Radicle Science and Open Book Extracts share new study results on the effects of CBD and minor cannabinoids on pain

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Radicle Science (San Diego, CA) announced the results of a new blinded, randomized clinical trial that it says is the largest to investigate the impact of rare cannabinoids on pain. Conducted in partnership with Open Book Extracts (OBX, Roxboro, NC), the study involved more than 1,600 participants who suffer from pain from across the United States. The study was designed to investigate how minor cannabinoids in conjunction with cannabidiol would impact pain symptoms compared to CBD alone. The trial included six product arms, each of which contained 40 mg of CBD per serving, with most arms containing varying levels of minor cannabinoids such as Cannabichromene (CBC) and Cannabigerol (CBG). Participants were randomized to receive and take one of these products for a month and report their pain relative to specific benchmarks that included severity, general activity, sleep quality, anxiety symptoms and overall quality of life.

Results showed that all the products containing both CBD and minor cannabinoids led to a statistically significant improvement in pain, anxiety, sleep quality, and overall quality of life. On average, 44.8% of participants taking both CBD and minor cannabinoids reported experiencing clinically meaningful improvements in pain. For the most part, the combined formulations saw roughly the same improvements in subjects, but those with moderate pain at baseline saw a marked improvements when 40 mg of CBD was combined with 20 mg of CBC.

"We at OBX are fundamentally dedicated to supporting all consumers in their endeavor to feel their best from the inside out through a holistic universe of effective, evidence-based cannabinoid products of the highest quality,” said Dave Neundorfer, OBX chief executive officer, in a press release. "While existing studies suggest that cannabidiol and rare cannabinoids, including CBG and CBC, have considerable potential to support wellness, there has been a glaring gap in scientifically valid research dedicated to guiding effective product development. That is why we collaborated with the renowned medical experts and data scientists at Radicle Science to better understand the potential of rare cannabinoids as an ingredient and, in particular, their ability to support better quality of life outcomes relating to pain.”

“It is a privilege to make history with OBX,” said Jeff Chen, MD, Radicle Science’s chief executive officer and UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative’s founder and former executive director.“Rare cannabinoids are present in a variety of health and wellness products containing cannabis and hemp, but there has been virtually no clinical data on their effectiveness for any medical condition, including pain. Radicle Science assessed for the first time in history the potential synergistic effects of certain rare cannabinoids on pain and demonstrated that these natural products can make a measurable positive impact.”

Radicle Science and OBX will continue their partnership with similar large-scale clinical trials on rare cannabinoids such as THCV, CBN, CBG and CBC on other health and lifestyle benchmarks such as energy, focus, appetite, sleep disturbance, stress, and anxiety. Radicle Science will conduct the research and OBX will provide the research materials.

You can learn more about Radicle Science by listening to Episode 7 of the Nutritional Outlook Podcast.