There isn’t an ear the nation over that hasn’t heard the words ‘CBD’ uttered in the past two years; it’s the health and wellness buzzword that just won’t go away. The stats show a similar state of affairs: the US CBD (or cannabidiol) market is set to reach 1.8 billion US dollars by 2022, from half a billion dollars in 2018. Far from it being just a whole load of millennials on a mad CBD tirade, actually it’s our friend’s mums, our bosses, and our grandmas, no less. And it’s being heralded as the (potential) saviour of our anxiety and general mental health: “One in 20 people now experience clinical anxiety so there is a huge need for natural remedies to help reduce it. The studies so far indicate that CBD can work as an anti anxiety treatment,” says Dr Julie Moltke, Founder of Dosage and Medical Advisor to The Drug Store.
We know what it does for our skin, but what can it do for our minds and bodies? “It interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, one of the body’s regulatory systems that helps control everything from mood to memory, stress to sleep and reproduction – lots of different things,” says Dr Moltke. While it is commonly employed to tackle insomnia, anxiety and physical pain, it’s also used to tackle more serious illnesses, like epilepsy – all while being totally clean, non-toxic and crucially not addictive. THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana, isn’t present in CBD in any real way (occasionally there are traces, but they won’t have the same effect) so far from it being a ‘stoner’ ingredient, it bridges the best of both worlds: “I have been prescribing it to my clients for things like anxiety and insomnia for a while now and they have seen noticeable changes,” says nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson.
Soon-to-open specialised CBD store, The Drug Store, a chic curation of all things CBD from capsules to tinctures and even CBD-infused protein powders, is arguably ahead of the curve where CBD is involved, flipping everything you might think about ‘weed’ on its head. “We wanted to challenge the status quo of how the industry looked,” says Johan Obel, Co-Founder of the store, which is a far cry from the dingy stores with rows of plastic bongs in the window. “We considered creating our own products but realised there was nowhere really to sell it [at the time] so we decided to establish ourselves as a trustworthy retailer that can lead the way for change.” Already a website, they stock a variety of interesting US CBD brands previously unheard of in the European market.
In fact, Johan relays the impressive jump in those visiting the site in 2018 alone; while in January they were seeing three to four thousand visitors monthly, by April that number was at 50,000, all without any marketing. Aside from word of mouth, Johan puts the CBD craze to a trend of ‘questioning traditional western medicine’ and acknowledges the dramatic change of perception. So much so that the store opens in Marylebone, not Shoreditch as one might assume, later this month: “We’re trying to move away from this hipster cannabis thing and we’re much more focused on high-end health and wellness,” he points out. So rather than the 20-something creative types, they’re looking to target yummy mummies who are hell-bent on keeping ‘well’. Health food shop, Holland & Barrett stocks a number of products and even Boots are getting in on the action, offering a small selection of oral sprays, oils and capsules for their consumers.
Then there is the huge demand for CBD-infused drinks, a market that’s predicted to be worth $260 million within a few years – even Coca-Cola are looking at how they can get it into liquid to create the next breed of mass wellness drinks. Brands like The Hugg Co offer CBD-infused Italian Roast coffee and Botanic Lab have just launched their Dutch Courage CBD Drink in a recyclable can. Bars and restaurants are also cottoning on. Cool Notting Hill vegan restaurant, Farmacy, offer a ‘High Tea’ – no pun intended, we’re sure – where you can indulge on vodka cocktails and chocolates, both infused with CBD.
But what are the CBD regulars we can ingest day-to-day? “I prefer capsule form,” says Obel, who says they’re easier to travel with. Medterra’s CBD Gel Capsules are the strongest capsules available on The Drug Store (they contain 50mg of CBD) and Moltke recommends taking between 50mg and 100mg a day. “Don’t be afraid of taking 100mg – it might seem a lot but the most common problem with CBD being ineffective is that people don’t take enough.” That said, its advisable to experiment and find what works for you; there are no real guidelines as to how much is best to take. Other options include Naturopathica’s CBD+ Digestion capsules which contain less concentrated CBD (at 5mg) alongside one billion live cultures to help digestion out, as well as Healthspan’s High Strength CBD Oil capsules, which contain 6.4mg per capsule.
Another (arguably more) popular way to take CBD is in an oil. One of the most beloved in CBD circles is Charlotte’s Web Full Strength CBD Oil which contains around 25mg of CBD per 1ml and comes in different flavours, from mint chocolate to lemon twist. Alternatively Kloris’ 500mg CBD Oil Drops are a beauty editor favourite. Yuyo Botanics also offer an AM and PM tincture which utilise various other herbs, like ashwagandha root and sweet orange to help calm the mind; the PM version delivers 900mg CBD in each bottle making it perfectly potent. “I like taking it under the tongue because it’s absorbed straight into the blood stream,” recommends Ferguson, who also loves Disciple’s Miracle Drops which double up as a face oil and supplement, “I use an oil every day.”
So whether it’s a capsule, tincture or a drink, now might just be the time to get high off your own supply.
Original Article: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/do-cbd-supplements-work
