CBD, and especially CBDV, show strong antifungal properties
This study tested non-psychotropic CBD and CBDV against over 30 clinically relevant fungal pathogens, including Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans), a World Health Organization Critical Priority pathogen. WHO Critical Priority pathogens present a high disease burden and resistance to standard antifungal treatments. It was published in the journal PLoS: Neglected Tropical Diseases in June 2025.
One of the most common treatments for cryptococcosis infection is amphotericin B (AmpB), available in the U.S. with a prescription from a doctor, so it was also tested for comparison. Cryptococcosis infection usually comes from inhaling spores of the fungus, but it can also infect open skin wounds. They also tested other common types of fungi like the dermatophytes that cause “jock itch” and “athlete’s foot”.
Both CBDV and CBD showed a faster killing effect than AmpB (30 minutes versus 4 hours). CBDV also killed nine different Cryptococcus strains, while CBD killed one.
They also noted the distinctly different methods of action between CBD and CBDV in vitro, particularly in biofilm disruption, cell morphology, and proteomic profiles (what proteins are present). This observation is an important demonstration of the unique effects of the many different cannabinoids. One cannabinoid may not be effective, but there are dozens of others that occur naturally in cannabis and hemp plants that may be.
Authors' quotes:
Our results demonstrate that Cannabidiol (CBD), and particularly Cannabidivarin (CBDV), have broad activity against C. neoformans and other fungal pathogens, including dermatophytes that cause common tinea [a skin infection caused by ringworm].
in vivo [topical] experiments using Galleria mellonella infected with C. neoformans revealed significantly improved survival with CBD treatment.
within the genus Cryptococcus, CBDV was consistently active against all nine strains tested, spanning six species
CBD was only active against one of the nine Cryptococcus strains (C. deneoformans (VNIV))
The result showed a rapid killing effect of both CBD and CBDV at 30 min after treatment, which was considerately faster than the AmpB control where killing was observed after 4 hr
the demonstrated efficacy of CBD and CBDV as broad antifungal agents, coupled with their established safety profile, makes them an exciting resource as a foundation for the development of future therapeutic interventions
The full text article is here at PubMed Central.
Source:
Dinh H, Fernandes KE, Erpf PE, Clay EJM, Tay AP, Nagy SS, Schaefer S, Maharjan R, Lenardon MD, Multari DH, Haynes PA, Paulsen IT, Santiago MJ, Connor M, Carter D, Cain AK. Uncovering the antifungal potential of Cannabidiol and Cannabidivarin. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Jun 5;19(6):e0013081. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013081. PMID: 40470967; PMCID: PMC12139526.