Get to Know Mae Bereal

>>> BY JENNIFER WALKER GET TO KNOW Mae Bereal OWNER OF LAV8 CBD- cbd for holistic health, wellness & sustainability

Mae Bereal is no stranger to cannabis. As a teenager, she consumed cannabis to treat medical bouts of depression and anxiety. And, as a young woman, as she began having children she sought out education on the plant as her focus turned to a more holistic way of living. Today, Mae operates LAV8, her CBD company while also focusing on beginning her journey into the THC side of things. I recently had the opportunity to speak with her regarding her role as a religious woman of color who is raising four children while running a multitude of businesses.

VEGAS CANNABIS MAGAZINE: You are not only a woman, but a woman of color, a mother of four and a woman of God. Did these things open doors for you or prove to be obstacles?

MAE BEREAL: Honestly, both. When obstacles have arisen, I have been able to lean on my faith and push forward. It is never easy to be the first in an industry to do a certain something. In being the first, you then have to pave the way. It’s a trial and error process. If you don’t have the faith in it and the passion behind it, ultimately you are going to abandon it. For me, in the beginning, walking into a room as a religious, black woman was difficult but it was also empowering. And it gave people that I would speak to a different perspective which they could relate to and oftentimes it made them listen. It is a good time to be a woman of color in the cannabis industry as well as a mom.

VCM: You took a leap and began introducing CBD products within your local church. How did that go?

MB: It was difficult. Having to approach something delicately while understanding that there has been a lot of misinformation. Educating people is so important. Especially people who have been influenced by old propaganda regarding the cannabis plant. I took it slowly, asking people to tell me what they knew so that I could then replace what they knew with actual facts. Once people began opening up, the next step was for them to tell me what their problems were, where they had pain, and I offered solutions to help. It was an easy swap for me to replace the chemical-ridden creams with non-toxic pain reducing topicals that I could assure them came from a plant created by God. Once you understand where people are coming from and why they believe the way they do, you can easily give them the information they need to go down a better path.

VCM: Tell us about your own journey with cannabis.

MB: I began consuming cannabis as a teenager. As a teen, I suffered with depression and anxiety and was at times suicidal. I was introduced to cannabis, and at that time I didn’t truly understand the medical impact of the plant. All I knew was that this flower made me feel this way and removed these feelings. I was a patient for a while and then as I began having children, with each child I had, I became more and more holistic. Eventually, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the natural healing powers of cannabis - why it worked and how it worked. I wanted to help other people who were going down the same path I had gone down.

VCM: Tell us about your product line.

MB: Currently, our product line includes a soak, various body balms, a beard balm and some essential oil products. Our Rose Gold products include 24 karat gold within them which actually has antibacterial properties. That, along with hemp-derived full spectrum CBD oil and other organic ingredients really sets our products apart.

VCM: When I received my products, I noticed there was a seeded insert which I assume is part of your sustainability efforts.

MB: Yes, each order also receives a seeded piece of paper which has information about our company and our products as well as a QR code which takes you to our website. After reviewing the information on the paper, you can plant it, water it and watch it grow into wildflowers. Our mailers are also 100% compostable. We are working towards being a zero waste corporation.

VCM: How can readers purchase LAV8 products?

MB: Products can be purchased online at lav8cbd.com. You can also follow us on Instagram @lav8cbd.

VCM: What are you working on for the future?

MB: I have secured licensing in California on the THC side. My licenses include retail, non-storefront retail, manufacturing, distribution, cultivation, testing and events. My facility is at the end stages of being fully compliant. My goal was to have seed to sale licensing so that I had control over my products from beginning to end. This way, I am able to stand behind everything with no guesswork involved.

VCM: Anything you want to add?

MB: This month is Black History Month. And, what better month than this for me to be a black woman who has made history within the cannabis industry. The State of California recently sent out a press release stating that only twelve Event Organizer licenses were approved, and I was one of them. This is something that will be new to the state and I am so proud of being named one of the twelve recipients.

DEAR PLANTS: I Love You! Alixandra Laub

Plant life represents more than 98% of the earth’s total biomass. The diversity of plants across the world allows us to apply them to about every area of life, even when we are not noticing. We rely on plants for oxygen, food, shelter, industrial products, clothing, warmth, medicine, and more. Human existence depends on these pretty little living beings and we are not so different from plants afterall. According to Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, "human beings are natural organisms. Our genomes are developed and expressed in the natural world. The patterns and processes inherent in nature are inherent in us.” Both plants and humans rely on water, nutrients, and vitamins to convert and release energy. In both cases, our genes dictate our hormones and our growth and maturity depends on cell division. Both plants and humans partake in a circadian rhythm coordinated by their surroundings. While plants do not move voluntarily like humans, plants make movements to maximize efficiency of water, nutrient or light uptake by functionally shifting and nodding, twining, or contracting. These elements dictate each plant’s unique personality in the way they grow, shape, and form. As such important, unique living beings, what is not to love about them?

Plants as Medicine

Studies have shown meaningful physiological effects of just being around plants. It is believed that these effects are achieved by simply breathing in nature and inhaling the naturally occurring plant compounds. Many countries have adopted forest therapy as a positive psychological and physiological benefit to humans. In Germany, there has been great success with their version of forest therapy, called Kneipp therapy. In Japan forest therapy is called Shinrinyoku which means, "taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing." Actually, the major phytochemicals of the forest atmosphere are terpenes, which are the largest class of organic compounds with more than 40,000 creating each plant's unique fingerprint. In Tahoe, surrounded by conifers, the forest contains phytochemicals rich in pinene, limonene, and caryophyllene among others, which have been shown to be great for the respiratory system, the brain, and general inflammation.

Great power and great healing takes place when we look into the world of plants for some of today’s complaints. In the 1700s, all doctors were gardeners and botanists because most medicine was made directly from plants. In America today, conventional medicine aims to diagnose and treat a particular disease or condition, typically using a one size fits all approach. However, plants are still considered the most consistent sources for the discovery of new drugs. In fact, all medicine came from plants, fungi, or bacteria. Though health is not just the absence of disease, but rather the ability for our mind and body to be functioning at an optimal level. In alternative medicine, an herbalist or holistic health practitioner searches for the cause of the symptoms at many physical, emotional, and spiritual levels to create an individualized plan using natural, un-invasive modalities. Though plant medicine is not always suitable for every condition or situation, clients who use alternative medicine often see positive results on overall health and wellness, in particular improvements in fatigue and energy, pain, inflammation, digestion, mental and emotional function.

Outside of the United States, many countries rely on herbal medicine as a part of standard healthcare. Thousands of years of practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) created different versions such as Kampo in Japan, Ayurvedic in India, Jamu in Indonesia, and Hanyak in Korea. The differences of herbs, beliefs, and custom was mostly decided by the bioavailability of plants in the region. Herbal medicine is still a part of everyday life and important in healthcare in New Zealand, African, South American, Eastern Mediterranean, and European regions.

Culinary plants

Beyond using plants for medicine and healthcare, one of my favorite ways to integrate more herbs is to use more plants when cooking. Not just veggies though, heavily integrating the tiny bottles of flavor blasters we shake over our food to make it taste exciting. So many of the common herbs and spices used for cooking, like ginger, garlic, turmeric, parsley, basil, fennel, and thyme, are combined in higher doses in herbal medicine. Some of the more uncommon herbs like ashwagandha, dandelion leaf, and medicinal mushrooms like shiitake, lions mane, and maike are powerhouses that make great additions to dishes. Looking for desert recipes? Licorice root is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar and is a diverse medicinal plant, covering a wide range of benefits.

Plants in products

The mass production of synthetic ingredients used in skincare products is damaging to human health and the environment. Although humans have almost always been exposed to chemicals, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a public report in 2008 indicating that the increase of industrialization has “dramatically changed the quality and the quantity of human exposures.” Certain chemicals added to everyday products have been shown to cause allergies, irritations, endocrine disruption, cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity. A known carcinogen called 1,4-Dioxane has been added to as many as 22% of cosmetic products. This chemical has been directly linked to cancer. The FDA does not require manufacturers to add the chemical on the ingredient list, making it difficult to avoid. Harmful chemical preservatives like butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) have been linked to organ-system toxicity and cancer. Products containing these chemicals include but are not limited to sunscreen, hair and nail products, makeup, fragrance, dental hygiene, skincare, and anti-aging products.

The EPA website suggests purchasing green products to reduce toxic exposures, air pollution, water pollution, climate change, and waste disposal and provides information on safer ingredients. Evidence shows that chemicals like Triclosan, a strong antibacterial, have been added to soaps and detergents introduced in the ‘70s. Since, it has been found that the chemical enters the water supply, killing algae, crustaceans, and fish.

House plants

Surrounding yourself with house plants (from your local nursery) will not only bring life into your space, but many plants can be useful for air purification. Speaking of space, in 1989 NASA cleared a number of plants that demonstrated the ability to filter potentially toxic organic chemicals to use on the space stations. Some of these plants include heart leaf (P. oxycardium) and elephant ear (P. domesticum) philodendron, golden pothos (S. aureus), and spider plants (C. elatum).