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The Strange Apothecary

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Learn the ABC’s of CBD with this wonderful blog post published by our Team Leader; Sally Downing. You are guarenteed to have a fountain of knowledge after reading this blog post, as it is important to make an informed decision when it comes to CBD products.

A: Anandamide

Anandamide, also known as ‘the bliss molecule’ is one of the two main endocannabinoids that our bodies produce, the other being 2-arachidonoyl glycerol.

Levels of anandamide naturally increase through exercise, and it’s thought to be responsible for the rewarding feeling that exercise promotes, like the “runner’s high”.

Anandamide also plays a role in memory and motivation and helps to reduce our sensitivity to pain.

Pain and mental health issues are shown to correlate with low levels of Anandamide, this is because it breaks down quickly.

CBD can help to maintain high levels of anandamide by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks it down so it stays active for longer.

This is the main reason why CBD is showing such positive results across physical and mental health conditions.

B: Bioavailability

Bioavailabilty, is the amount of an ingredient, that makes it into your bloodstream.

If you swallow an ingredient (oral), in most cases it will have to pass through the liver first. The way the liver processes the ingredient, means that by the time it makes it into your bloodstream, the bioavailability has been greatly reduced.

When using a tincture under the tongue (sublingual) it is absorbed through the mucosal membrane which provides a quicker way of getting the ingredient into your bloodstream than swallowing tablets. This method is very popular with CBD users, although switching to a water soluble tincture you will get a 5 times higher absorption rate.

Combustion (inhalation) is the most effective way of increasing the bioavailability of an ingredient. Vaping is also very popular with CBD users, because it provides instant relief, but the effects don’t last as long. Results will also vary greatly depending on how the person inhales, the deeper the inhalation, the better the result.

Topically applying ingredients (creams/oils) has a much lower bioavailabilty, but is good if you want to target a specific area, e.g your knees.

Credit for this information goes to: The Ministry of Hemp.

C: Cannabichromene (CBC)

CBC was once the 2nd highest cannabinoid found in tropical cannabis strains, but modern breeding has changed this.

CBC works differently than other cannabinoids in the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Unlike most other cannabinoids it doesn’t activate the receptors in the ECS.

CBC instead interacts with the Vanilloid Receptor 1 (TRPV1) and the Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), both of which are linked to pain perception.

When these receptors are activated, they increase the levels of endocannabinoids like Anandamide and 2-AG.

CBC is non psychoactive, however it has been seen to make the psychoactive effects of THC stronger, unlike CBD.

CBC has been studied on it’s own and together with other cannabinoids, it shows many promising therapeutic uses either way.

Information Credit: Big Sky Botanicals

D: Dabs and Dabbing

Dabs are highly concentrated doses of THC or CBD, that are referred to as a wax or crumble.

Dabbing is the flash vaporization and inhalation of the wax/crumble.

CBD dabbing is noted for having quick therapeutic effects. It will not get you high as CBD does not act on the receptors in the brain.

E: Endocannabinoids

(Endogenous Lipid-Based Retrograde Neurotransmitters)

Endocannabinoids are natural chemicals produced by your body. These chemicals interact with your endocannabinoid system to regulate important body functions.Their purpose is to maintain homeostatis.

Endocannabinoid receptors are special receptors in your body, that endocannabinoids bind to as a way of signaling to the Endocannabinoid system that it needs to react. There are two types of receptors, B1 and CB2

Endocannabinoid enzymes are proteins that your body produces to break down endocannabinoids that have served their purpose in your body.

F: Full Spectrum

Full spectrum means that a product contains all the cannabinoids found in the plant, not just CBD. There are over a hundred different cannabinoids available in each plant.

Full spectrum products are linked to the entourage effect (different cannabinoids working together to increase effectiveness).

With a full spectrum product, you are getting the benefit of more than a hundred different cannabinoids, rather than just CBD.

G: GMO (Genetic Modification)

When purchasing a CBD product, you will want to make sure that it hasn’t been genetically modified.

You want to be looking for products made with organically grown hemp.

Hannabis products are made with organically grown hemp derived from the mountains of Colorado.

H: Hemp

Hemp is a crop grown for its oil, fibre and edible seeds. It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into useable fibre.

Commercial items made from hemp fibre include paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastic, and food.

CBD products are made from hemp.

While hemp is in the same family as the cannabis plant, it does not have psychoactive effects, due to its very low THC levels.

Hemp has so many uses and is completely under utilized by modern society.

I: Ignorance

There is an incredible amount of ignorance when it comes to CBD and people need to be educated, on what it is and how it works in our bodies.

The two most common misconceptions are:

The CBD industry is not helped by people who make medical claims and advertise products that are illegal in the UK.

J: Jack Herer

Jack Herer was a Cannabis rights pioneer He was born in 1939 and died in 2010. He ran for U.S. President in 1988 and 1992.

He was the author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes first published in 1985.

His book was frequently cited in efforts to decriminalize and legalise marijuana and to expand the use of hemp for industrial use.

He also founded and served as the director of the organization Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP).

He also made this documentary: The Hempire Strikes Back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrJbd9Dy9Vw&feature=share

K: Kush

Kush is a strain of Cannabis indica. The origins of Kush Cannabis are from landrace plants mainly in Afghanistan, Northern Pakistan and North-Western India with the name coming from the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Did you know that one of our Terpene Infused 2-in-1 Oil is named after this?

L: Lab Tests

The Importance of 3rd Party CBD Lab Testing.

It may not seem like a big deal, but with any product that becomes popular rapidly, it’s easy to get duped by products that lie about what’s included.

By purchasing products that have been lab tested, you can feel secure that your getting what the label tells you.

When looking through a lab test report it’s important to focus on two numbers: CBD content and THC levels.

The cannabinoid potency test, will tell you how much of each cannabinoid is included in the full spectrum product. This is how you know whether or not a product is telling you the truth in saying a certain amount of CBD is included with each dose. On top of knowing how much CBD is included, you’ll see amounts of CBD, CBN, CBG, THC, and more.

With THC levels, you want to ensure that there’s less than 0.2% in a sample.

M: Medical Claims

Any medical claims about what CBD can do for any illness, are strictly prohibited by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency).

The MHRA has classified CBD as a food supplement. As long as no medical claims are made and it is clearly marketed as a food supplement, then it is legal to possess, buy and sell within the UK.

Anyone advertising CBD products and making medical claims about those products is breaking the law.

You must use a discalimer when sharing a personal experience of a benefit from usinng CBD. No CBD products should be recomended to treat any medical conditions.

The discalimer below should be use:

N: Neurotransmitters

Your brain uses chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors, to pass signals between different cells.

Neurotransmitter receptors sit on the surface of neurons and other cells, waiting for the messengers to fire them into action.

Neurotransmitters are essential to your health, and imbalances in them are linked to many diseases and mental disorders.

Because of this a wide variety of prescription drugs (like antidepressants and painkillers) target your different neurotransmitter systems to try and balance them and make you feel better.

It has been proved that, CBD, impacts many different neurotransmitter systems, and studies have shown that it’s strongest effects are on the endocannabinoid and serotonin systems.

O: Oil

Tropically or orally, you can use CBD oil both ways.

Have you tried the Hannabis Pure Oil?

Hannabis – CBD Movement LTD™ Rich Hemp Oil has no detectable levels of THC and is completely nonpsychoactive.

Derived from hemp grown in the mountains. Resulting in, a unique, full-spectrum product that contains a host of naturally occurring terpenes and cannabinoids.

P: Prescription Medication

One of the most common question asked, is if CBD is safe to take with other medications.

Due to the nature of the chemicals found in prescription medications, CBD can interact negatively with some of them.

CBD can reduce or increase the effects of certain prescribed medications by interacting with receptors throughout the body’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and by inhibiting the activity of cytochrome P450.

Cytochrome P450 is a group of liver enzymes that are responsible for breaking down drugs and toxins that enter the body. By inhibiting the activity of this enzyme, CBD can temporarily deactivate its activity, which can alter how other compounds are metabolized.

Grapefruit juice interacts with drugs in the same way that CBD does — by inhibiting the cytochrome p450 enzymes. More commonly referenced on medication labels ‘Grapefruit’.

As both grapefruit juice and CBD can inhibit the metabolic process in the same way, medications with a warning against using grapefruit should not be used along side CBD.

Please check drugs.com for more information.

Q: Queen 

We have our very own CBD Queen, Hannah Wenn.

Hannah is founder and co-director of Hannabis – CBD Movement LTD. She has extensive knowledge of CBD and hand makes three of our CBD products, the Lip Balms, the S-hanna-poo Bar and the C-anna Clay Mask. All of this is done around being a fulltime mum to two energetic toddlers.

Hannah’s co-director Nicole Gore is also a fulltime mum with two toddlers. Nicole is the Design Queen, she is responsible for the amazing graphics on the logo, labels and packaging. Nicole designed and operates our fantastic website.

Two Queens extremely worthy of their crowns 

R: Raphael Mechoulam

Raphael Mechoulam was the first scientist in the world to isolate tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

He discovered THC molecule in 1964, a year after he isolated the cannabidiol (CBD).

This launched a scientific revolution based on the study of cannabinoids.which are chemical compounds that occur naturally in the cannabis plant.

Raphael Mechoulam, is now 88 and although retired, still remains dedicated to healing. The esteemed researcher, has promoted the therapeutic benefits of CBD for years.

A primary non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana, CBD demonstrates a broad range of potential medical applications. Discovered in 1940 and re-isolated by Raphael Mechoulam in 1963, a year before THC’s discovery.

S: Strains

The term strain refers to the many variations found within plants. It also refers to the new plants that descend from cross bred plants (hybrids).

To produce these plants, biotechnological methods or normal breeding can be used. Bred for industrial purposes, hemp is a sativa cannabis strain. Extremely high in CBD & low in THC strains are in high demand with the spike in CBD products.

Only hemp strains that have under 0.2% THC content are certified as legal by the EU.

T: Topicals

Creams, oils & other topicals, are great because they can be applied to a particular part of the body. When applied, the CBD will enter the body by penetrating the skin and entering the bloodstream.

People with skin problems, or localised pain, have reported positive benefits from using creams infused with CBD.

CBD massage oils are also very popular and relaxing.

U: Uses

CBD-based products come in many forms. Here are some examples:

Dosage is down to the individual, start low and increase as necessary until you find the dose that works for you.

V: Vaping

Vaping is the fastest way to absorb CBD because it passes directly from the lungs into the bloodstream.

The effects don’t last as long as other methods of using CBD, but for instant relief a vape is a must have, you can easily top up the effects by vaping as frequently as you need to.

There are two ways of vaping CBD, you can buy prefilled cartridges that you throw away when they are empty, or you can have a tank that you refill as required.

Vapes work by heating up the CBD and turning it into vapour that can be inhaled.

W: Weed

Weed is a slang name for Cannabis.

Cannabis refers to a group of three plants which have psychoactive properties, Cannabis Satvia, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis. Satvia and Indica are the plants most people will be familiar with. The dried flowers of these plants are what we know as weed.

Cannabis contains more than 120 cannabinoids. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most common or known cannabinoid, normally associated with getting ‘high’.

People worldwide use cannabis medicinally, spiritually and recreationally. The legality of Cannabis varies widely from country to country. It remains illegal in the UK for personal use at the moment.

X: X Marks The Sweet Spot

There is no exact science when it comes to dosing yourself with CBD. You should start with a low dose and increase as necessary until you get the desired effect your looking for.This will vary from person to person as the Endocannabinoid System is completely unique to each person.

When finding the right dosage, we call it ‘The Sweet Spot’.

Y: Yoga

Yoga and CBD may both help to combat stress, manage weight, manage pain, concentrate our focus and may be good for our overall health.

Combining them may increase the benefits that people can gain by doing regular Yoga. Many people use Yoga as a spiritual experience or to help relieve the symptoms of certain conditions.

This information is not intended to replace medical advice given by your Doctor, it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Z: Catching some Z’s

Scientific research shows that CBD has the potential to treat sleep disorders. CBD acts on our nervous system to improve the quality of sleep, and can promote healthy sleep patterns.