side effects, including inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism, alterations of in vitro cell viability, decreased fertilization capacity, and decreased activities of p-glycoprotein and other drug transporters. Based on recent advances in cannabinoid administration in humans, controlled CBD may be safe in humans and animals. However, further studies are needed to clarify these reported in vitro and in vivo side effects.
Keywords: Cannabidiol, cannabinoid, cannabis sativa, CBD, marijuana, safety, side effects, toxicity
Current Drug Safety
Title: Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa Constituent
Volume: 6 Issue: 4
Author(s): Mateus Machado Bergamaschi, Regina Helena Costa Queiroz, Antonio Waldo Zuardi and Jose Alexandre S. Crippa
Affiliation:
Keywords: Cannabidiol, cannabinoid, cannabis sativa, CBD, marijuana, safety, side effects, toxicity
Abstract: Cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic constituent of Cannabis, has multiple pharmacological actions, including anxiolytic, antipsychotic, antiemetic and anti-inflammatory properties. However, little is known about its safety and side effect profile in animals and humans. This review describes in vivo and in vitro reports of CBD administration across a wide range of concentrations, based on reports retrieved from Web of Science, Scielo and Medline. The keywords searched were “cannabinoids”, “cannabidiol” and “side effects”. Several studies suggest that CBD is non-toxic in non-transformed cells and does not induce changes on food intake, does not induce catalepsy, does not affect physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature), does not affect gastrointestinal transit and does not alter psychomotor or psychological functions. Also, chronic use and high doses up to 1,500 mg/day of CBD are reportedly well tolerated in humans. Conversely, some studies reported that this cannabinoid can induce some side effects, including inhibition of hepatic drug metabolism, alterations of in vitro cell viability, decreased fertilization capacity, and decreased activities of p-glycoprotein and other drug transporters. Based on recent advances in cannabinoid administration in humans, controlled CBD may be safe in humans and animals. However, further studies are needed to clarify these reported in vitro and in vivo side effects.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Machado Bergamaschi Mateus, Helena Costa Queiroz Regina, Waldo Zuardi Antonio and Alexandre S. Crippa Jose, Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa Constituent, Current Drug Safety 2011; 6(4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157488611798280924
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157488611798280924 |
Print ISSN 1574-8863 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 2212-3911 |

- Author Guidelines
- Editorial Policies
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility Of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Reviewer Guidelines
- Guest Editor Guidelines
- Board Recruitment Workflow
- Short Guide for New Editors
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Announcements
- Forthcoming Thematic Issues
Related Articles
-
Targeted α-Particle Therapy: A Clinical Overview
Current Radiopharmaceuticals Targeting Tumor Microenvironment with Silibinin: Promise and Potential for a Translational Cancer Chemopreventive Strategy
Current Cancer Drug Targets 5-HT5 Receptors
Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders COX-2, Cell Proliferation and PMA in Head-and-Neck Cancer Cells
Immunology, Endocrine & Metabolic Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Discontinued) The Pros and Cons of Targeting Protein Kinase c (PKC) in the Management of Cancer Patients
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology CCL21 and IFNγ Recruit and Activate Tumor Specific T cells in 3D Scaffold Model of Breast Cancer
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Killing Glioma ‘Stem-like’ Cells via Drug-Induced Relocation of Endosomal Urokinase Proteins
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Imaging Reporters and Multimodal Molecular Bio-Imaging: A Database of Available Probes for Multi-Modality Bio-Imaging of Reporter Gene Expression
Recent Patents on Medical Imaging (Discontinued) Targeted Therapy for Brain Tumours: Role of PARP Inhibitors
Current Cancer Drug Targets Perspectives in Engineered Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Based Anti- Cancer Drug Delivery Systems
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery GPR55 and its Interaction with Membrane Lipids: Comparison with Other Endocannabinoid-Binding Receptors
Current Medicinal Chemistry Targeting Nanomedicine to Brain Tumors: Latest Progress and Achievements
Current Pharmaceutical Design Inhibitors of the TGF-β Superfamily and their Clinical Applications
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Conventional and Gene Therapy Strategies for the Treatment of Brain Tumors
Current Medicinal Chemistry Mechanisms of Intrinsic and Acquired Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Nitric Oxide Synthase Potentiates the Resistance of Cancer Cell Lines to Anticancer Chemotherapeutics
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Symmetry Plane Detection in Brain Image Analysis: A Survey
Current Medical Imaging Effect of PUFAs Oral Administration on the Amount of Apoptotic Caspases Enzymes in Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Structure-Activity Relationship Analyses of Glycyrrhetinic Acid Derivatives as Anticancer Agents
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 as an Anticancer Drug Target: Novel Experimental Findings and Trends in the Design of Inhibitors
Current Pharmaceutical Design