There have been anecdotal reports suggesting that cannabidiol (CBD) could help to lower blood pressure. However, a proper elucidation of the exact mechanisms has been wanting. Now, a group of researchers seem to have established the link between CBD and blood pressure regulation.
Details of the Study: CBD & Blood Pressure
The group of researchers from Croatia studied how the sympatho-chromaffin system (catestatin peptides) is involved in CBD-induced blood pressure reduction. Catestatin is an inhibitor of the sympathetic nervous system.
The researchers conducted an initial study ( the HYPER-H21-4 trial) to investigate the efficacy of CBD in lowering blood pressure. They observed that untreated patients had higher levels of catestatin peptides, prompting further research to find the correlation. The present study is thus an offshoot of the HYPER-H21-4 trial.
54 patients with Grade 1 type of hypertension were included in the study. The participants were divided into two groups in a ratio of 1:1. The first arm received CBD for the first five weeks in the following dosages:
- 225–300 mg (depending on weight and sex) daily divided into three equal doses for the first two and a half weeks
- 375–450 mg (depending on weight and sex) daily divided into three equal doses for the next two and a half weeks
- The participants had a two-week washout and were then given a CBD-Matched placebo for another 5 weeks.
Participants in the second arm were given the following regime:
- CBD-matched placebo tablets for the first five weeks
- CBD treatment for five weeks in the same regime as patients in the first arm had received
What Researchers Found
After analysis of the results the researchers found a strong positive correlation between drop in blood pressure after CBD administration and drop in catestatin peptide levels. This confirmed the involvement of catestatin peptides in CBD-mediated blood pressure reduction.
The researchers also observed that the baseline catestanin levels were inversely related to the level of reduction in blood pressure after CBD administration. This led the researchers to conclude that baseline catestatin levels may help to predict response to CBD treatment for high blood pressure.
According to the researchers, this is the first study to investigate the relation between catestatin levels and the hemodynamic effects of CBD. They recommended further studies with more representative samples that will include patients with different forms of hypertension to paint a clearer picture of how CBD affects hypertension.