CBD
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Attention cannabis advocates, National CBD Day is August 8th! Let’s spend the day celebrating a very special cannabinoid that’s changing the lives of many around the globe. CBD or Cannabidiol is non-intoxicating, and according to Project CBD, it is “…a naturally occurring compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis, a plant with a rich history as a medicine going back thousands of years. Today the therapeutic properties of CBD are being tested and confirmed by scientists and doctors around the world. A safe, non-addictive substance, CBD is one of more than a hundred “phytocannabinoids,” which are unique to cannabis and endow the plant with its robust therapeutic profile.”
CBD may be helpful for the following: autoimmune diseases, neurological conditions, metabolic syndrome, neuropsychiatric illness, gut disorders, cardiovascular dysfunction, skin disease, and more!
We asked industry insiders to share their insights on CBD, as well as recommendations for some of their favorite CBD products for a new Cannabis Industry Spotlight feature.
1. Cannabis Activist Katree Saunders
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of my favorite cannabinoids. I have suffered from chronic pain since I was a teenager into adulthood. CBD helps me with inflammation from fibromyalgia, nerve damage and spondylosis. I take a 1:1 THC/CBD RSO to help alleviate some of the pain. I also make a variety of CBD products from tinctures to edibles. My favorite CBD product, besides my own, is Mary’s Medicinals Muscle Freeze, and their transdermal patches work well. I recently read that Raphael Mechoulam, also known as the “father of cannabis research,” revealed his latest discovery, cannabidiolic acid methyl ester (HU-580), only a few months ago. The introduction of this new, potent, patented compound (synthetic, fully stable acid-based cannabinoid molecules) caused a wave of excitement around the future of medicinal cannabis.
2. Tokeativity Co-founder Lisa Snyder
CBD is an amazing way to get folks involved in the cannabis movement from all angles without the intense stigma that still comes with THC. It’s really important, though, that as the movement evolves, we also continue to demand testing to ensure products are safe and align with their promised potency. My favorite CBD products right now are: Wyld Gummies for consistent effects, easy access anytime and purse storage, woman owned Grön CBD for their amazing chocolate bars and products, Black and queer owned Sway CBD for hand rolled CBD blunts, woman owned High Resin Remedies face serum for night time face routine and fast acting inflammation reduction, Clarity CBD Tincture by Black veteran owned Gratitude Blossom, and Relax CBD tincture by Hapy Kitchen.
3. WAFBA (We Are For Better Alternatives) President Morris Beegle
As we honor CBD for its broad ranging health benefits, it’s also good to note that CBD has helped open up the broader conversation of industrial hemp and the wide array of food and industrial ingredient applications, nutrition and wellness support, as well as environmental uses that are possible from this incredible agricultural crop. It is a super fiber, superfood, super nutrient, super ingredient…Hemp is a super plant!
4. Honeysuckle Magazine Founder Ronit Pinto
When it comes to CBD, I love luxury CBD products, and many of the ones I love are made by women. I want to luxuriate in my CBD topicals and creams, and I like them to be regenerative when possible, or at the very least organic and made with all natural ingredients, as well as products that are not tested on animals. There are a lot of brands that sell what appears to be snake oil, and have the aroma of the pharmaceutical industry, so I steer clear of those. Some of my favorite brands are Nature of Things, Our Treaty, House of Gro, and Malin and Goetz.
5. Budding Mind Founder Brooke Burgstahler
I’ll be honest, I’m fortunate to work in the cannabis industry because I am CBD rich! Whenever my friends have a head or body ache, I am quick to prescribe something from my cannabinoid apothecary — be it The Root of It All tinctures, Care By Design capsules, or Foria suppositories. While THC products might not be for everybody, I do believe that CBD topicals are for everybody. They are an incredible point of entry for doubters of cannabis’s myriad medicinal benefits. You won’t get high, and you’ll get rid of that knee pain, Grandma, now get in the car because we’re going to Sweet Flower to pick some up.
6. 87 Months Founder Evelyn LaChapelle
I could not imagine a life without my Be Jubie CBD oil and body buttah. The brand represents the three things that I look for most in a cannabis brand: 1). It was created by a Black woman 2). She sources hemp from sustainable farmers, and 3). It’s a quality product.
7. Mommy Jane Founder Jessica Gonzalez
I don’t know how the world functioned before CBD because I can say I became a much better mother and human after I discovered the benefits, especially products containing full spectrum plant medicine. You see, CBD is wonderful, but it’s only one compound of hundreds found in cannabis that becomes even more beneficial to our health when they’re working together. Since I live in a legal state, I gravitate toward products that have full spectrum medicine like Care By Design’s Full Spectrum CBD drops, which I prefer in a 40:1 ratio.
Since I have high anxiety and need to be able to dose at the drop of a hat, I enjoy products that can work into my lifestyle and don’t have a long onset. One brand that hits all those marks is Holistic Wellness CBD STIKs that you can literally stir into ANY beverage of your choice and receive a perfect 10 mg dose of broad spectrum hemp CBD that is nano emulsified for quick absorption with additional natural ingredients (ginger and turmeric for example) are added to the STIKs to help assist with everyday ailments from sleep to stress to post gym recovery. We deserve to feel good, especially when it comes to our physical and mental health.”
