It’s been a few years since hemp-based products became legal on a federal level. Since its legalization, thousands of products have appeared on store shelves. And while CBD still dominates the market, minor cannabinoid products like CBG and THCA have risen in popularity. With this rise in minor cannabinoid popularity, many people have begun to wonder: is CBD still relevant?
As it turns out, the scientific community has been busy at work studying this particular cannabinoid, expanding our knowledge and uncovering new ways it can be used. This research breathes new life into the CBD industry, giving shoppers new reasons to add CBD to their daily routines.
New Evidence on CBD’s Neurotherapeutic Effects
In a review paper published in a 2025 edition of Biochemical Pharmacology, researchers observed the effects on CBD and the 5-HT1A receptor. This paper summarized and observed how CBD binds to a particular receptor and how our bodies are impacted by the bond.
The 5-HT1A receptor is a type of receptor found within our nervous system. According to information from a 2013 research paper on the receptor, “The 5-HT1A receptor is a major inhibitory G-protein coupled receptor subtype that exists in two major populations in the nervous system (autoreceptor and heteroreceptor), and functions by coupling to Gi/Go proteins that control numerous intracellular signaling cascades”.
In the 2025 review, it was found that CBD can induce desensitization of the 5-HT1A receptor. This desensitization to the receptor signaling is evidence of CBD’s neuroprotective and antidepressant properties. However, their findings also not that the interaction between the cannabinoid and the receptor is dependent upon serving size of the cannabinoid product.
New Evidence on How CBD is Absorbed
Around the same time, a study published by researchers in January 2025 found that our diet impacts the absorption of CBD into our bodies. 12 participants between the ages of 18 to 60 were given CBD capsules containing 70mg CBD half an hour after eating a high-fat meal.
The results of the study found that “Healthcare professionals and users of CBD should be aware that consuming CBD with a meal significantly increases its bioavailability and standardizing CBD intake to meals is important for achieving consistent and optimal effects.”
Though the study utilized a small pool of participants, these preliminary findings expand our knowledge of how CBD interacts with our bodies. It also highlights the need for knowledge surrounding how and when we consume cannabinoid products derived from hemp.
New Evidence on How CBD is Impacted by Heat
It is well known that THCA is turned into Delta THC when exposed to heat through a process called decarboxylation. A study published in February 2025 sheds new light on how CBD reacts to high temperature extraction. These findings expand our understanding of how this cannabinoid is affected when exposed to heat.
According to their findings, “CBD transformation degree is strongly affected by the humidity of the extracted hemp. The results presented in this work are important both for hemp analysis, including the research dealing with hemp metabolism, but also for functional food containing CBD.”
Is CBD Still Relevant?
Without a doubt, CBD is still relevant! New research has helped expand our knowledge surrounding this incredible cannabinoid and opened up new pathways on how it can be used within the medical and scientific communities. While there may be other cannabinoids that have had a spotlight shown on them in the past several years, CBD still can hold its own in the ring.
Studies and reviews like those detailed above are an important part of our developing understanding of hemp as a whole. As we continue to learn about this incredible plant, new pathways open up that offer possible solutions that did not exist before.