Can CBD Actually Help with Anxiety?

In this podcast (episode #367) and blog, I talk to NED founders Ret and Adriaan about CBD, treating mental health issues holistically, natural remedies for anxiety and stress, and more.

CBD is just one part of the hemp plant that has multiple health benefits. This is why the team at NED focuses on using only oil extracted from USDA Certified Organic hemp plants, grown by an independent farmer named Jonathan in Paonia, CO. (If you have a minute, do an image search for Paonia, Colorado—it is gorgeous!) This is one of the main reasons they are able to produce full-spectrum hemp oil from high quality hemp flowers that contain both cannabidiol (CBD) and its accompanying phytocannabinoids.

Why is this so important? Focusing on the whole plant helps us better digest and use all the health benefits that the hemp plant offers by allowing the cannabinoids to bind to our extra-cellular receptors—it’s not just about CBD! These receptors are found throughout the body and help absorb naturally-occurring endocannabinoids in the body, which are important when it comes to regulating pain, moods, brain function and more. 

As often happens in life, sometimes these endocannabinoids don’t get produced, and we need to supplement with natural products to put our systems back into balance. If the endocannabinoid system is functioning well, it helps create homeostasis (or balance) throughout the brain and body at a base level. Cumulatively, this helps to prevent inflammation in the brain, foggy thinking, emotional burnout, lack of cognitive fluency and other brain issues. 

This is also the case with mental distress and anxiety. Many people have found that CBD products help them calm down and think more clearly in stressful situations by harmonizing the mind and helping balance the many systems of the brain and body. 

It is important to note here that CBD is not the same as weed/marijuana. Weed contains the active ingredient THC, which is what makes people feel high when they ingest or smoke it. CBD, on the other hand, is one of the two major cannabinoids in the hemp plant, and only contains trace amounts of THC from the extraction process—it is the plant that gets you “well”, rather than high.

I personally use Ned’s CBD products to de-stress and improve my sleeping habits because they are chock full of premium CBD and a full spectrum of active cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and trichomes. Ned’s full spectrum hemp oil helps nourish and enhance the body’s endocannabinoid system to offer functional support for stress, sleep, inflammation and balance.  

I especially love Ned’s De-Stress Blend, which has so much more than just CBD. Like all their products, they designed this blend to help people feel better using what is available in the natural world. The 1:1 formula of their sleep blend uses CBD and CBG made from the world’s purest full spectrum hemp and features a botanical infusion of ashwagandha, cardamom and cinnamon, which have the following properties: 

• CBG is known as “the mother of all cannabinoids” because of how effective it is at combatting anxiety and stress by inhibiting the re-uptake of GABA, the neurotransmitter responsible for stress regulation. 
• Ashwagandha is an amazing Ayurvedic adaptogen that enhances your body’s resilience to stress.
• Cardamom and cinnamon make the blend taste delicious! Cinnamon is also a powerful prebiotic that supports your gut health, a key player in your mental health, while cardamom combats stress by helping reduce your blood pressure and cortisol levels.  

Another NED product I love is their Mellö Magnesium supplement blend with  3 forms of chelated magnesium, GABA, L-theanine, and over 70 trace minerals. This blend is specifically designed to support memory, mood, brain function, the stress response, nerve and muscle health and sleep. I love that it is a full spectrum magnesium supplement that blends three of the most bioavailable and absorbable forms of chelated magnesium to ensure the widest range of whole body benefits, because there is no point in taking a supplement that passes straight through you before your cells can use it. This blend includes magtein® magnesium l-threonate as well. This was developed and patented by MIT scientists for its unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and increase intracellular magnesium levels in nerve cells, or neurons, which helps support brain health.  

Of course, healing and restoring balance in the brain and body is not a quick-fix, one-supplement thing. It takes some time for homeostasis to be achieved, which is why I constantly emphasize that true mental self-care is a lifestyle.  

This will also look different for everyone, so be careful of thinking that if you take CBD for a week you will feel great because you had a friend who said it helped them immediately. You should always start with the smallest recommended dose of CBD and increase it only if you feel you need more, preferably with the guidance of a professional. You should also make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients in the CBD product you want to take. Regular blood tests and consultations with a medical professional can also help you figure out how much CBD is best for your body type and lifestyle, making it most effective.

We need to recognize that CBD is not a panacea. It is just one tool in our holistic mental self-care toolkit, alongside detoxing the brain, eating well, spending time in nature, exercising regularly, building the brain, self-regulating our thinking, and the many other mind-management lifestyle techniques I talk about in my books, podcast and blog.  

If you’d like to give Ned a try, Cleaning Up The Mental Mess listeners get 15% off Ned products with code: DRLEAF. Just visit helloned.com/DRLEAF to get access!

For more on CBD, natural supplements and mental health, listen to my podcast with Ret and Adriaan (episode #367), and check out their amazing products.  

If you enjoy listening to my podcast, please consider leaving a 5-star review and subscribing. And keep sharing episodes with friends and family and on social media. (Don’t forget to tag me so I can see your posts!).  

You can now also join me on Patreon for exclusive, ad-free content! Sign up for a membership level that suits you, and receive access to ad-free exclusive bonus podcasts. These episodes will include more targeted, step-by-step guides for specific mental health issues AND some fun, more personal podcasts about topics like my favorite skincare products and favorite books, as well as live Q&As, fan polls and requests, and exclusive digital downloads!

This podcast is sponsored by:

Perfect Keto Cereal. Perfect Keto Cereal contains many nutritious ingredients, including almonds, milk protein isolate, Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), and hydrolyzed bovine collagen. Each serving of contains 1-2 grams of net carbs, 9 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat, which makes Perfect Keto Cereal the perfect breakfast, grab-n-go snack, or easy meal when you don’t want to cook! In fact, this is the ONLY cereal formulated with both MCTs and Collagen! Unlike other grain-free, low-carb cereals, Perfect Keto Cereal does not contain hidden carbs in the form of starches and legumes. It’s also free of non-keto sweeteners, known to cause significant changes in blood sugar levels. Visitperfectketo.com/cleaningup and use code CLEANINGUP at checkout to get 20% off your order today. 

The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast. Each week, Melanie interviews the world’s top experts on all things health, wellness, and biohacking. If you want to learn more about reducing stress, tackling your sleep, cold exposure, red light therapy, finding the right diet for you, optimizing your environment, deuterium-depleted water, and so much more, you will love Melanie’s show! I listen every week in my sauna, and always learn so much. Melanie’s shows have received millions of downloads, and she’s known for conducting an insane amount of research for each guest, resulting in mind-blowing interviews! She helps break down complex topics, linking together ideas into practical, life-changing insights, and, according to one iTunes review, “posing outrageously insightful and clever questions.” She asks all the random things you may want to ask the experts yourself, or maybe never thought to ask! Prepare yourself for all the rabbit holes! Learn about all the life-changing science, tips, tricks, and hacks in the biohacking world, with The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast. Visit MelanieAvalon.com for episode lists and transcripts, and search for The Melanie Avalon Biohacking Podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! You can also join her Facebook groups and follow her on Instagram – just search for Melanie Avalon. 

Podcast Highlights 

2:20, 11:11, 16:50 Why Ned’s products are so unique 

4:20 Why CBD is not just about CBD

5:20, 8:00 The importance of CBG  

6:00 Ashwagandha & mental health 

9:00 The science behind Ned’s products 

9:20 Full spectrum CBD is not bad for you, unless you have specific allergies 

10:10 The difference between CBD & THC  

12:45 The mental health struggles of creating your own company  

15:00 The power of the natural world  

18:50 CBD as part of a holistic lifestyle 

21:30 Magnesium & mental health 

30:00 Natural remedies for stress & anxiety  

This podcast and blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional.      

Switch On Your Brain LLC. is providing this podcast as a public service. Reference to any specific viewpoint or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by our organization. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact info@drleaf.com.