A recent CBD rumour flying around is says that it may cause liver toxicity, similar to alcohol and other toxic drugs. A well known company within the CBD industry has recently refuted the reports saying -“This sensational claim was based on a dubious study of CBD and liver toxicity conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock".
The study claimed that CBD might be just as harmful to human livers as conventional pain medication. The study's claims went viral due to a Forbes article that Project CBD calls – "Breathless reporting focused on a single, flawed, pre-clinical study and exaggerates it to the point of falsehood.”
According to the study, four and a half mice died from chronic administration of CBD, and one and a half mice survived. Does that mean that half of a mouse survived?
First of all, the study gave mice CBD a synthetic source and not natural, a known neurotoxin. Secondly, they were force-feeding mice 2,460 mg/kg of CBD which is well above any recommended limit and would be close to impossible for a human to consume.
They also tried smaller doses of 615 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days. These dosages are at least 100x more than what is generally recommended for the CBD-isolate Epidiolex, which is only 20 mg/kg.
It is true that CBD, in higher doses (20-50mg/kg) can alter the way that certain types of medication can be metabolised and become toxic. Those that come with a warning about consuming grapefruits while taking the medication.
The toxicity isn’t from CBD though; it is from the medication not being processed properly and it is typically found in people consuming hundreds or thousands of milligrams of CBD per day.
The most common form of this is for children with epilepsy being administered CBD or a THC compound along with other epileptic medication. But if you are taking any form of prescribed medication you should always check with your doctor first if it is safe to take CBD with them.
So… there is no proof or scientific evidence that harm or stress is put upon the liver with CBD. In fact the body has evolved around the hemp and cannabis plant and is very thorough at processing cannabinoids and being able to remove them from the body.