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.
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.
Real People Test CBD for Pain
A YouTube creator named “Haley & a Spoon" tried CBD oil to treat her chronic pain and shared her thoughts:
A talk show called “This Morning” interviewed a woman who claims that CBD oil changed her life because of its substantial pain-relieving effects:
Good Morning America Discusses CBD
A segment on Good Morning America interviewed CBD users and doctors in an interesting 4-minute video on what consumers should know before using CBD to treat pain:
Our Clean Anti-Inflammatory Picks
There are natural compounds which have been shown in clinical studies to support optimal joint health and relieve pain.
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top omega-3 supplement pick.
"Many favorable effects of Omega-3 are believed to result from their anti-inflammatory properties," according to a 2023 medical review.
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.
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top CBD lotion pick, because it also contains menthol, which was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to reduce pain scores.
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.”
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized cinnamon supplement, which is third-party tested for purity and potency and costs only $15 at a subscription price.
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.
