Verified by 
Key points
- CBD is a non-psychoactive substance gaining popularity as a treatment for a host of health conditions, including sexual health issues.
- CBD has been used for treating such sexual health issues as anxiety, ED, low sexual desire, and low sexual sensitivity.
- Possible risk factors associated with CBD use include drug interaction, allergic reactions, and potential liver damage.
The past several years have seen an enormous increase in cannabidiol (CBD) usage. The main reason for the increase may be from the numerous testimonials that CBD can be used to treat a vast array of health conditions. One of the claims is that CBD is useful for the improvement of sexual well-being and provides relief from several sexual health conditions. Does CDB actually live up to the claims or is it nothing more than a placebo?
What is CBD and what is it not?
CBD (cannadibiol) is a natural compound found in the cannabis plant. It does not have the intoxication effects associated with marijuana. CBD will not get you high. Those who claim that they can get high from it only add to the argument for the placebo effects of CBD. CBD is available in many forms including oils, creams, edibles, beverages, and it’s been showing up in daily use products like toothpaste and deodorant.
CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system of the body, although it’s unclear to what extent. The primary use of CBD is as an analgesic (pain reliever). Other noted uses are for relief from cancer symptoms, decreasing anxiety, acne prevention, heart health, and reducing the onset of diabetes. In fact, if you read online testimonials, you would be hard-pressed to find any health condition that was not reportedly alleviated (or in some claims, outright cured) by CBD use. Will CBD actually put an end to your acne? I don’t know. I’ll stick to what we know about CBD and sexual health for the time being.
CBD and sexual health
Just as some promote CBD as a cure-all for any adverse symptom, many claim it works to improve sexual health. Some of these claims include:
- Relief from chronic sexual pain
- Eases stress and anxiety
- Helps with sexual performance
- Helps with Erectile Dysfunction
- Assists with natural lubrication
- Increases sexual sensitivity by increasing blood flow to tissue
- Increases sex drive
- Promotes female orgasm
- Increases intimacy
Note, for those who are reading this and want to start using CBD in the bedroom, CBD does not have an immediate response. You can’t take it at the beginning of an intimate encounter and expect to experience the benefits. In cases of chronic pain, it may take time. Some users of CBD claim that you need to give it, at least, an hour before some of the effects are noticeable.
How often, exactly, are people resorting to CBD use for sexual health conditions? In an assessment by Leas, et al., (2020), wherein a random sample of 3000 posted CBD claims were drawn from 104,917 posts, the number of individuals reporting using CBD for the treatment of sexual health issues was low (less than 2% of the testimonials). Psychiatric conditions, as a subcategory, had the highest reporting rate.
Risk factors and placebo effect
CBD is not regulated by the FDA. In fact, the FDA has noted concerns about claims being marketed about the benefits of CBD, “unsubstantiated therapeutic claims [are] a violation of the law [and] can put patients at risk” (in Leas, et al., 2020). Many experts have argued that the placebo effect plays a role in the association of CBD and the treatment of health conditions. Still, others claim to have witnessed beneficial results firsthand in their patients. The meager studies that do exist tend to be controversial and widely contradictory in their results. One study, for instance, will find an increase in libido attributed to CBD use, while another will find a decrease in libido. Many studies look at effects of the cannabis plant and conflate CBD use with the results. Some of these studies reveal an effect of cannabis on fertility (decrease of sperm development and effect on normal ovulation), but not specifically looking at CBD as a variable on its own, while still including it in the results.
Despite the laundry list of health benefits, several risk factors have been made public with the use of CBD. Some of these risk factors and side effects include:
- Upset stomach
- Loss of appetite
- Possible drug interaction
- Allergic reaction
- Potential liver damage
If you are choosing to use CBD for any reason, it’s best to discuss it first with your doctor.
Final verdict
So, is CBD use beneficial in the treatment of sexual health issues? At this point in time, the jury must remain out. Scientific research is simply lacking and the research that has been done is controversial for some of the reasons previously noted. If CBD can relieve pain, stress, and anxiety, it makes sense that it may be beneficial for some sexual health concerns, such as chronic sexual pain and stress-related ED. And, apart from the side effects and risk factors, does it hurt if it acts as a placebo for some individuals? Placebos can greatly impact a person’s physical and psychological health in beneficial manners, despite not containing therapeutic value. However, placebos can also have the negative effect of a person relying on the placebo, believing it to be helpful, and not seeking needed medical treatment for a serious condition. What’s immediately important is that, with the popularity of CBD as a health treatment, scientific research needs to produce answers to the many questions surrounding the use of this natural compound. If you are considering using CBD for sexual health issues, talk to your doctor first. They may be able to provide you with better treatment options, particularly with issues concerning ED, vaginal dryness, chronic sexual pain, and low sex drive.
Facebook image: Girts Ragelis/Shutterstock
References
Leas, E.C., Hendrickson, E.M., Nobles, A.L., Todd, R., Smith, D.M., Dredze, M., & Ayers, J.W. (2020). Self-reported Cannabidiol (CBD) use for conditions with proven therapies. Jama Network Open, 3:10, doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.20977.
