CBD’S NEW FRONTIER

CBD’s New Frontier Help for Mental Health

by Julie Marshall W henKayeHerIt’s really important However,asanunbert’shusband broughthome afreesampleofcannabidiol(CBD) oil,shedidn’t for people to know their options and to keep looking for regulatedsupplement,CBD presentsachallengefor consumersinitsubiquity fromCBD-infusedpillows hesitatetogiveitatry. what works for them. togummies,soapsand Havingheardaboutits calmingeffects,shegave ~Peter Bongiorno evenpetfood.Discerning purity,dosageandsafety CBDtoherthreesons, arerealconcernsforthose whoseattentiondeficithyperactivitydisthatmaygrabanybottleofftheshelf. ordermadehome-schoolingdifficultdue Consumersmustbecomewellintofrequenttantrumsandlackoffocus.“I formed,especiallywhenreplacingmedicadidn’texpectCBDtobemiraculous,but tionsforseriousdisorders,expertssay.But Iwassurprisedthatmykids’frustrations foranxietyandemotionalwell-being,CBD weregreatlyreduced,”saystheAustin, islargelyheraldedasasafeandnatural Texas,mom.“Weweren’tseeingthesechoicebyproviderswell-versedinCBD, verityofmeltdowns.” suchasPeterBongiorno,pastpresidentof TheuseofCBDintinctures,captheNewYorkAssociationofNaturopathic sulesandlotionshasgrownexponenPhysicians.“It’sreallyimportantforpeople tially,alongwiththesciencetoproveits toknowtheiroptionsandtokeeplooking efficacyinremediatingphysicalpain. forwhatworksforthem,”hesays. Newer,butequally abilityofCBDasa asrobust,istheviremedyformental The Feel-Good Molecule health-relatedissues,expertssay,pointCBD,acompoundextractedfromthe ingtoanxiety,depressionandstressas hempplant,isappealingbecauseitcan thetopthreeapplications. raisethelevelofcannabinoids—feel-good

We imagine the people suffering who need support and think about how we are growing the plants to help them. ~Lara Miller moleculesnaturallycreatedwithinthehumanbody.“Whenwe can’tsleeporarestressedout,cannabinoidlevelsgowaydown,” Bongiornosays.Whileprescriptiondrugsoverwhelmthebody withadversesideeffects,CBDcanhealthfullybringbackbalance. ButCBDwon’ttriggeranalteredstatebecausethereislittle tonotetrahydrocannabinol(THC),thepsychoactivechemical inmarijuanathatproducesahigh,hesays,addingthathestarts patientsatalowdailydoseof25milligrams. It’simportanttotalkwithaphysicianaboutdruginteractions,Bongiornosays.Forinstance,CBDcanincreaselevelsof blood-thinningmedications,accordingtoa2017studypublished inEpilepsy & Behavior Case Reports. CBDcanpossiblytreatawiderangeofconditions,fromfear ofpublicspeakingtobipolarandpost-traumaticstressdisorders, butmoreresearchisneeded,expertssay.A2018clinicaltrial publishedinJAMA PsychiatrysuggestsCBDofferspotentialin treatingpsychosis.Morerecently,researchersina2019casestudy of27patientspublishedbythePermanente Journalconcluded, “Cannabidiolmayholdbenefitforanxiety-relateddisorders.”

Seeds of Hope

Themostimportantstepconsumerscantaketofindasafe,quality productistoknowwheretheirCBDcomesfrom,expertssay. LaraMillerisanorganicfarmerinLafayette,Colorado,whoin 2017dedicatedaparcelofhertwo-acrefarmtogrowinghempfor herbusiness,NorthFieldFarmacy.“Iaddedinhempbecauseit isadynamicplantthatproducesfiber,seedandmedicineforus humans,allatthesametime,”shesays. Miller’ssmall,women-ownedbusinessgrowstheleafyplants outdoorsinorganicsoilandharvestsbyhand.“Wetestinthe field,post-harvest,duringextractionandinthefinalproduct,”she says.“Weknowourproductiscleanandpureandpotent.” Thisisn’talwaysthecase.A2017studypublishedintheJournal of the American Medical Associationshowedthatin84CBD productssoldonlineby31 companies,26percentcontainedless CBDthantheamountlistedonthelabel. Millerreceivesweeklycallsfromthosewantingtopurchase herplantsandstartaCBDbusiness.“Whatbothersmethemost isthatnotonepersonhasaskedhowmyhempisgrown,”shesays. “Itallfeelslikeabiggrab;theintegrityisn’tthere.” Millercontinuestodeclinetheserequestsandspendsher daysonthefarm,where—comeharvesttime—she,alongsideher crew,engagesinsomevisualizations.“Weimaginethepeoplesufferingwhoneedsupportandthinkabouthowwearegrowingthe plantstohelpthem.”

Julie Marshall is a Colorado-based writer and author of Making BurrosFly:ClevelandAmory,AnimalRescuePioneer. Connect with her at FlyingBurros@gmail.com.

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What’s Really in the Bottle

The Importance of CBD Lab Reports and How to Read Them

by Meredith Montgomery

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Accordingtoa It’s a guarantee that you productanditshould 2019survey byConsumer Reports,morethan aquarteroftheU.S. populationhastried not only get what you pay for, but that nothing detrimental to your health is in a product. comefromanaccredited third-partylaboratory.

Certificate of Analysis

CBDandoneoutof sevenofthosepeople ~Jeff Sheldon “It’s you aguaranteethat notonlygetwhat saytheyuseitdaily. TheCBDindustryis youpayfor,butthatnothingdetrimental oftendescribedastheWild,WildWest toyourhealthisinaproduct,”saysJeff becausedespiteCBD’subiquity,verylittle Sheldon,ownerofTheHealthHutin productregulationisinplace. MobileandDaphne,Alabama. “ACOA A2017studypublishedin JAMA: provestoyouthattheamountofphyThe Journal of the American Medical tocannabinoidmatcheswhatisclaimed Association examinedlabelaccuracyof bythemanufacturerandcanalsoleta 84CBDproductssoldonlineandfound consumerknowiftherearepesticide thatnearly70percenthadeitherhigher residues,chemicalsolvents,toxins,heavy orlowerconcentrationsofingredients metalsorpathogensinaproduct.” thanindicatedonthelabel,andtheTHC COAscanbefoundonamanufaccontentofsomeproductscouldproduce turer’swebsiteandoftenintheretailstore intoxicationorimpairment. wheretheproductisbeingsold. First, Untilconsistentmanufacturingand lookatthecompanyperformingthetest testingstandardsareestablished,itisup andensurethatitisdifferentfromthe totheconsumertodotheirduediligence. manufacturer. “Theselabtestsareavital Thebestwaytoconfirmlabelaccuracyis partoftransparencybetweenboththe toaskforacertificateofanalysis(COA). sourceandretailer,aswellasbetweenthe Thisdocumentrevealswhat’sreallyinthe retailerandthecustomer. Third-party

testsarehighprioritybecausetheyeliminatebiasandtampering,”saysJennifer Boozer,ownerofCannaBamainMobile, Alabama.

Potency and Date

Themostbasiclabtestexaminespotency oftheproduct’sCBDandothermajor cannabinoids. Sheldonsays,“Checkthat theamountofCBDandTHCmatches whattheproductclaimsandensurethat theTHCcontentisbelow0.3 percent, otherwisetheproductisillegal. Ifthe manufacturerclaimszeroTHC,youwill see‘ND’fornotdetected.” EdMorgan,ownerofStellaNaturals inGulfShores,Alabama,recommends lookingatthedatethetestwasdone. “CBDonlyhasashelflifeofjustovera yearandmuchlessafteropened. Many timesyouwillseeatestthatisoverayear oldor10monthsold. Youdonotwant tobuyanoldproductthatisexpiredor closetoit.”

Toxins

Inadditiontoastandardcannabinoid profile,ideallyaproduct’sCOAalso includesthelengthyresultsofafullpanel labtest,whichreportsonthepresenceof toxins. Boozersays,“Becausecannabisis abioremediator,afullymatureplantwill havedrawnintoitselfwhatevertoxins, heavymetalsandchemicalfertilizers orpesticidesmaybepresentinthesoil. Thiscanbedangerousbecausetheyare usuallyharmfultothebodyifingested orinhaled. Iftheplantisnotproperly sealedandstored,mold,mildewand otherbacteriacanbegintogrow,which canalsomakeconsumerssick,especially wheninhaled.”

Terpenes

CBDproductsarealsosometimestested fortheirterpenecontent. “Manymanufacturersdonothavethistestdone,but terpenesareshowntocreatedifferent feelingsandmoodsorbenefits,”says Morgan,notingthatsomepopularterpenesareMyrcene,Linalool,Limonene, PineneandTerpineol. Boozerreferstothesearomaticoils asthe“smell”chemicalsandsays,“They areveryimportantwhendecidingwhat typeofexperiencewillresult,andthey canbeusedtocustomizetheproducteffectivenesswhentheyareaddedafterthe initialextraction. Eachterpenehasdifferentmedicinalpropertiesinthebody.”

COA Requirements

Inmoststates,COAsareonlyavailableforproductswhosemanufacturer choosestosubmitasampleandpayfor alegitimatelabtoperformtheanalysis. Ifacompanydoesnotpubliclypostthis information,thereisnowayforconsumerstoknowwhattheyarebuying. Floridajustjoinedthesmallgroup ofstatesthatdoeshaveCBDlabeling requirements. AsofJanuary,Florida’sDepartmentofAgricultureandConsumer ServicesisregulatingCBD-basedproductsconsumedbypeopleandpets. New rulesaddresshowpackagesarelabeled (amongotherthings) andrequireCOAs bycertifiedthird-partylaboratories. Morgan,whoseproductsaremanufacturedinoneofFlorida’sstatelicensedand inspectedCBDfacilities,says“Thishelps protecttheconsumerfromfraudorbad CBDproducts,andwehopetoseethisin manystatessoon.”

Meredith Montgomery publishes the Gulf Coast edition of NaturalAwakenings. Connect at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

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