Best CBD for Arthritis

Arthritis affects around 1 in 5 adults in the United States.31 Chances are high that you’ll experience it, too, at some point. There are plenty of arthritis medications out there, but their symptom relief often comes at an expense to your immune function and gastrointestinal health. They’re bothersome enough that many people have turned to alternative remedies, such as cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD, the second-most abundant compound in the cannabis plant, is fairly well-known for having anti-inflammatory potential alongside a relatively light side-effect profile — precisely the sort of thing you want in an arthritis remedy.30 It’s also now a big, saturated market, with a lot of overpromising but underdosed products. To help you navigate this overcrowded space, we’ve done the research and the testing to find the best CBD products for arthritis. We present them to you in this guide so you can determine which one might work for you.

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top picks.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions about staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

Since CBD became federally legal in 2018, we’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and testing CBD for a range of concerns. Our testing experience has comprised broad-spectrum, full-spectrum, and isolate products in almost every available form — oils, capsules, gummies. Over the course of our studies, we’ve read more than 130 clinical studies examining CBD’s potential health benefits, mechanisms of action, limitations, and risks.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy. To keep things up to date, we monitor the CBD landscape and update this page as information changes.

We evaluated the market’s best CBD arthritis products based on these four criteria:

• Safety: How big of a side effect profile are we dealing with? How accurate is the label, and how transparent are the company’s testing results?
• Effectiveness: To what degree does the research literature support the product’s formulation for inflammation/pain relief?
• Cost: How affordable is the product, both up front and per milligram of CBD?
• Ease of use: How easily can the product be integrated into your supplementation regimen?

Here’s how our recommendations performed in each category:

Safety

Advantage: Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Softgels With Curcumin

Joy Organics checks every box of our fundamental safety rubric:

• Low side effect profile: For this product, Joy Organics uses THC-free, broad-spectrum CBD, which poses no risk of intoxication. The only other active ingredient is curcumin, whose only common adverse effects are mild gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Transparency: On the product packaging is a QR code that leads to Joy Organics’ testing results page, on which you’ll find third-party analyses of the THC-Free CBD Softgels With Curcumin — multiple batches thereof.
• Label accuracy: The third-party analysis of the most recent batch at this writing (April 7, 2026) reveals no detected THC and a CBD content only marginally higher than the label-listed 25mg — not enough to make a meaningful difference in the product’s safety profile.

Much of the same can be said about Lazarus Naturals Turmeric, our pick for best gummy. The key difference is that Lazarus Naturals is a full-spectrum product, so it contains a detectable amount of THC, which could realistically cause a high in some users. That’s why we don’t consider it to be as safe as Joy Organics.

Between Joy Organics and Lazarus Naturals, the common concern is that both contain coconut, which can pose a risk to people with tree nut allergies. The risk of an allergic reaction is slight, but important to be aware of.23

This risk is absent from NOW Solutions CBD Joint & Muscle Cream, but this third recommendation of ours carries its own, and more likely prevalent, hazards. As a topical containing arnica, menthol, and capsaicin, it could potentially cause dermatitis or a different type of allergic-like reaction, and contact with a sensitive area of your body (e.g., your eyes) can cause an irritation that may require a doctor’s visit.32 33 34 Its side effect profile isn’t exactly high, but it’s higher compared with Joy Organics and Lazarus Naturals.

All of these products, though, have certain drug interactions. We cover them later, including in their relevant brand sections later in the guide.

Effectiveness

Advantage: Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Softgels With Curcumin

Joy Organics has a couple of advantages on the efficacy end, too. For one thing, it uses a nanoemulsion technology by which the CBD is broken down with oil, water, and surfactants into extremely small particles that absorb into the body much faster and more reliably.35 For another, Joy Organics uses a branded form of curcumin called NovaSOL, which has been found to yield a bioavailablity 185 folds higher than that of ordinary curcumin.36 Therefore, even though Joy Organics’ doses of CBD and curcumin are half the amount in Lazarus Naturals, it stands to deliver much more pain-relieving power. Plus, with its nanoemulsion technology, you have a product with the bioavailability of something like a tincture without having to put up with the rigmarole of holding a bitter-tasting oil under your tongue for upwards of a minute.

Lazarus Naturals and NOW Solutions, both very effective in their own ways, come with some compromises. With Lazarus, it’s the relative bioavailability issue we’ve hinted at. With NOW Solutions, it’s the fact that you may need to apply it several times a day to see consistent relief.

Cost

Advantage: NOW Solutions CBD Joint & Muscle Cream

Even without a direct subscription option, NOW Solutions has both the lowest sticker price and the lowest cost per diem among our top picks. This table illustrates:

When we refer to “realistic servings per unit,” we mean amounts of a product that can feasibly provide relief within given constraints. For NOW Solutions, the constraint is that you ought to limit your use to four times a day. Using a digital scale, we determined that four dime-sized dollops of the CBD Joint & Muscle Cream weigh around 0.2oz, which amounts to 0.05oz per dollop. In other words: 20 applications per 4oz tube, or $1.25 per day. But maybe, day to day, you see lasting relief with fewer applications, in which case the total per-unit serving count increases to:

• 1 application per day: 80 days of use, or $0.31 per day
• 2 applications per day: 40 days of use, or $0.63 per day
• 3 applications per day: 27 days of use, or $0.93 per day

In comparison, Lazarus Naturals recommends taking at least two gummies per day, but some users may get by with just one. With the standard 40ct bottle, the two-a-day approach would cost $2.00 daily, while the half-dose equals $0.85. NOW Solutions beats the low end here twice over.

Still, some specific customers may find better value with Lazarus Naturals, which runs an assistance program for veterans, people on long-term disability, and low-income households. With up to a 60% discount, the price of Lazarus Naturals Turmeric Gummies could drop significantly below that of NOW Solutions. But because not everyone is eligible for this discount, we can’t rightly figure it into our evaluations here.

As for Joy Organics, that’s a product whose pricing is more in line with the broader CBD market, which tends to be expensive. It really isn’t in the running against the more budget-mindful NOW and Lazarus.

Ease of use

Advantage: Lazarus Naturals Turmeric Gummies

Lazarus Naturals Turmeric is a gummy — a therapeutic candy — and what could be simpler than chewing a candy? You could argue that it’s simpler to rub on a cream, such as NOW Solutions, but the argument wouldn’t account for the need to wash your hands after every use, lest you spread a potential irritant to your food, pets, other loved ones, and sensitive body parts.

It helps that Lazarus Naturals tastes pretty good. The warm, gingery notes of the turmeric play well with the sugar, giving the overall flavor impression of a boutique confection.

Note, however, that each gummy contains 15cal and 4g of carbohydrates. If that’s enough to bloat your macros, then we’d recommend Joy Organics as the alternative in this category. The softgels are very small, more spherical than elongated, and should go down relatively easily.

CBD products can be difficult to distinguish at first glance. We’ve put together this chart to help you quickly compare the most important features across our top recommendations.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major cannabinoids found in both cannabis and hemp plants. You may be familiar with another major cannabinoid, THC. But unlike THC, CBD products don’t have the same mind-altering effects. Most CBD products are made from hemp, which, by federal definition as of 2026, comprises no more than 0.4% THC per container.

The human body is full of cannabinoid receptors that pair with endogenous cannabinoids (produced within the body) such as anandamide. There are two major cannabinoid receptors: CB1 and CB2. CB1 is located mostly in the brain, and CB2 is found scattered across the rest of the body, especially throughout immune tissue. Most of what we think of cannabinoids occur in CB1 receptors, but CB2 receptors are important in relation to CBD for arthritis because CB2 appears to regulate inflammation.1 In fact, some research suggests that CB2 receptors may be directly implicated in rheumatoid arthritis.2

While CBD doesn’t directly bind to any receptors, it changes how the receptors interact with THC and other cannabinoids, like CBG and CBA. It affects at least 65 cellular pathways throughout the body, including:

• Serotonin receptors such as 5HT-1a, which are responsible for anxiety3
• Vanilloid receptors such TRPV1, which are responsible for pain perception4
• G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), or membrane proteins responsible for moderating hormones and neurotransmitters5
• Voltage-gated ion channels, which manage whether a neuron will send a signal6
• Endorphins and opioid receptors

For more information about CBD in general, check out our beginner’s guide to CBD.

Taking CBD

As a supplemental product, CBD is available in three forms:

• Isolate: purified CBD, devoid of THC
• Full-spectrum: whole-plant hemp extract containing all of the naturally occurring cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, including a very small amount of THC.
• Broad-spectrum: like full-spectrum, but typically with only trace amounts of THC

Broad- and full-spectrum CBD are generally the best options, as they may promote wellness through something called the entourage effect — a phenomenon by which CBD works best in combination with the other molecules (including both cannabinoids and terpenes) found in hemp.7

CBD is a hydrophobic molecule, meaning it binds best to oils rather than water. This is why CBD is often added to a carrier oil. But since the human body is mostly water, it isn’t all that keen on absorbing oil. There are exceptions, though. Medium- and long-chain triglyceride (MCT, LCT) oils, for example, are easier for the body to use, which is why you’ll often find them incorporated into CBD formulas.29 Alternatively, you may come across nanoemulsified CBD, which is broken down with oil, water, and surfactants into extremely small particles that the body absorbs more readily.35

CBD routes of administration

Aside from its forms, CBD can be delivered into the body via four routes of administration:

Much of the research on CBD and arthritis has used animal models. For example:

• A 2000 study in mice found that CBD blocked arthritis progression through anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects.9
• In a 2016 study, transdermal CBD gel lowered pain and inflammation in rats with arthritis.12
• A 2017 study yielded similar outcomes, showing that CBD decreased pain and nerve damage in rats with osteoarthritis.13

Human studies have been relatively scarce, but they’re out there. They include:

• A 2006 study of people with rheumatoid arthritis in which a combination of CBD and THC significantly reduced pain and improved sleep8
• A 2018 randomized, placebo-controlled study of 320 arthritis patients who were given 250mg daily of topical CBD for knee pain, which resulted in slight improvements in average pain scores11
• A 2020 study of 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, in which researchers noted that “CBD might be beneficial as an adjuvant treatment in rheumatoid arthritis”10

That being said, the scientific opinion on CBD’s arthritis-relieving effects is mixed. The cannabinoid’s uncertain standing as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever is most recently reflected in a 2026 systematic review, whose authors concluded that CBD products with low THC concentrations “may not improve outcomes,” and that more research is needed in general.14

Additional ingredients

Because of the current gap in the research literature, the present iteration of this guide focuses on CBD products that contain other, more widely supported anti-inflammatory and analgesic compounds. The products we recommend contain one or several of the following:

CBD appears to be generally safe. Research has revealed a few minor side effects:19

• Fatigue
• Dry mouth
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Reduced blood pressure
• Changes in appetite or weight

But on the more severe aspect of adverse effects, CBD can also inhibit liver enzymes that metabolize drugs, which means it may have some drug interactions.20 This concern applies to people who are taking medications that interact with grapefruit. And it’s a long list of medications indeed, as the liver enzymes in question (cytochrome P450) process almost half of all prescription drugs. Here’s just a small sample:

• Anticonvulsants
• Immunosuppressants
• Protease inhibitors
• Anti-infectives
• Statins
• Antidepressants
• Blood thinners
• Oral contraceptives
• Antipsychotics

If you take any such medication, your prescription bottle should bear a warning to avoid grapefruit, and that’s a sign that you ought to avoid CBD as well.

Apart from such concerns, additional ingredients in CBD products may also pose risks to certain populations. We cover the related risks in the relevant brand sections a little ways down.

CBD arthritis products offer the highest benefit to people with mild-to-moderate joint pain. The target population includes people with diagnosed arthritis, of course, but isn’t exclusive to them. In fact, many people with joint symptoms — around 91 million U.S. adults, per one estimate — have joint symptoms without an official diagnosis.26 If you count yourself among them, whether your symptoms are chronic or periodic, you might think of giving one of these products a try.

Yet even within otherwise suitable candidate populations, some people ought to consider an alternative instead. These may include but aren’t necessarily limited to:

• People on certain medications: Remember, CBD inhibits cytochrome P450, and therefore interacts with a litany of prescription drugs.
• People who are subject to drug tests: Even small amounts of THC can trigger a positive drug test, which could spell disaster for anyone who needs to stay clean for, say, work or competition. This risk primarily relates to full-spectrum CBD products.
• People with osteoarthritis: Anti-inflammatory compounds, such as those found in our recommended CBD products, likely won’t work as well for osteoarthritis, which involves less inflammation than rheumatoid arthritis.
• People with advanced arthritis or other severe pain: No over-the-counter treatment is likely to provide meaningful relief from the symptoms of advanced arthritis or severe chronic pain. Such cases are better indicated for a corticosteroid injection, occupational therapy, or surgical intervention.
• Pregnant or lactating women: Full-spectrum products are certainly out of the question, as THC can affect fetal and newborn brain development. As for broad-spectrum and isolate products, there isn’t enough research to verify safety to the developing fetus or child.24

Best overall

Previously, our top pick was a CBD tincture with CBG along with subclinical doses of CoQ10 and curcumin. We’ve since replaced it with Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Softgels With Curcumin, which stands above in a couple of ways:

• Nanoemulsified CBD: When nanoemulsified, CBD may more quickly and more reliably enter the bloodstream through the digestive tract.27 Therefore, you get something like the bioavailability of a tincture without the taste and having to hold an oil under your tongue for upwards of a minute.
• 250mg of NovaSOL curcumin: A clinically relevant dose range for ordinary curcumin starts at 500mg, but NovaSOL isn’t ordinary curcumin. It’s a branded version that has been found to be 185 folds more bioavailable.36 Joy Organics’ 250mg dose ought to exceed the performance of the black pepper–enhanced 500mg dose used successfully to decrease arthritis pain scores in a 2021 study.37

The Joy Organics softgels are small, too. Roughly half the size of an ordinary capsule, they should present less of a problem even to people who have some difficulty swallowing pills. Plus, the serving size is just one softgel, minimizing the swallowing effort.

Aside from all that, Joy Organics shares a few qualities with our previous pick. For one thing, it uses THC-free broad-spectrum CBD, so it’s suitable for people who want or need to avoid THC. For another, its purity and potency are verified by multiple certificates of analysis on the Joy Organics website.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

For all of its strengths, Joy Organics isn’t cheap. A one-time purchase costs $79.95, and a subscription is $63.96 per month. Altogether, that’s around twice as much as Lazarus Naturals, and up to three times as much as NOW Solutions.

At least a single bottle of the stuff qualifies for free shipping. Also, Joy Organics offers a 90-day satisfaction guarantee. That’s the same as Lazarus Naturals, but leagues above NOW’s 30-day return policy that applies exclusively to unopened items.

Best gummies

While most high-quality CBD gummies provide ample hits of the cannabinoid, few are as good about including enough of any supporting ingredients to deliver meaningful symptom relief. Lazarus Naturals Turmeric Gummies stand out in exactly that regard. Alongside 50mg of CBD per serving, they contain a clinically relevant 500mg dose of curcuminoids bioenhanced with 5mg of black pepper extract. The 500/5mg split here is the exact proportion used to successful pain-relieving effect in a 2021 double-blind, randomized clinical trial.37

In mild cases of arthritis, you might feel relief with just half that amount. Lazarus Naturals has you covered there, as well. A serving size is two gummies, so you can easily take just one gummy instead. As a bonus, doing so would stretch your supply and increase the product’s cost-effectiveness.

The gummies are pretty tasty, by the way. The warm, gingery turmeric is well-complemented by the sweetness. They do contain sugar, however, and aren’t exactly low in calories. At 15cal and 4g of carbohydrates per gummy, they could significantly increase your macro intake if you consume more than one serving per day. Something to keep in mind.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

Lazarus Naturals offers its CBD/turmeric gummies in three unit sizes:

The total serving count, regardless of size, depends on how many gummies you need for symptom relief. The label-recommended serving size is two gummies, which correlates with the higher end of the per-serving cost range. But if all you need is a half-serving, then your per-serving cost is among the lowest in the CBD space. Not as affordable as NOW Solutions, but way more than most other competitors.

You can pay even less if you qualify for Lazarus Naturals’ assistance program, which offers up to 60% off to veterans, people on long-term disability, and low-income households.

As a cherry on top, the company’s return policy is just as good as Joy Organics’: a 90-day satisfaction guarantee.

Best topical

A tube of NOW Solutions CBD Joint & Muscle Cream provides 1,000mg of broad-spectrum CBD alongside three analgesic compounds: arnica, menthol, and capsaicin. In studies, all three compounds, as topical treatments, have provided meaningful pain relief in subjects with arthritis.16 17 18

In general, topical anti-inflammatories are similarly effective to their oral counterparts.25 But because of their mechanism of action — soaking into a localized area of skin — topicals tend to pose less of a systemic safety risk, especially among the elderly.28 Which isn’t to say that NOW Solutions doesn’t carry risks.

• Arnica isn’t suitable for people allergic to Asteraceae flowers, and in some users it can potentially cause an allergic-like reaction called contact dermatitis. More severely, arnica should be avoided by anyone who takes antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications (e.g., warfarin). With the former, it can inhibit platelet aggregation; in the latter, potentiate its effects, increasing the risk of bleeding.33
• In rare cases, menthol and capsaicin can also cause allergic reactions.32

Bear in mind, too, that all of NOW Solutions’ support ingredients are irritants. If you accidentally swallow any, get some in your eye, or apply it to an open wound, the results can be painful. So it’s imperative that you wash your hands thoroughly after every use.

Pricing, shipping, and returns

NOW Solutions CBD Joint & Muscle Cream ordinarily costs $24.99, which is around $10 less than Lazarus Naturals on subscription. The tube contains 4oz of product, and with a single dollop weighing around 0.05oz, it has up to 80 servings per unit, or around $0.31 per serving. That’s a tough price to beat, regardless of what kind of supplement you’re looking at.

We say it ordinarily costs $24.99 because you might be able to get it on sale for half the price. When we purchased our tube for testing, its price tag was only $12.49, so each serving we applied cost us only about $0.16.

You’ll not find any subscription option on the NOW page, unfortunately. Neither will you find the CBD-inclusive version of the product on other sites.

As for returns, NOW has the worst policy in this guide. You have a 30-day window, which is standard (though three times shorter than Joy or Lazarus), but you can’t return an opened item.

Since inflammation is such a common and systemic problem, there’s been extensive scientific research into ways to combat it. In other words, you have a huge number of options to choose from, should you prefer an alternative to CBD. Below are some good choices.

If you’re not sure you want to take a supplement or medication at all, or if you’re taking a prescription medication that relies on cytochrome P450, there are still plenty of alternative therapies available for arthritis care. Some of the more common and well-established methods are:

• Heat/cold therapy
• Massage
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Acupuncture
• Rest and reducing strain on the joints
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy