The Best CBD Products For Stress If You Want To Promote An Even Mood*

Disclaimer: Our website includes general information and instruction relating to health and wellness topics. This content is not a substitute for medical advice from your healthcare provider. All treatment decisions should be determined in partnership with a health care practitioner. Hemp CBD products are derived from U.S. industrial hemp (less than 0.3% THC) and European hemp (less than 0.2% THC). While hemp CBD products derived from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) are legal on a federal level in the U.S., some states have specific laws, so you'll want to check your state's laws to be sure.

Honestly, these days, who couldn’t use a little help de-stressing? While small amounts of stress can be beneficial to your overall health, consistent high levels of stress can have a negative impact on it. Luckily, there are plenty of beneficial tools for evoking a sense of calm, including hemp CBD or cannabidiol.*

To understand the impact of cannabidiol on your body, it’s important to understand the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Discovered in the early 1990s, the ECS is a cellular-level communication network that plays a role in numerous bodily functions—including moderating neurological and inflammatory pathways, mood, and sleep. FYI, this is why some people also call it the “master regulatory system.” 

The ECS is like a lock-and-key with cannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors, which are located throughout the nervous system1 (and widespread in the rest of the body too!). Your body naturally produces cannabinoids called endocannabinoids, but you can also consume them from outside plant sources like hemp, which are called phytocannabinoids. 

While there’s still ongoing research elucidating exactly how phytocannabinoids like CBD interact with ECS to impact various facets of health, early research gives us an idea, according to interventional pain physician and cannabis medicine specialist, Jessica Jameson, MD, FASA.

 “There is a great deal of preclinical data demonstrating an anxiolytic effect of CBD,” says Jameson. “With stress, the CB1 receptors2 in the brain are increased; CBD can bind to these receptors and create improvement.”*

While clinical understanding of CBD on stress still has a long way to go, current research suggests that CBD may:

When it comes to picking CBD to support calm, full-spectrum hemp CBD products are a great choice. “Full-spectrum” means that the product contains the full array of compounds from the cannabis plant. Researchers believe this holistic combination of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids provides an “entourage effect” where all of the plant’s compounds work together to create the most beneficial outcome. 

However, it’s worth noting that full-spectrum CBD contains 0.3% or less THC by dry weight—that’s within the legal federal limit6 for U.S. industrial hemp (and won’t produce mind-altering effects). If trace amounts of THC are a no-go for you, check out our roundup of the best broad-spectrum CBD products, which are completely THC-free. 

Lastly, it’s important to understand that people experience CBD differently. The speed in which you feel mood-supporting benefits will vary by your body size, metabolism, and the type of CBD product you’re using.

Jameson breaks down the typical response time to different types of CBD below:

If you’re new to CBD, Jameson recommends starting “slow and low.” She explains that, while you can’t overdose on CBD, you can have undesirable side effects with high doses, such as digestion issues or sleepiness. When in doubt, read up on our dosing guide.

As hemp CBD affects each person differently, we created a baseline reference for CBD potency at mindbodygreen:

COA or bust

There’s a dizzying amount of CBD products on the market these days. One non-negotiable piece of quality info you should look for is a certificate of analysis (COA) from third-party lab testing. Look for a third-party analysis of the product—that’s how you can be sure you are getting quality CBD,” says Jameson.

CBD type

Choosing the right type of CBD for your lifestyle will be an important first step in picking a product. We picked full-spectrum hemp products for this list because they’re most likely to produce mood benefits (thanks to the entourage effect we mentioned above!).* However, because full-spectrum products contain the array of compounds from the hemp plant, this also means they include 0.3% or less THC by dry weight (i.e., trace levels within the federal limit and won’t get you high). If you would prefer to be THC-free, broad-spectrum hemp or CBD isolate products still may prove beneficial. 

Product type

What causes your stress will help you determine the best type of product for you. Most people report calming effects from an ingestible CBD, like a gummy, capsule, or oil tincture.* However, a soothing massage oil or topical pain-relief cream could help relieve tension or aches,7 which often accompany (or, in some cases, cause) stress. 

Pricing options

If you’re new to CBD, you may be surprised by how expensive it can get, especially in higher potency products. Unless you’re a CBD pro and are confident that you’ll experience benefits, consider prioritizing a brand that offers a smaller trial size (like NuLeaf Naturals) at a lower price so you can give it a test drive. There are also plenty of brands on our list that offer subscription discounts, too! 

Stress can have a huge impact on both our mental and physical health. In fact, one recent study found that there's a direct correlation between our stress levels and our biological age.

The good news? There are ways we can mitigate stress with healthy habits like exercise, supplements (such as CBD), and a solid sleep routine. Of course, CBD isn't a cure-all for stress, but the research (and a ton of anecdotal evidence) suggests it may be worth a try.

Whether you choose an oil tincture, gummy, or topical cream, a quality CBD product using organic hemp may be the safe, mood booster you’ve been looking for—whether that’s full-spectrum gummies from Cornbread Hemp or flavored tinctures from Joy Organics.*

Just be sure to speak with your doctor before taking CBD if you’re on any medications or have a chronic condition, and avoid CBD if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Otherwise, the world of hemp CBD is one worth exploring!