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CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), are the most well known and studied of the hundreds of chemical compounds, known as cannabinoids, found in the cannabis plant.
Cannabis with less than 0.3% THC (the infamous compound which gets you “high”) is known as hemp. Hemp can be grown for fiber or seed oil or for its high levels of CBD – which is what we do at NurseGrown Organics.
Both THC and CBD are valuable for maintaining overall wellness, supporting sleep and anxiety, and managing pain and other symptoms of disease – though sadly, THC is still illegal, fraught with stigma, and lacking research in many parts of the US and the world.
Fortunately, scientific research, clinical studies, and anecdotal patient reports have shown that CBD supplementation could be supportive for many conditions including (but not at all limited to):
- Anxiety
- PTSD, social anxiety, panic disorder and OCD
- Psychosis
- Insomnia
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Nausea and vomiting
- Crohn’s disease
- Nicotine smoking
- Acne
- High blood sugar
- Tumors
- Childhood autism
- Childhood seizures (there is now an FDA approved CBD prescription medication for children’s epilepsy which comes from the hemp plant called epidiolex. It costs $32,500 per year!)
- Mad cow disease (for real, I’m not just saying that as a Vermonter)
Choosing Your Cannabis
The number one priority for ensuring clean cannabis and consumer safety is third party full panel lab testing.Full panel tests look at the concentration of cannabinoids like CBD and THC (known as potency), and also test for contaminants (known as purity) like heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, residual solvents, and all the stuff you want to be sure is NOT going into your body!
Given that this is also a new industry without a lot of standardization in the regulations, full panel lab testing is the most important thing you can look for when choosing a product.
What About Organic?
An organic certification does not mean your cannabis has been lab tested or has any way to ensure it is free of contaminants. Most organic and clean cannabis certifications have limited – if any – required lab testing.
All NurseGrown products are both Clean Green Certified (the largest, most rigorous certifying body for cannabis)and third party full panel lab tested. Always look for and request full panel testing and the Clean Green logo to ensure you are protecting not just yourself, but the environment too!
Your Best CBD ChoiceFor best results use full spectrum hemp CBD extracts (as opposed to isolates or broad spectrum), since they include the hundreds of phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant (CBD, THC, CBDA, THCV, CBG, CBN, etc.), as well as many other therapeutic plant constituents, such as plant terpenes (aromatic essential oils), essential fatty acids, and flavonoids (antioxidants which also help your body function more efficiently).
Busting The Myth
There is a myth, a rumor, a legend really, that CBD will diminish or ruin your high. The truth is it may actually help you make more of your own internally generated THC, and help any supplemental THC last longer in your system! This is a match made in heaven and meant to be, shall we say, a perfect dancing partner! The one thing this nurse hears more often than anything else is how amazing long time THC cannabis users feel when they add CBD to their routine!
How Can I Use CBD?
CBD can be taken in many forms, here are a few we love at NurseGrown:
- Oil drops or oral capsules (which this crazy lil nurse hand encapsulates herself while blasting music)
- Smokable flowers and pre-rolls (don’t knock it til you try it…had me fooled!)
- Topicals (as a massage therapist, I am extremely particular!)
At NurseGrown, we choose hemp seed oil as the carrier oil for our 1500mg CBD because of the health benefits, omega ratio, and it’s much lower carbon footprint compared to other oils.
We get ravingly positive feedback about our hemp balm, which also contains arnica and frankincense, as well as for our two powerful body and massage oils – Deeply Rooted and Rise Up.
Gummies are always a fan fave, easy to take on tour, and come in in biodegradable packaging. When you’re on the road, immune boosters like elderberry and tasty treats like sweet orange chewables can’t go wrong!
Follow us on Insta and FB to see some kick ass cannabis advocacy, and catch some gorgeous farm pictures of what will be the next round of top shelf hand trimmed craft cannabis for our smokable flower and prerolls.
Tips For Use
- Start low and go slow. If you’re on other meds, connect with a professional.
- Smoking works instantaneously for immediate effects (bet ya’ll know that!).
- Topicals are also pretty quick to help, so balm is my go to after a night of boogying with my old dancing knees.
- Oil and chewables can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in, and for some like me, can take up to 3 hours. Good to know for THC edibles!!
- If you want oils or chewables to work more quickly, try holding them under your tongue for a minute or two. They’ll get absorbed faster that way.
Photos: Darrin Harris Frisby, Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance