Does CBD or hemp oil help with high blood pressure?
Hemp still carries a bit of a forbidden aura in our society because cultivation was banned for many years. When it was grown illegally, people usually planted it for its intoxicating effect. That effect is caused by the compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which occurs in different hemp varieties in varying amounts.
What is hemp oil?
Hemp oil more precisely hemp seed 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 found mainly in fiber hemp and unlike the THC mentioned at the beginning it has no psychoactive effect.
While hemp seed oil is sold in many stores, recently drugstores have taken the CBD oils they offered off their shelves. Although CBD is not intoxicating and hemp products are not allowed to exceed a THC content of 0.2 percent, the legal status of cannabis products outside medical use is still tricky.
So does hemp or CBD oil help with high blood pressure?
On the internet and from dubious sellers you'll find descriptions promising true miracles that CBD oil is supposed to achieve. Lowering blood pressure is frequently advertised. Some sellers even hang out in related forums and groups to promote their products with big claims. We researched the effect on blood pressure at length and found the following:
There is currently little scientific evidence for a blood-pressure-lowering effect of hemp or CBD oil.
However, there are early, 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 that had either not been treated with medication so far or was treated with ACE inhibitors or ACE inhibitors combined 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 cases of high blood pressure. The number of participants is fairly small blood pressure studies generally require many more subjects.
In June 2023 a study was published that found a blood-pressure-lowering effect. However, that study had only 16 participants.
So these studies are first glimmers of hope for a possible blood-pressure-lowering effect. But it's far too little to make a reliable statement.
However, a study published in July 2025 pointed out that CBD oil can have a liver-damaging effect. Of 201 participants in the study all of whom were healthy, which is often not the case for typical CBD users liver enzymes increased during CBD oil intake in 8 participants. Seven of them then had to drop out of the study.
However, a study published in July 2025 pointed out that CBD oil can have a liver-damaging effect. Of 201 participants in the study all of whom were healthy, which is often not the case for typical CBD users liver enzymes increased during CBD oil intake in 8 participants. Seven of them then had to drop out of the study.
So things are still heating up. On the one hand, CBD is credited with an almost miraculous array of positive effects; on the other hand the legal side still appears to be a partially unresolved gray area.
Please discuss taking 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 of people monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based information and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care. Since 2015 she has led the editorial team at BloodPressureDB. With additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and training in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably reviewed information.
