Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to pain management.

Cannabidiol (CBD) gummies have become more popular recently, with brands claiming they can cure all sorts of ailments such as anxiety, low sex drive and even pain. Many consumers are curious if there is actual proof that CBD gummies can reduce pain.

Have any clinical trials proven CBD to reduce pain, and if so, by how much? Is CBD oil a better choice for pain management? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of CBD for pain?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on CBD for pain to determine if this is a research-backed solution, or if it's just a marketing gimmick.

We'll explain why we think CBD oil may be a better choice for individuals in pain, and feature videos from real people who tried CBD to relieve their pain.

Key takeaways:

• CBD has been shown in some medical studies to relieve pain
• We consider CBD oil to be a healthier option than CBD gummies
• Our Product Tester had a negative experience with CBD gummies for pain

Can CBD Gummies Relieve Pain?

CBD has been studied in many clinical trials for its effects on pain.

A 2020 medical review analyzed data from clinical trials on CBD and its use in pain management.

The researchers described CBD as “promising,” but stated that it was difficult to attribute pain relief to this compound alone, because some pharmaceutical medications for pain relief also contained THC.

A medical review published in the Cureus journal described CBD as “an excellent alternative to an opioid in chronic pain,” and found that CBD may provide 50% or more pain relief than placebo.

A 2022 clinical trial tested the analgesic (pain-relieving) effects of CBD in healthy adults. Those who received CBD experienced greater pain relief than those who received a control substance.

Based on the available research, we consider CBD gummies to be potentially effective for pain relief.

However, the evidence on this compound is relatively early-stage and not particularly convincing in our opinion, because there are few studies that analyze the effects of CBD in isolation (without THC included).

That being said, there is at least some potential benefit in this case, whereas our review on CBD gummies for sex concluded that there was no evidence of benefit.

Does CBD Oil Make More Sense?

Whether a consumer is taking CBD in gummy form or in oil form, what’s important is the dosage.

The dosing range from most of the clinical trials cited in the previous section was 10 to 20 milligrams (mg).

CBD oil providing 10 mg CBD and CBD gummies providing 10 mg CBD should be equally effective, because CBD is the active ingredient regardless of product format.

But CBD oil tends to be drastically cheaper per dose than CBD gummies, as we documented in our article on the best CBD brands.

Let’s take a real-world example.

Charlotte's Web is one of the most popular CBD brands, and they sell both CBD gummies and CBD oil.

Their CBD Sleep Gummy currently costs $29.99 and contains 150 mg total of CBD in the whole pouch.

Their CBD oil currently costs $94.99 and contains 1,500 mg total of CBD in the bottle.

This equates to a cost-per-mg of $0.20 for the gummies and $0.06 for the oil, making the CBD oil more than 3x cheaper.

But price isn’t the only reason we think CBD oil is a more logical choice than CBD gummies.

CBD oil is usually free of unhealthy additive ingredients, while CBD gummies often contain unhealthy additive ingredients because they’re formulated to taste like candy.

Consider the same Charlotte's Web products referenced above.

Their CBD oil contains hemp extract, coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, organic olive oil, and natural flavors (we don't recommend this ingredient).

Their CBD gummies contain added sugar, natural flavors and citric acid (which is clinically shown to cause inflammation in some individuals).

Added sugar intake can directly cause inflammation, according to a medical review published in the Frontiers in Immunology journal, so consumers using CBD for pain may benefit from using CBD oil instead of CBD gummies.

Cornbread CBD Oil is our top overall CBD oil pick.

It has a clean formulation of organic hemp extract and organic coconut medium-chain triglycerides, and the brand publishes lab testing on every product page.

We Tried CBD Gummies for Pain

One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried CBD gummies for pain for 30 days. Here's his experience:

Bluebird Botanicals CBD gummies came in a resealable bag that I had no issues with . It kept the gummies fresh during my testing period.

The package I got came with three different flavors: strawberry, watermelon and lemon.

The gummies taste similar to any other edible cannabis so if you are aware of that taste then there is nothing different for these. I personally don’t like the taste of these CBD gummies, as the flavors advertised are masked by the strong CBD flavor.

Be very wary of the pungent flavor of this product. If your stomach isn’t very strong then I am sure you’ll understand my disdain. 

I am currently training for a marathon, and at the beginning of my training, I had to readjust my body to the stress of long distance running.

These gummies came at the perfect time, but in all honesty I don’t think they contributed to any pain alleviation.

I did not experience any side effects from taking CBD gummies for pain.

Compared to other pain relief products, I think this product is below average.

I don’t think I would purchase these gummies for pain in the future. Good ol’ stretching and massaging works to help alleviate any aches I have.

Our Clean Anti-Inflammatory Picks

Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our top anti-inflammatory supplement.

Cinnamon was shown to reduce inflammatory markers in a 2020 clinical trial. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.” 

Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top anti-inflammatory skin lotion.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is clinically shown to be effectively absorbed through the skin, and CBD caused "significant improvements in pain" when applied topically in a 2020 clinical trial. 

Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Conclusion

CBD gummies may be effective for pain relief, as CBD has been shown in some clinical trials to reduce pain scores.

However, most of the trials we could find on CBD for pain also included THC, which makes it hard to determine the effectiveness of CBD in isolation.

We believe that there are natural supplements with more research backing for pain relief.

For consumers planning to use CBD for pain relief, we believe that CBD oil is a better choice than CBD gummies.

CBD oil is typically much cheaper per serving, and usually free of unhealthy additives. CBD gummies often contain added sugar, which individuals in pain may wish to avoid, since added sugar consumption can cause inflammation (which leads to pain).

We hope that in the near future, there are more clinical trials on CBD isolate for pain relief, because the fact that many of the samples used in existing clinical studies include THC make the conclusions more difficult to interpret.