Cannabidiol, commonly referred to as CBD, is popular among the wellness network for its use as an alternative therapy for various health conditions. People have used CBD to alleviate chronic aches, nausea, and mental health symptoms linked with depression and anxiety.

However, studies have highlighted CBD’s role as an antibacterial agent. Research presented at the annual meeting of The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) demonstrated that CBD could actively kill many types of bacteria related to critical infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

But could this signal an end to the reign of antibiotics and a new beginning for alternative remedies? Could CBD substitute conventional antibiotics? Read on to find out!

What is CBD?

CBD is one of the active compounds present in the cannabis or marijuana plant. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the other active substance found in marijuana, CBD does not have psychoactive effects and does not produce a “high.” It is available in various forms, such as oils, vaporised liquids, topicals, and capsules.

Health Benefits of CBD

Since it does not have intoxicating effects, CBD is known mainly for its medicinal properties. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a CBD-based treatment for two types of epilepsy. Moreover, preliminary research shows promising results for using CBD to manage various anxiety disorders.

In addition, CBD has been reported to help manage the symptoms of chronic pain, especially those associated with arthritis. It has also been used to improve sleep, alleviate mental health problems, and reduce inflammation.

CBD’s Antimicrobial Potential

In the past, studies investigating the medicinal properties of CBD have focused on the compound’s ability to help mitigate the symptoms of various health issues. However, data presented by The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) shows that CBD could be pretty good at killing bacteria as well – even some strains that are no longer eliminated by conventional antibiotics.

This discovery could make CBD a lethal weapon against superbugs and undoubtedly help save many lives.

The study in question was conducted at the University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience’s Centre for Superbug Solutions. Collaborating with the university was Botanix Pharmaceuticals, a budding drug discovery company researching the topical uses of synthetically manufactured cannabidiol for various skin conditions.

How Does CBD Kill Bacteria?

You might assume that CBD is good at killing bacteria because the microbes haven’t been exposed to it before. However, there’s more to it – a unique capability of CBD that makes it harder for bacteria to develop resistance against it.

Most antibiotics need to enter the bacterial cell to destroy it. That’s why drug-resistant bacteria prevent antibiotics from entering their cells. They can do this by:

• Modifying their cell walls which makes it harder for antibiotics to enter and fit inside
• Manufacturing enzymes that destroy the antibiotics
• Making pumps that flush out the antibiotics

What makes CBD’s tactic different is that it does not enter the bacterial cell to kill it – it attacks the bacterial membranes and pops the cells quite similar to how we pop water balloons. Since the inside of bacterial cells doesn’t consist of well-defined organelles, the contents simply spill out once the membrane is broken, destroying the cell. 

To further understand how CBD destroys bacterial cell membranes, researchers are investigating the specific molecules it targets and what makes this compound more efficient than conventional antibiotics at breaking down bacterial cell membranes.

What Bacteria Can CBD kill?

Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics. Moreover, Gram-positive bacteria are often more difficult to kill since they have a thicker protective membrane. Nevertheless, CBD has shown promise as a versatile antimicrobial agent.

According to research findings, CBD can eliminate both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, which makes it an extremely potent antimicrobial agent. Moreover, very small quantities of CBD can kill large amounts of Gram-positive bacteria including species that have developed antibiotic resistance.

The Gram-positive bacteria CBD eliminated included:

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which causes staph infections
• Clostridioidez difficile which is responsible for colon infections
• Streptococcus pneumoniae which causes pneumonia or pneumococcal meningitis (an infection of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord)

The four types of drug-resistant, Gram-negative bacteria CBD killed included:

• Neisseria gonorrhoeae which causes the sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea
• Neisseria meningitides which causes meningitis (bloodstream infection)
• Moraxella catarrhalis which causes bronchitis
• Leigionella pneumophila which causes Legionnaires’ disease (a serious form of pneumonia)

Additional Promising Findings

Apart from CBD’s ability to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria and its distinct mechanism of popping cell membranes without entering cells, researchers have also found that the compound retains its efficacy after prolonged treatment. For instance, under extended exposure conditions that commonly lead to drug resistance against antibiotics, vancomycin or daptomycin, CBD remained unphased and actively destroyed bacterial cells.

Furthermore, scientists explained that CBD’s proven anti-inflammatory properties in humans, along with its potential to be administered via various routes, further strengthen its use as an antimicrobial agent in the future. This means that CBD will not only destroy bacterial cells but will also reduce the inflammatory response to infections in the body.

Lastly, researchers discovered that besides killing bacterial cells, CBD was also effective in destroying biofilms. These are physical forms of bacterial growth that often lead to life-threatening infections that are difficult to treat. This highlights CBD’s potential to guard the body against various forms of bacterial infections.

Possible Downsides

Despite encouraging findings, researchers state that it is still too early to introduce CBD as an antibacterial agent in the medicinal world. This is because of a major downside of the promising compound: it rapidly binds to protein.

When CBD enters the bloodstream, most of it attaches itself to plasma proteins. Although CBD doesn’t kill human proteins, it does latch onto them, which leaves only about 10 to 14 percent of the compound free to attack bacteria. This significantly reduces its efficiency in removing bacteria from the system, especially when it is more likely to bind with other more tempting proteins.

One solution could be to increase the amount of CBD consumed. However, this regime also has its drawbacks. First, circulating too much CBD into the bloodstream makes it difficult to produce a targeted attack against bacteria. Second, ingesting too much CBD carries the risk of an overdose, especially in younger individuals or those with less tolerance to the compound.

Developing Alternative Approaches

In light of the downsides, scientists are now focusing on developing ways to make the most of CBD’s bacteria-fighting capabilities. A few alternative approaches being considered include:

• Developing unique drug formulations that transport CBD directly to the bacteria at the site of an infection.
• Developing synthetic CBD that does not bind to human proteins and specifically targets and kills bacteria.

Moreover, scientists have demonstrated that the most successful bacterial elimination was achieved with oral formulations of CBD. This could mean that in the future, CBD-based treatments might be administered mainly as pills or nasal sprays rather than injections or creams.

And you never know, maybe there’s an antibacterial CBD gummy in the future!

Final Thoughts

Research has established that CBD possesses the ability to kill many kinds of bacteria, including certain antibiotic-resistant strains. This means that CBD could be a game-changer in the medicinal world and help save many lives globally. But is CBD the new antibiotic? Only time and more research will answer this question.

As for now, scientists need to determine the precise mechanisms by which CBD functions in the human body and attacks microbes before they can use it as a potential treatment for bacterial infections.