Can CBD Actually Help With Nerve Pain? Here's What The Science Says

This whole-flower formula from Kentucky-based brand Cornbread Hemp is USDA certified organic. The balm includes soothing arnica and cooling menthol, which can help relieve surface aches and pains, as well as moisturizing shea butter and coconut oil.

You’ll find 500 mg of full-spectrum hemp CBD in this balm, which Cornbread Hemp says typically breaks down into 60 servings of 8 mg. That’s a more gentle dose, making this pick great for beginners or folks who want to have more control over their dosages.

Reviewers say that the stick form makes this balm easy to apply, especially on hard-to-reach areas, and that it has a pleasant scent. Several positive reviews praise this balm for relieving their aches and pains, including a handful of reviewers with nerve pain issues.* However, a few negative comments mention a greasy feeling left on their skin.

Sustainability & packaging: Cornbread Hemp sources organic hemp from local farms in Kentucky and prides itself on USDA organic certification. The packaging on this balm is a plastic twist stick that should be curbside recyclable (just make sure it’s completely emptied out).

Transparency: The COA for this balm is easy to find via a giant button on the product description page, or you can search for the product via Cornbread Hemp’s lab certificate library.

While most of the picks on our list are full-spectrum, we know that trace amounts of THC may not work for everyone. For a broad-spectrum option, we like this silky smooth R+R cream from Prima. It uses organic, broad-spectrum hemp and natural oils from botanicals like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, and rosemary. It has a slight cooling sensation (although it’s nothing like Icy Hot—I’ve tried this cream myself and can attest!) from the peppermint and menthol and a really pleasant light scent. It’s also Leaping Bunny Certified, residue free, and includes hydrating marula oil and shea butter.

Sustainability & packaging: Of the companies on this list, Prima makes the biggest sustainability efforts. A plastic and carbon neutral company, it offsets use of both by removing twice as much plastic waste from the environment as is used across packaging and operations. There’s also a “Recycle for Real” program that encourages customers to send back five empty containers at a time to ensure they’re properly recycled (shipping is on Prima).

Transparency: You can find the COA for this cream on the product page. Prima is also a certified B Corp (which means it’s held to a high standard of social, legal, and environmental transparency), and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

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Another pick from Cornbread Hemp, these CBD gummies continuously make their way into our “best of” roundups—that’s because they’re vegan, gluten-free, and don’t use any high-fructose corn syrup or artificial colorings. Not only are they USDA certified organic, but the clean formula is available in two potency options: 20 mg (moderate) or 50 mg (strong) CBD per serving.

Not only does our team love the flavor of these gummies, but our vice president of scientific affairs thinks highly of the innovative formula. For those closely watching their sugar intake, just note that each serving (2 gummies)has 4 grams of sugar (after all, they’re gummies!) from organic blue agave and tapioca syrups plus organic cane sugar.

Sustainability & packaging: As we mentioned above, Cornbread Hemp is a Kentucky-based company that sources organic hemp from local farms. Gummies come in a glass bottle with a plastic cap, and all materials should be curbside-recyclable.

Transparency: The COA for Cornbread Hemp’s gummies was easy to find using the third-party lab results database. The brand also shares more about its organic farming and extraction process on the website.

If tinctures and gummies aren’t for you, these tasteless CBD capsules from NuLeaf Naturals might be more up your alley. They’re made from only organic full-spectrum hemp extract, organic virgin hemp seed oil, cassava root extract, vegetable glycerin, and water.

One of the perks of these capsules is that all three potency options have 15 mg of CBD per softgel (a 30 mg serving requires two capsules). That means you can get pretty specific with each 15 mg capsule to customize your dose.

Sustainability & packaging: NuLeaf Naturals farms organic hemp in Colorado and uses an energy-efficient supercritical CO2 extraction process that’s free of harsh chemical solvents. The company doesn’t offer much information about packaging, but it encourages recycling when you’re finished with your bottle.

Transparency: You’ll find the lab reports for NuLeaf’s full-spectrum CBD on the product page, as well as searching their batch report database.

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If you prefer the feel of a cream over a balm, you may like this pick from R&R medicinals. It’s an unscented formula that includes either 1,000 mg or 2,000 mg of organic, full-spectrum hemp CBD. The other active ingredients are moisturizing jojoba seed oil, pain-relieving arnica montana, and calendula flower to help encourage inflammatory balance.

While the reviews are tricky to weed through (because the brand doesn’t sort reviews by product), customers give this cream high praise for its smooth application and soothing effects on aches, but also for R&R’s quality customer service. One big pro: If this cream doesn’t work for you, the brand offers a 60-day money back guarantee.

Sustainability & packaging: R&R Medicinals uses USDA certified organic hemp in its products, and an energy-efficient supercritical CO2 extraction process. We weren’t able to find additional details about the brand’s packaging, but it should be curbside recyclable if properly cleaned out.

Transparency: All of R&R’s lab testing results are available on a designated page of the website. The company produces CBD products in an FDA registered facility and is registered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Lazarus Naturals prides themselves on offering USDA certified organic CBD products at an accessible price, and this tincture is a great example. With 50 mg of hemp CBD per serving, it’s a stronger pick—but Lazarus offers clear lines on their dropper, so you can easily customize the right dosage for you.

It’s available in three flavor options: unflavored, chocolate mint, and strawberry lemonade (that last one gets mixed reviews). Most reviewers say it does a great job of acting quickly to help their health issues, and a lot of folks mention how affordable this tincture is for the potency. Another noteworthy pro: Lazarus offers 60% off to veterans, people on long-term disability, and households that qualify as low-income.

Sustainability & packaging: Lazarus Naturals farms organic hemp in central Oregon. Another certified B Corp, it uses recycled materials for the packaging and aims to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Transparency: You can access the COA for this tincture on the product page, or via QR code on the product’s packaging.

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It's still early days for research around hemp CBD and nerve pain, and there aren't any studies to suggest that gummies with CBD-containing hemp extracts in particular are a beneficial approach for nerve pain.

There are some encouraging findings in the general study of CBD, however, which suggest that CBD may help support the body's inflammatory response and help with pain (comfort) levels.* Just know that people respond to CBD differently, and it may take some trial and error to find a dosage that works for you.