Written based on 16 research studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11..
The claim
Posts online say that CBD (cannabidiol) helps with colorectal cancer.
Where research stands
We found 28 published papers on CBD (cannabidiol) and colorectal cancer. They were published between 2012 and 2026. None of them is a study in people. 7 were studies in animals, and 15 were only in cells in the lab. 2 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 2 new studies in people are running or will start soon, say the trial registers. 1 research project on CBD (cannabidiol) for colorectal cancer is funded and still running.
- 0In people
- 7In animals
- 15Only in the lab
What the studies found
We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.
Verdict
CBD (cannabidiol) has been studied for colorectal cancer in animals, not yet in people.
Unproven means: it was only tested in animals or cells, or there is too little or mixed data from people. How we rate claims
What this means for you: Results in animals or in cells often do not hold in people. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- Cannabidiol (CBD) and Colorectal Tumorigenesis: Potential Dual Modulatory Roles via the Serotonergic Pathway.2025 · Curr Oncol · Review
- Possible Enhancement of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Colorectal Cancer Treatment when Combined with Cannabidiol.2021 · Anticancer Agents Med Chem · Review
- Cannabidiol suppresses emergency MDSCs generation by disturbing EEF1B2-mediated C/EBPβ protein synthesis in colorectal adenomas.2026 · J Immunother Cancer · In animals
- Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Liposomes for Co-delivery of 5-Fluorouracil and Cannabidiol Against Colorectal Cancer.2025 · Adv Pharm Bull · In animals
- Cannabidiol Targets Colorectal Cancer Cells via Cannabinoid Receptor 2, Independent of Common Mutations.2025 · ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci · In animals
- Single-cell analyses reveal cannabidiol rewires tumor microenvironment via inhibiting alternative activation of macrophage and synergizes with anti-PD-1 in colon cancer.2023 · J Pharm Anal · In animals
- Cannabidiol-induced crosstalk of apoptosis and macroautophagy in colorectal cancer cells involves p53 and Hsp70.2023 · Cell Death Discov · In animals
- Cannabidiol Enhances the Therapeutic Effects of TRAIL by Upregulating DR5 in Colorectal Cancer.2019 · Cancers (Basel) · In animals
- The differential effects of CBD and CBDA on viability and mRNA expression in colorectal cancer cells.2026 · J Cannabis Res · In the lab
- Stability and Degradation-based Proteome Profiling Reveals Cannabidiol as a Promising CDC123-eIF2γ Inhibitor for Colorectal Cancer Therapy.2026 · J Am Chem Soc · In the lab
- Development and In vitro kinetic evaluation of PEG-chitosan biohybrid micelles loading CBD with bile acid/quercetin as surface modifiers for colon cancer therapy.2026 · Arch Biochem Biophys · In the lab
- Cannabidiol Reprograms Glucose Metabolism in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma by Targeting HIF-1α/LDHA Pathway.2025 · Am J Chin Med · In the lab
- Correction: Cannabidiol inhibits invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer cells by reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.2025 · J Cancer Res Clin Oncol · Other paper
- Metallothionein Family Proteins as Regulators of Zinc Ions Synergistically Enhance the Anticancer Effect of Cannabidiol in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells.2023 · Int J Mol Sci · Other paper
- Cannabidiol exerts anti-proliferative activity via a cannabinoid receptor 2-dependent mechanism in human colorectal cancer cells.2022 · Int Immunopharmacol · Other paper
- CBD: a biomarker database for colorectal cancer.2018 · Database (Oxford) · Other paper
