Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor a CBD expert. The goal of this post is to share information about CBD and my personal experience with it. I did my best research and fact-checking for accuracy
I have been obsessed with researching CBD and testing products on myself the past few months.
First things first: CBD alone will not get you high. It is important to note that most CBD is non-psychoactive and will not give you a “high” or euphoric feeling. Just want to put that out there.
People have been using CBD for thousands of years.
In some countries, people apply the marijuana leaf on injuries/areas of pain to help reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain.
It seems like everyone can benefit from CBD. CBD oil has a long list of benefits, including (source):
- reducing chronic pain
- limiting epileptic seizures
- reducing inflammation
- reducing anxiety
- aiding in rheumatoid arthritis treatment
- reducing nausea
- depression treatment
- lessening inflammatory bowel disease symptoms
- helping with insomnia
- reducing psoriasis
- lower risk of diabetes
WHAT IS CBD?
CBD, or cannibulia, is a component of the marijuana plant that contains healing properties of the plant. With most CBD products, users can experience some of the medicinal qualities of marijuana while still operating day to day, going to work, driving a car, etc.
CBD products come in many forms: pills, creams, tinctures, oils, lip balms, cooking oils, adaptogenic blends, topical oils, and more.
There is still differing evidence on the effects of CBD and if it works. Most of the information out there is anecdotal due to the lack of factual-based scientific research. Again, I am not a doctor or a CBD expert by any means! I did my best to research it based off what I could find.
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HEMP DERIVED VS. CANNABIS DERIVED
There isn’t much information about this, but this is what I gathered: There are 2 types of CBD products. Every CBD product is either hemp derived or cannabis derived. Hemp CBD is made from industrial hemp (yes, the kind you put on top of smoothie bowls!). Cannabis CBD is derived from the medical marijuana plant. Hemp CBD products are available widely online whereas cannabis derived CBD products are only available in some states at medical dispensaries.
From Wikipedia: “Although most states restrict the use of CBD products to certain medical conditions, manufacturers of CBD claim their products are derived from industrial hemp, and therefore legal for anyone to use.[66] A number of these manufacturers ship CBD products to all 50 states, which the federal government has so far not intervened in.[67][68] CBD is also openly sold in head shops and health food stores in some states where such sales have not been explicitly legalized.” Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol
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OVERALL, DO I THINK CBD WORKED FOR ME?
First off, since moving to Toronto, experiencing the big city, it has definitely heightened my stress/anxiety. PLUS, the pain I have been dealing with in my foot due to a stress fracture from my car accident in February has improved to much that the pain is little to none, which are the main reasons people take CBD. In many of the CBD products I tried, I did notice a significant enough change in my physical, emotional, or mental state (except the THC one, Care by Design) to say that CBD worked WONDERS for me.
I 100% SUPPORT THOSE WHO TAKE CBD PRODUCTS AND WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND IT FOR MY FRIENDS, FAMILY, OR READERS WHO SUFFER FROM ANY SYMPTOM CBD COULD HELP WITH.
I don’t see myself taking CBD daily. I have my other daily routines Sun Potion ashwagandha, daily meditation, exercise, collagen, yoga, eating well, and self introspection (journaling and intention setting) that work great for me now. I can see myself every now and using a CBD bath bomb or the Care by Design droplets after an extra tough day, but in general, I don’t see this becoming a steady part of my every day routine for medicinal/anxiety relief but I do see myself using it throughout the week.
That doesn’t mean I am not going to try out some CBD-inspired recipes with some of these tinctures!
In closing, I think CBD is FANTASTIC and am so glad it has helped so many people who swear by it. Maybe I am just not the getting correct dosage or need to try a different strain? I am going to keep my eyes and heart open for CBD because I believe it can help a lot of people. But for now, I’m going to keep doing my normal routine while sometimes incorporating CBD in!
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QUICK CBD Q+A
Did you try taking CBD with adaptogens? Yes, I put Cap Beauty’s Daily Hit in my matcha a few times. You can mix your own CBD oil with adaptogens to see if that heightens its effects.
What do you look for when buying CBD? It totally depends on your budget, needs, and symptoms. In general, make sure you are buying local CBD (whenever possible), and from a trusted, authorized source. There are many small businesses that sell CBD products online and in stores, so I’d go with that.
Did it help you with stress? I think because I do a lot of things in my everyday (yoga, meditation, daily adaptogens, exercise) to relieve and lessen my anxiety, it can be hard to tell which one makes the most difference. Save for the Care by Design droplets (more on that below), maybe some nights I felt a TINY bit more relaxed, but I can’t tell if it was placebo effect or not!
Can I fly with it? I haven’t tried flying with CBD oil. I’m too scared to. It looks like hemp-derived CBD products are okay to fly with but there is still a grey area and vague responses coming from TSA. If you have tried without issue, let me know in the comments below! See this article from High Times on bringing CBD products on planes.
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WANT TO TRY IT IN A RECIPE?
CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory and supports your system from the inside out while the other ingredients encourage beauty from within. Don’t have The Daily Hit? Any high-quality CBD oil will do. Want to level-up? The Daily Hit also includes: schisandra berry, mucuna pruriens, reishi, astragalus, and pearl — these adaptogens can all be added directly into the smoothie.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup nut or seed or oat milk
Handful of kale or spinach
1 T Coconut Butter
1/2 teaspoon The Daily Hit*
couple sprigs of mint
DIRECTIONS:
Blend all ingredients together on high for a minute and serve in your favorite glass. High times ahead!
Do you take CBD Oil? If so, what kind? What does it help you with? I want to hear from you!
As always, thanks for reading!
Lots of love!
M,
XO.