I’ve been using CBD in my clinical practice for quite a while with great success but was not overly vocal about it until I started to use it with family and myself. Both my partner and myself have become huge advocates of CBD, not to be confused with THC (but I will get into that as well)

I won’t get into ALL of the benefits in this post but I will definitely clarify a few of the misconceptions going around. First of all there are many ways to get it into you, I prefer tinctures made with high grade oils (be sure you know the oil is good quality such as MCT), or in the form of sticks as well as in capsule form during certain times of the month or gastro issues. I also like suppositories but that’s a whole other ball game of awesomeness you need to be comfortable with. I personally do not advocate vaping but hey to each his own right? Something to know about ingesting CBD oil is that your liver needs to process it, this means you are losing some potency and may only get 10-15% of what you were originally taking or in some cases as low as 6%, however that is still plenty. Some may say wait a second MCT doesn’t get processed by the liver…. no but the CBD does and unless you have shrunk the molecule down to a size which can be utilized sublingually through the mucosa in your mouth then you are still processing it via your liver.

The delivery system is something that you want to look at, the capsules also go through the digestive process but are fantastic to help boost the oil for period issues, IBS and IBD. If you can get your hands on a nanoparticle – liposomal sublingual format that is even better, the molecule has been shrunk to a size that is going to go straight into your bloodstream and crossover that blood brain barrier which is ideal.

Some have fillers, are extracted with shady and harmful methods or are made with rancid oils claiming to be olive oil however they are not so be wary of those. Even hemp oil or almond oil as a base has it’s draw backs, which is why I prefer MCT. It’s more shelf stable and doesn’t require refrigeration. You also need to look at the mg of the CBD, not the total mg of the content in the container, but the potency in the product.

Something to look at is the extraction process, as I’ve mentioned above. C02 is my preferred method, watch out for those nasty chemical agents some companies use. While you are at it I would also request a look at their certificates of analysis. You can always request these from any company, I do! If a company won’t show you this then they clearly have something to hide. You will want to look for the soil quality, what chemicals were used, look for molds or fungus as well as if it was genetically modified. If you have any immune disorders these will cause crazy health issues so be careful. Be sure you know the difference between how many mg of CBD are in the whole container vs each dose, this is something that a certificate of analysis will state. I’ve seen some with high amounts stated however it was the entire bottle not per dose, which brought the dose amount down quite a bit.

Ok back to the topic at hand, let me start by saying CBD is only one of the 113 cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant, each one has a different effect on the body. It does not have any psychoactive properties like THC does and is perfectly safe as well as legal. What I have been using is a hemp based CBD, co2 extracted in an MCT base. You can also get it from marijuana but for me the hemp version is beautiful and works well. Some will say they are not the same, but herbalists and botanists would disagree, as would I.

There is no difference in the CBD or the quality of the CBD based upon whether it is derived from hemp or marijuana. Both are cannabis, marijuana can be cannabis Indica or cannabis Sativa, and hemp is cannabis Sativa. The distinction between hemp and marijuana is legal. Hemp is defined as cannabis that has less than .03% THC by dry weight material. Marijuana is defined as cannabis that has less than .3% THC by dry weight material. When someone says that CBD from hemp is inferior it typically comes from someone in need of a basic botany class. The hemp plant does not contain THC, or rather will contain under .03% as described above, the marijuana plant contains THC. I’m not saying that THC is not useful, it is in specific situations however for 90% of my patients are looking for the effects of strictly cannabidiol and therefore go for the hemp versions.

The quality of the extracts from the plant is important especially since cannabis is a phytoremediator (a remedial plant). This means it pulls everything that’s in the soil up into itself. This is where knowing the quality of soil and growing conditions is important, dirty conditions you will always produce dirty product whether it is marijuana or hemp. I’m not even going to get into marijuana that is greenhouse grown or nature grown we can save that for a later date. 
Cannabidiol works on the endocannabinoid system within the body, within this system there are 2 receptors that it is working on. The CB1 in your brain in the peripheral nervous system and the CB2 receptor which deals with our immune system. When you take in the phytocannabinoids your body is looking for this molecule sort of like a missing link or puzzle piece. This is especially good for depression, migraines and PMS. These can be in part a breakdown of the endocannabinoid system which means they are missing the pieces to make them function optimally. Much like other systems in our body, this one has also been weakened by our environment, stress, our diet and other factors of day to day life. This system is just as important as our endocrine system, your immune system and any of the other systems we need to function optimally.
Is it safe for children? Yes. Is it safe for those suffering addiction? Yes. There is not much of a limitation to who can be using this as a therapy. It’s great for anxiety, pain, alzheimer’s, epilepsy and so much more.
Crohns, colitis, inflammatory bowel conditions and other autoimmune illnesses  are also major a part of this, it helps to calm these conditions (think flare ups). Bringing down inflammation means bringing down the pain associated with these conditions as well as lowering anxiety and that fight  or flight response.
I love adding this to boost my immune system, having it target that CB2 receptor which connects to our microbiome where most of our immune system is.
Moms…. if you are anything like me (a single mom of two) it’s easy to be overwhelmed with all the activities. For me being an entrepreneur, day to day stress and the ass hole in traffic who just cut me off. Let me tell you! I have a bottle of this in my purse, a bottle on my end table (hello sleep aid) and of course in my desk at the office to help with my afternoon lull. I know that last one might sound counterproductive since it relaxes you, but it also calms and restores that vitality which means you may get a bit of energy rather than jumping to a coffee. I used to reach for holy basil (they are both adaptogens and very similar properties to them) however I now reach for CBD as it helps with so many other issues that most people seem to suffer from . That doesn’t mean I stopped taking my holy basil, as an herbalist I love making my own tinctures so this is a staple in my adrenal/stress arsenal. The beauty of it being an adaptogen is that it will not only help your body adapt to stress but also adapt to give your body what it is that it needs which may change day to day.
For those with post concussion syndrome and PTSD it has strongly supported benefits, I plan on adding more articles as the days go by to explain each condition. CBD is awesome for targeting whatever it is that you need.
PMS or period pain, yup that was a game changer for me. I was someone who suffered from debilitating periods due to a history of endometriosis and a surgery last year that caused major uterine spasms during those 2 first days in my cycle.
ADD/ADHD/autism there are moms experimenting with this for their kids, the dose is of course lower than you or I as adults, however at a lower dose which is individualized we are seeing major changes. You can do this under the supervision of a healthcare provider, the same as any other supplement (a this is not a drug but rather a supplement), however you do not need to seek out a professional.
Now I don’t claim to be a cannabinoid expert or a medical doctor, however I do work closely with them utilizing CBD form patients for a multitude of ailments…as well s using it for myself.