Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, affects at least eight million Americans per year. People living with the debilitating mental condition can experience insomnia, self-destructive thoughts, social isolation and more.  

But there’s hope.

A recent study found that CBD, or cannabidiol, lessened symptoms in patients suffering from PTSD. Researchers administered the substance in various dosages to 11 patients who also received routine psychiatric medications and therapy for eight weeks. 

When the experiment ended, 10 out of 11 patients reported a decrease in the severity of their PTSD symptoms. Some also said they experienced less frequent nightmares that were related to their PTSD.

What exactly is CBD?

CBD originates from the cannabis sativa plant. Though it comes from the same source as recreational marijuana, it’s non-psychoactive and non-addictive. The substance has shown promising results in providing relief for a wide array of conditions like anxiety, epilepsy, depression, muscle spasms and more. 

“We were impressed with the improvements seen in the subjects. These findings can help inform future clinical investigations, including double blind, placebo-controlled trials, to confirm the response to CBD that was observed in this study, “ researcher Scott Shannon, MD, told the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.