Study Finds Citrus-Scented Compound Can Reduce Anxiety For Cannabis Users

There could be a new way to curb the ‘paranoia’ effect that is sometimes experienced from consuming too much cannabis, according to a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Scientific American.

Among the over 500 chemical compounds found in cannabis plants are aromatic compounds called terpenes.  These include a citrus-scented strain called d-limonene that researchers found can ease the acute anxiety that leads some people to seek emergency care for cannabis-induced intoxication.  Reducing this kind of effect can also enhance the potential therapeutic benefits of marijuana.

The authors of the study recruited participants who were not regular cannabis users but reported having an anxious reaction to the drug in the past. 20 people completed nine randomized tests in which they inhaled combinations of different levels of vaporized THC and d-limonene or a water-vapor placebo.  As d-limonene concentration increased in proportion to THC, participants reported fewer anxiety symptoms, particularly in the final trial, when they inhaled one part of d-limonene for two parts of THC.

Scientific American’s associate news editor Allison Parshall discussed the findings on the Science Quickly podcast.  “One of the things that was so cool about this, at least according to the researchers I talked to, was that this increasing concentration of d-limonene didn’t impact the feeling of the high at all,” said Parshall. “So you got this really targeted effect: basically as you increase concentrations of d-limonene, this particular terpene, you just see people’s anxious reactions go down, but they aren’t reporting feeling that their high is any less or different. It’s mostly just the anxiety.”

She noted there had been previous studies of the benefits of d-limonene in other areas.  “They didn’t pull this idea out of nowhere,” she said. “There is evidence that shows that d-limonene can have anxiety-reducing properties. These were not necessarily in cannabis contexts. They were done on animals and on people in a couple of different situations, and they showed anxiety-reducing effects—nothing like, probably, taking anxiety medication, but these are present in citrus essential oils.”

Authors of the study pointed out that d-limonene does not directly interfere with how THC acts on the brain, explaining why it did not appear to alter any other part of the THC’s reported effects.

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