Category: Whole-Body Wellness

Optimal performance is all about finding balance – cannabinoids can help achieve that. Here’s how!

1: Improved focus, endurance, and power output

Cannabinoids (especially CBD) can help to increase brain and nervous system function – thereby increasing athletic performance! CBD can also assist with maintaining the euphoria experienced frequently after strenuous workouts; CBD helps to slow the degradation of Anandamide, one of the body’s two known endocannabinoids (naturally-occurring cannabinoids) and the compound now thought to be responsible for eliciting the runner’s high.

2: Shortened recovery time

CBD is clinically proven to not only subdue the receptors in our nervous system that cause us to notice and feel pain, but to reduce the presence and production of enzymes called prostaglandins which cause inflammation – thereby reducing further pain. Say goodbye to prolonged muscle soreness!

3: Enhanced breathing capability

Cannabinoids are proven bronchodilators. This means that, despite what may be popular belief, cannabis products can actually help to increase airflow to the lungs and can decrease resistance in the airways.

4: Reduced need for NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen

Most NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) inhibit protein synthesis, but cannabinoids do not. Because CBD reduces inflammation instead of simply dulling pain signals, it can be a much safer and more effective choice for athletes suffering from inflammation-related pain. Additionally, NSAID pain relievers can cause various health problems with extended use, including liver toxicity, stomach ulcers, and more; these issues can be exacerbated in endurance athletes. CBD use has not been shown to cause any of these same problems – just one more reason it may be a healthier and more effective alternative. Some athletes have actually been able to completely replace NSAID use by taking CBD products!

5: Improved homeostasis

One of the primary functions of the ECS (endocannabinoid system, a natural system found in every vertebrate and invertebrate) is maintaining balance and homeostasis in the body. In addition to this, the ECS helps to regulate functions such as digestion, sleep, memory, and more. CBD can help promote balance; many people who do not consume any type of cannabis products may have endocannabinoid deficiencies.

While cannabinoids have not shown clinically-proven effects that could cause them to be considered as performance-enhancing drugs, their legality in competitive sports use is still frequently dependent on an individual sport or coach. However, due to its lack of intoxicating effects and proven inability to be considered performance-enhancing, CBD was taken off of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Association) list of prohibited substances in 2018! This means that all athletes should be able to use this cannabinoid prior to and after performance in competitive sporting events, in addition to casual workouts and practices. So what are you waiting for? Try adding CBD to your workout routine to see if it helps your athletic performance as much as it has helped countless others.

*These statements have not been approved by the FDA. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.

What’s the difference?

As a CBD brand based out of the Pacific Northwest (where recreational cannabis consumption is legal and dispensary storefronts can be found as easily as coffee shops), one of the questions we are asked most frequently is, “What’s the difference between hemp and cannabis?”. The short answer: it’s really just semantics.

In an industry like ours, transparency and honesty are so important. While there is no shortage of brands claiming that their CBD products are “not from cannabis” this is, unfortunately, a misleading statement. There is no hemp plant that is not a member of the cannabis family. So, if all CBD products are in fact derived from cannabis just like their high-THC counterparts, why are they given different names?

When it comes to the cannabis plant genus, there are three known species:

1. Cannabis Sativa
2. Cannabis Indica
3. Cannabis Ruderalis

Each of these subspecies carries its own genetic makeup, produces its flowers in different ways, and is naturally made up of different cannabinoid concentrations, terpenes, and more. And while Indica and Sativa are words used commonly when it comes to discussing the effect profiles of different cannabis chemovars (or strains), the difference between them lies more in the genetic makeup of the plants themselves. There’s plenty of great information available about each of these unique species, so let’s break this down a little bit further…

1 – Cannabis Sativa

Cannabis Sativa plants tend to grow wild in warmer, more tropical climates – such as Jamaica, Central America, etc – and generally require a longer time to mature before they are ready to be harvested. Sativa plants will have narrow, thin fan leaves and will usually grow much taller/lankier than their Indica cousins. Generally speaking, cultivars harvested from this species of plant will produce terpenes (flavonoids; the essential oils of cannabis) with more euphoric, uplifting effects – hence why people will ask for “Sativas” when shopping for cannabis that provides more daytime-oriented or energizing effects.

2 – Cannabis Indica

    Cannabis Indica plants are just about the polar opposite of their Sativa cousins when it comes to appearance, and are not always similar in effect, either. Indica plants tend towards wild growth in colder climates – the mountain ranges of India and Nepal are known for producing some of the finest cannabis in the world not grown by human hands – and grow bushier, shorter, and more stout than Sativas. Usually, Cannabis Indica cultivars will produce terpenes that lean towards a more calming, sedative effect – this is why shoppers will frequently ask for “Indicas” when seeking cannabis that may be geared more towards end-of-day use.

3 – Cannabis Ruderalis

    Cannabis Ruderalis, more commonly referred to as the hemp plant, is the third and final member of the cannabis plant family. Ruderalis plants grow natively in Central/Eastern Europe and parts of Russia, and were used originally for their fiber production. These hardy, fibrous plants rarely grow larger than two feet tall in the wild; however, due in part to trading along the Silk Road and genetic drift, you can find taller, lankier versions of this species growing in mountainous regions to which they aren’t originally native! While there has been some debate over whether Ruderalis qualifies as its own species or is a member of the Sativa species, the fact that Ruderalis plants naturally produce THC in such minimal quantities (a plant must produce 0.3% THC or less to qualify as hemp or Ruderalis) has helped to secure its position as a separate species.

If all CBD products come from cannabis plants, then where does the term “hemp” originate from? Why are these products treated and regulated with such drastic differences if they essentially come from the same place?

All genetic differences and species variation aside, a cannabis plant only qualifies as “hemp” if it produces less than 0.3% THC by volume. This quantity concentration of THC is completely arbitrary – in the 1970s, Canadian scientist and researcher Ernest Small published a book called The Species Problem With Cannabis where he discussed the fact that there is no real, definitive cannabinoid concentration at which to separate the “cannabis” plant from the “hemp” plant. It was decided that a potency of 0.3% THC (or less) by weight equating to “hemp” would work as a temporary solution – yet this randomly-decided number has held for the past 4, nearing 5, decades. And despite the ever-growing appreciation for and acceptance of CBD products, many people are still not at all comfortable consuming products with the word “cannabis” in the name for fear of getting high.

Coming from the Washington retail cannabis market, another question we often receive is, “Is this product made using cannabis? I don’t want to get high”. While we do create many completely THC-free products, we also fully understand and appreciate the value of the entourage effect – which very much includes at least trace quantities of THC (though never more than 0.3% total). From our experience as well as from clinically-conducted research, there is nothing comparable to the power of the full plant. We believe that people deserve and can have it all: the complete truth about the science and chemistry behind their products, as well as the confidence that something they try has the potential to help them, without leaving them feeling intoxicated.