Does CBD or hemp oil help against high blood pressure?
Hemp still carries a hint of the forbidden in our society, since cultivation was banned for many years. People usually grew the plant illegally only because of its intoxicating effects. That effect is caused by the compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is present in different hemp varieties in varying strengths.
What is hemp oil?
Hemp oil or more precisely hempseed oil is the oil obtained from the seeds of the hemp plant.
What is CBD oil?
CBD oil refers to oil extracted from the green leaves. CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is mainly found in fiber hemp and unlike the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) mentioned at the start has no psychoactive effects.
While hempseed oil is available in many shops, the CBD oils offered in drugstores were recently taken off the shelves. Although CBD is not intoxicating and hemp products must not exceed a THC content of 0.2 percent, the legal status of cannabis products outside medical use is still a tricky issue.
So does hemp or CBD oil help with high blood pressure?
On the internet and from dubious sellers you can find claims of miraculous effects that CBD oil is supposed to achieve for health. The lowering of blood pressure is repeatedly advertised. Some sellers hang out in forums and groups and promote their products with big promises. We researched the effect on blood pressure for a long time and came to the following result:
There is currently little scientific evidence that hemp oil or CBD oil lowers blood pressure.
However, there are first small studies that could point to a possible effect. A sub-study published in February 2023 showed a blood pressure reduction in the 54 participants. The participants had grade 1 hypertension, which had either not been treated with medication before or were being treated with ACE inhibitors or ACE inhibitors with calcium channel blockers or thiazide diuretics. But this sub-study also has limitations. The researchers point out that it is uncertain whether the effect can be transferred to CBD products other than the one used in the study. It also does not allow conclusions about an effect in more severe hypertension. The number of participants is also quite small blood pressure studies usually require many more subjects.
In June 2023 a study was published that found a blood pressurelowering effect. However, that study had only 16 participants.
So these studies are early glimmers of hope for a possible blood pressurelowering effect. But for a valid conclusion, this is still far from enough.
However, a study published in July 2025 warns that CBD oil can have a liverdamaging effect. Of 201 study participants all of whom were healthy, which is often not the case for CBD oil users liver values increased during CBD oil intake in 8 participants. Seven of them had to drop out of the study afterwards.
However, a study published in July 2025 warns that CBD oil can have a liverdamaging effect. Of 201 study participants all of whom were healthy, which is often not the case for CBD oil users liver values increased during CBD oil intake in 8 participants. Seven of them had to drop out of the study afterwards.
So it's still a very heated topic. On the one hand, CBD is credited with an almost miraculous range of positive effects, but on the other hand the legal side still appears to be an unresolved gray area.
Please discuss any potential use of CBD with your doctor, because interactions between cannabis and medications are known.
Sources:
- https://www.natur-kompendium.com/cbd-oel/
- https://www.deutsche-apotheker-zeitung.de/news/artikel/2019/04/26/rossmann-und-dm-nehmen-cbd-oele-aus-dem-sortiment
- https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Fokusmeldungen/01_lebensmittel/2019/2019_03_20_Cannabidiol.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332223001750
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37291376/
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2836267
This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 07/2025).
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has led BloodPressureDB's specialist editorial team since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides solid, practical and reliably reviewed information.
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