Let’s Get Brainy!  

CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It is one of the 113 cannabinoids, a natural chemical in the hemp and cannabis plant. Cannabinoids is a group of chemical compounds that acts on receptors in cells. Receptors are protein molecules that signal to cells; once a chemical is bonding to it, it changes the electrical activity of a cell.

So Then How Does CBD Work? 

CBD attaches itself to the cell receptors, therefore changing its electrical activity that changes what’s going on in your body and makes it balanced. That’s why CBD works for pain, anxiety and inflammation, epileptic seizures and sleeplessness, and even some skin ailments.

Don’t Get Swindled!

CBD is very popular since the laws on cannabis and hemp products have loosened in New Jersey and through out most states. It’s sold online and some alternative health food stores. These products vary in cost from $30 to $130, if you are paying more than that it may be a bad quality! Watch out for CBD oils that are a low grade or are even sold for $300!

Read The Label

A leading holistic cannabis educator Rx Mary Jade explains what to look for in a good quality CBD.

CBD is sold in different formats such as oil, tincture, body cream or gummies. Depending what your ailment is, you may want to pick one of the formats. Generally, you want to see on the label “full spectrum,” says Rx Mary Jade. It should state that it has cannabinoids or cannabis as one of the list of ingredients and preferably have an organic seal of approval. Remember, CBD is not FDA regulated, so anyone can sell it without any standards of how the products is made and labeled; stay away from any ingredient that states it’s from “hemp seed” oil. You want a maximum strength of at least 250 mg and ingest about one ml per dosage. Rx Mary Jade recommends the following CBD products: Charlotte’s Web, Haleigh’s Hope, and Elixinol.

Tincture, Oil, Cream Or Gummy?

A tincture is alcohol based as opposed to oil and is mixed with “a fatty mediums such as coconut, avocado, MCT oil to name a few,” says RX Mary Jade. “Most store bought ‘tinctures’ are technically just infused cooking/edible oils rather than the true nature of a tincture being alcohol based,” she says. Oil is considered another word for a concentrate such as Shatter, Budder, and Live Resin, which are a type of cannabis concentrates.

A cream is a mixture of various ingredients that is thick, infused with cannabinoids or cannabis, and applied directly on the skin. It works best when it is used with another CBD product, like a tincture.

A gummy is just like a gummy vitamin you see at your local drug store, but infused with cannabinoids and possibly other complimentary ingredients. If you are looking for quick relief, you want to take a tincture because “the alcohol in it breaks the brain blood barrier” says Rx Mary Jade. She also says that gummies are “good for everyday use, if you can’t tolerate pills or the taste of tinctures.” However, gummies are made with sugar and can cause inflammation, which defeats the purpose of taking any CBD products.

A cream is great in conjunction with other CBD products. It helps with acute strains, pains and bruises. It can also help with psoriasis and eczema.

Yoga & Massages with CBD

Massage therapy and yoga sessions with CBD creates a “turbo boost of a sense of relaxation,” says Rx Mary Jade. She states that it “stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.” The parasympathetic nervous system “conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and glad activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract” (Science Daily). In restorative yoga with CBD, you experience a clear mind (even thought it’s not psychoactive), especially for those who are unable to reach full relaxation in a drug free way.