It’s official: CBD Mania is sweeping the nation. In fact, according to a recent Gallup poll, 64 million American adults now use CBD routinely for its fast-acting, body-balancing benefits—including folks in their 20s through 80s and beyond. Simply put, everyone—literally every age group, ranging from Gen Z to Millennials to Gen X to Baby Boomers and beyond—have jumped on the bandwagon. But why? What’s real and what’s hype? What are the health benefits of CBD?

All Aboard the CBD Bandwagon

News of this plant-based health breakthrough has been so captivating that it’s recently been featured in virtually all the major news media outlets including:

• The New York Times, which touted it as a “magical elixir…a fix for our anxious times.”
• CNBC, which reported that “users swear by [it], saying it relieves their anxiety, helps them sleep, and eases their pain.”
• Yahoo! which hailed it as “a powerful alternative to traditional medicines…that offers the possibility of a holistic approach to anxiety management by utilizing natural interactions with the body.”

What’s more, a new survey conducted by Consumer Reports—a nonprofit member organization dedicated to working side-by-side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace—reports that 75% of people who used this ancient remedy said it was effective for:

• Reducing stress and anxiety (which can reduce emotional eating and weight gain)
• Improving mood and happiness
• Helping ease joint, back, and body pain
• And allowing users to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer… to name just a few of the purported health benefits of CBD.

And although the scientific jury is still out on some conditions, a quick online search will show you that many men and women around the world are also using this ancient botanical extract for migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, PTSD, and to support a better mood, more mental focus, and so much more.

9 Research-Backed Health Benefits of CBD

And if you’re still on the fence about whether a quality CBD will work for you, consider the results of a study published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research where researchers surveyed 2,409 current CBD users who reported the top five reasons they use CBD were: ¹

1. Supporting general health and wellness
2. Managing physical discomfort
3. Easing stress and feelings of worry, concern, and anxiousness
4. Supporting brain health and a positive mood and feelings of well-being
5. Supporting relaxation and quality sleep

Over 95% of participants indicated that CBD works well, moderately well, or very well for them, and 70% indicated CBD is either “more effective” or “much more effective” in addressing their health concerns than conventional methods.

And if that’s not enough, now that CBD has finally been legalized, even prestigious doctors are providing their ringing endorsements. Case in point, CNN Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta even gave it his approval saying, “I think there is legitimate medicine here. We’re talking about something that could really help people.”

What’s more, research scientists are finally able to perform in-depth scientific studies providing even more evidence of the power of this ancient herb, and CBD research is reaching an all-time-record. In fact, there are over 160 clinical studies in progress registered with the U.S. National Library of Medicine—with more on the horizon.

Here are the results from some recent research about the health benefits of CBD:

• A recent study published in The Permanente Journal found that 79% of people using CBD experienced reduced feelings of anxiety in the first month, and 66.7% of people enjoyed significantly improved sleep. ²
• In a recent study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers found that CBD reduced anxiety, stress hormones, and heart rate, and what’s more, it dampened cravings for dangerous, addictive substances of abuse. ³
• In a study published in the journal PAIN, researchers at McGill University found that CBD was effective for pain and anxiety relief. ⁴
• Additionally, research has shown that CBD increases activity in centers of the brain responsible for mood and decision making and enhances a sense of well-being. ⁵
• Findings presented by the recent International Cannabinoid Research Society even reported the use of CBD is beneficial for combating bodyfat and obesity.

Health Benefits of CBD for People Over 50: A Recap

As you can see, CBD may work wonders for people who are grappling with mental stress, body aches and pains, poor sleep, anxious feelings and thoughts, a foul mood, excessive hunger, accelerated aging, and more.

But that leads us to the most frequently asked questions about CBD:

1. What does CBD do to your body? How does it work to produce such amazing body-balancing benefits?
2. How do you know if you’re actually getting real, pure, potent, and effective CBD—not some fake imposter that could actually be harmful?

Those are good questions—important ones—which we’ll be answering in upcoming installments of our article series on CBD.