My Family’s AMAZING Hemp & CBD Experience
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Wondering about CBD oil and hemp? I had been wondering about it too, and what I found out was simply fascinating.
Here's the story of our CBD experience–I think you'll be as amazed as we were. Truly, CBD oil has changed our lives.
This is a post that I never thought I would write.
A post about my family and CBD–as in hemp. Seriously.
Well, I'm writing this.
CBD, CBD oil, medical marijuana, and hemp oil have all been in the news a lot recently.
And it's all created quite a stir. People have been touting the beneficial effects of the hemp and marijuana plants (they are 2 different things), but I remained fairly skeptical. I mean, I really love this Vegan Ranch Dressing that's loaded with hemp seeds, but this?
I saw articles about people feeling better while using marijuana for medicinal purposes, and I would hesitatingly think I supported this kind of use, but something always held me back.
Well, I'm glad that “something” budged.
We haven't used medical marijuana, but we did end up using a CBD-rich hemp oil, and it has literally changed our lives.
A number of months ago, I became aware of a company that was selling CBD oil. I showed my husband the information and he said, “Get it.”
He had just seen an article by a conservative author who had been a former skeptic turned “believer” when she tried medical marijuana on her child.
So, I got it.
Long story short, I started doing research and was pretty excited about what I found, but I kept digging and digging and of course wanted to try it on my family before saying anything to my readers, and now we have a story to tell.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD-rich hemp oil is not marijuana or pot.
And it's not hemp oil like the kind you put on your salad or make dressing from. That hemp oil is made from seeds (like the hemp seeds in this vegan ranch dressing). This is made from industrial hemp. Hemp is a relative of marijuana, but it isn't marijuana.
CBD stands for cannabidiol and CBD-rich hemp oil is made from hemp that is cultivated to have higher amounts of CBD. CBD is only one of 85 different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, one of which is THC (the cannabinoid that makes you high).
CBD has many health benefits that you can read about on the internet. You can also do an internet search for “CBD & ____” filling in the blank for health conditions and see what the research says. You will be shocked!
Anyhow, I was nervous about medical marijuana and all. I'm not one for big government and them regulating things, but still, marijuana makes me nervous.
But this is different.
This is “Healthy: Not High.”
And CBD Oil is also not Copaiba Oil (an essential oil that is often compared to CBD oil. If you've heard that they are the same, you can read this post on Copaiba vs. CBD to find out how those two differ.
Well, today I'm sharing something with you that I NEVER expected I would be writing.
First, because it has to do with hemp, and secondly because of the AMAZING impact this had on our lives.
Get ready to be amazed. My eyes are literally welling up with tears as I write this.
My Family's CBD Experience
Following are our experiences with CBD oil. We tried several companies and I have continued to research to make sure I have good products to recommend to you.
My Son's CBD Experience
PANIC EPISODES – GONE!
Literally, since the day he started taking CBD oil, my son has had none. ZERO panic episodes.
None. Here is his story in detail.
Two to three weeks after he started using CBD oil, we had an incredibly stressful week. My sister and her boyfriend came into town and we went around town with them and stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning talking.
And talking. And not just about simple things–these were deep talks about intense topics. They were actually amazing, but stressful in a good way.
MORE STRESS, AND STILL NO EPISODES!
My son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (which is on the autistic spectrum) about 9 years ago. One of the symptoms of Asperger's is focused attention, or an obsession, about a certain topic, or topics.
My son's main obsession is sports. He loves watching sports, listening to sports, reading about sports, memorizing sports rules, learning sports statistics, and playing sports. Sports, sports, and more sports. Did I say “sports” :)?
Hockey, however is his favorite sport of all time.
Anyhow, the week that my sister and her boyfriend were visiting overlapped with his hockey camp.
My Son's CBD Experience: Stress Test #1:
We were in the middle of preparing a late dinner and my husband took my son to his camp. About 20 min after they left, the phone rang.
It was my son.
Son: “Um…Mom, I got the times wrong and today's camp is over. They changed the schedule and I missed the email.”
Me : (worried) “I'm sorry. Well, at least you get to come home and spend time with us.”
Son: “Yeah.”
Me: “Are you OK?”
Son: “I'm fine. See you soon.”
I seriously asked him again if he was OK because I couldn't believe my ears. He repeated that he was OK and they came home and we had a great rest of the evening together.
Now, typically missing something sports related, especially hockey, would have resulted in a LOT of stress. As in a panic episode.
But this time: nothing.
In addition, the man who runs the league had basically chewed him out for missing the practice, even though the confusion was partially the team's oversight due to the way they notified kids in an unmarked email.
Typically, getting reprimanded by an authority figure is another thing that would set my son, but he weathered this OK too.
My Son's CBD Experience: Test #2
The next day, our company left. We had little sleep the night before (as in, the worst bedtime we had ever had) and said good-bye to them after spending some time at a local large botanical garden in 90+-degree humid weather.
Humid ickiness PLUS bad sleep.
We went home, got some things together and then headed out the door, planning to drop my oldest off at hockey camp before heading to a cookout, but we were running late.
When we were almost there, my son realized that he had forgotten his socks. (Note–it was summer – typically he doesn't have to remember socks since he's normally skating in the winter.)
So Dad got mad at him, but my son said calmly, “That's OK–I'll just go to the cookout with you.”
Now, this might not seem like a big deal to you, but again, we're talking hockey, and we were already late (a stressor) and my son didn't really want to go to the cookout since he didn't think any of his friends would be there.
A Typical Panic Episode
Typically in this situation, the following would happen:
Oldest would start panicking and Son #2 would start teasing Son #1. Then Son #1 would get REALLY upset and Dad would be yelling, fearing an accident. Yup – total family CHAOS!!
This time? Nothing.
Now we realized something was really going on.
Something had changed.
What would have normally led to a full-blown episode was just no. big. deal.
More Benefits
Over the next week or so, we noticed other things that had changed. He had:
Flexibility – While doing family exercise, he was able to bend farther and is more flexible overall.
Social Skills – when approaching and interacting with other kids and when talking with other adults, things are so much smoother and his eye contact is better!
Household Chores – No one likes doing these, but our oldest has struggled with not knowing what to do and needing direction pretty much all the time. Well, since starting CBD oil, he's a different kid. He actually walks around finding ways to help without being asked.
Amazing.
One weekend, my son and I ran into a friend at Costco. We talked forever, and she was shocked at the changes in him. So much so that she came over that week to buy a bottle from me.
My Husband's CBD Experience
Focus, Motion Illness, Sleep, and Improved Digestion (yup: poop is better!)
FOCUS
My husband LOVES books. He is an English Professor and has LOADS of books. I like books, but not moldy books (see this post on mold toxicity to see why).
Well, he has a lot of old books in his office, and every time we go there, the boys and I don't feel well from the mold that's obviously in them. I've asked him to ditch them for years, but he didn't (well, MAYBE he'd ditch one or two). After using this oil for about 2 weeks, we went to his office and I started begging him to move some more books out. He wasn't happy, but soon he was doing it too.
The next day (get this) he called from his office telling me he'd gotten rid of 100+ books!
I've also heard from others that CBD oil has helped them to focus and get things done that they somehow hadn't been able to do before.
MOTION SICKNESS
Flying and my hubby don't get along well. Typically, every 4th flight or so he would vomit on a plane. Well, when he returned from a trip soon after starting the CBD, he texted me from the driveway “4 flights: no nausea!”
I didn't know what to think, but I quickly googled “CBD and motion sickness” and sure enough, it was the oil!!
DIGESTION
For years, poor digestion has been one of my husband's “issues”. Well, since starting the oil, he's actually maybe been in the bathroom more than usual so I didn't think to talk about it and wasn't really expecting anything.
Well, about a week ago, a friend asked me about a digestive autoimmune condition that she has and I remember that my husband had the same diagnosis. So I went and asked him how “poop” was going.
I said, “So I've noticed you've been in the bathroom more recently. Can you tell me if you've been in there longer because you've been having the same issues in the bathroom or have you been reading books on your new cell phone?”
To which he answered:
“I've been reading.”
And then he told me some things about his poop that you don't need to know the details about. Let's just say it was a lot better.
Son #2's CBD Experience
Our other son has severe head pains that lead to vomiting on occasion. He hasn't been as consistent in using CBD oil but these have been significantly reduced.
So now I just need to get him to be more consistent and see where this goes :).
What are the Health Benefits of CBD?
If you're wondering if this can help you, or someone you love, there are many things that people are seeing CBD benefits. Just google any illness or condition and CBD.
Prepare to be amazed because the information is vast and it's gaining a lot of interest.
Projectcbd.org is a good place to investigate too. (Just be aware that there are 3rd party sites advertising on here and some links to companies that aren't necessarily reputable.)
Is CBD-Rich Hemp Oil Legal?
I used to have information in this post stating that unless CBD oil was sourced overseas and only from the stalk and (possibly) seed, it wasn't legal to sell it across state lines.
This doesn't appear to be the case.
The laws can be murky but most companies feel that legally it's fine to buy CBD oil in all 50 states. Some companies take a more conservative approach.
New Oil CBD Experience
Here are some of our son's experiences since trying out the newer CBD oils on this page.
Getting “UNSTUCK”
Mornings are usually VERY slow for my son.
Typically we've all been downstairs and taken our morning supplements (probiotics and such) and our oldest is still upstairs. He's either spending too much time on his routine or daydreaming and dawdling to excess.
Not this morning. He was there in the kitchen earlier than usual. I asked him what was up with that and he said,…
“Well, I realized in the middle of what I was doing that I didn't need to do that right then and that I should come down and do what was more important.”
I almost fell over.
This is one of the BIGGEST things that we have been hoping for: him being able to get “unstuck” with different behaviors.
Coordination
The next day or so, he was sitting in a chair in the living room, tossing a ball back and forth from hand to hand. And he was doing it pretty quickly.
He commented, “Look, Mom, don't you think I'm more coordinated than usual?”
Um, yes. He was right.
I keep looking at him in different situations, realizing how much more connected he is. It's just so great!
My Results
I feel more motivated and have more energy.
Here's an example: We are having some issues with the windows in our house with condensation, and we had an appointment (I thought) with a window repairman. Well, I thought he was just going to be looking at 3 rooms, but when I woke up in the morning, MOST of our windows had condensation on them, and I'm REALLY allergic to mold. So visions of toxic mold filled my mind and I realized that now we had to get our WHOLE house ready for someone to go through it and inspect windows.
Yikes!!
Seriously, we cleaned the whole house. In about 4 hours.
And I did most of the work.
Typically, I would have collapsed after something like this, or due to adrenal fatigue, my adrenals would have tanked and I would have slept horribly.
Neither happened. I had a lovely night out at a church's Christmas dinner and slept 8 hours through.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: At one point, I found that when taking some CBD oils, I got anxious after a few days of use. This happened with all of the oils that I tried until I used one that didn't contain THC. I think it's that I wasn't doing well with any THC.
My Recommendations for CBD-Rich Hemp Oil
There are many many CBD companies out there, and just like when I sought to find the best essential oils company, I found that things in this industry are confusing too: a lot of monkey business going on.
(Don't get me started about untruths in the personal care industry. I've had to remove several skincare and cosmetics companies from my blog due to mislabeling, ethics, and other issues. There's a lot of slipshod stuff going on all over the place like not disclosing artificial fragrances, not testing for heavy metals in cosmetics, lying about ingredients, and more.)
My trust is hard-earned.
I try my best to work as hard as I can to find the best–but sometimes I make mistakes.
The first two CBD companies that I worked with were just mistakes. Things started out OK later all kinds of things went wrong including questions not being answered–never a good thing!
The first oil we tried was from a direct sales company that had a scientist behind their oils who is highly regarded in the holistic community as a mastermind of detox.
We tried the oil and my son and husband had the results that I originally shared in this post.
As time went on, however, things troubling issues became so prevalent that I had to make a change. There were times when affiliates weren't paid, labs were shared without the chemist's signatures, misleading pricing statements, and more.
So I decided we needed to keep looking and find a few honest companies with good products that work well.
I will add that I have refused to work with some companies that have pursued me, due to shady marketing, and misleading labs (one of them seems to have someone signing off on their labs that doesn't even have a lab!)
What to Look for in a CBD Company
Sourcing
One of the things to look out for is clean sourcing.
This is CRUCIAL since hemp is a detoxifier and has even been used to clean up toxic waste. It takes up toxins from the soil so you don't want hemp that isn't grown organically, and even more than organically grown, you want NO pesticides and herbicides and also test results showing no toxins remaining.
This is a supplement that you will likely be taking each and every day so don't mess around.
Extraction
There are varying thoughts on this topic, but keep in mind that there is almost always a residue of whatever is used to extract the oil. One company, CW Hemp, uses isopropyl alcohol to extract much of their hemp.
Testing
Just like with evaluating essential oils companies, you want a copy of the lab results with the chemist's signature visible.
Full Spectrum vs Isolate
Although there has been a lot of research on CBD isolate, it's well known that there are more benefits from a full-spectrum oil than from an isolate.
Additives
It's not necessarily bad for CBD oil to have additives, but you want them to be healthy additions to the final product rather than fillers or toxins.
My Recommendations for CBD Oil
I've recommended different companies over the years and am currently researching more. This is a really good one for sure and I'll be adding more in the future.
Joy Organics – 20% off
Joy Organics is a well-respected name in the CBD arena and for good reason.
They have 3 things that make them stand apart, in addition to their touching founding story that you can see on their home page.
Lab Testing
Joy Organics tests every single batch of their products in third-party labs.
Expertly-Crafted Formulas
Their team works continually to develop new formulas and improves existing formulas.
Zero-THC Options
Lots of people prefer no THC either due to testing or the way their body reacts to it. Joy Organics has a lot of no THC options to choose from.
USDA Organic
Joy Organics CBD is certified USDA organic.
4 Corners Cannabis – 10% off
4 Corners Cannabis has a very interesting CBD oil. It seems to be quite potent, so even though it costs more, you could possibly get the same results with less oil.
The oil is grown from the flowers of a specially cultivated hemp plant and extracted using ethanol (they say this yields a complete extraction as opposed to a full one), and they have been growing hemp for decades.
Note – I used to have information in this post stating that ethanol extraction removes some of the components of the plant, but that doesn't appear to be true.
You can shop here and use code wholenewmom to get 10% off your order.
Legal in all 50 states
Guaranteed Amount of CBD
Packaging
The dropper is convenient, but we had a hard time getting the top off of the bottle. Once it got totally stuck. Others have said they didn't have that problem so perhaps it was just us :).
Returns
If you are unsatisfied, you can return your unopened bottle(s) within 30 days.
Product Selection
The company has pet products and a lovely salve.
Shipping
Shipping is a $5 flat rate.
Which CBD-rich Hemp Oil Should You Buy?
1. If you were to experience a false positive on a drug screen test, would that be a problem?
In this case, you want a CBD oil that contains no THC.
2. How much CBC-rich hemp oil should you take?
Our son is 17 and takes only about 6-12 mg a day, but we hope to increase that a bit. Everyone is different. Some take 50 mg or more a day, but we have found that we don't need that much.
I hope this has been helpful. If need be, I will change the companies in this post, but as of now, these are companies that I feel confident about.
Have you heard of or tried CBD?
I would love to hear about your CBD experience!
Dear Adrienne,
Your continued diligence in researching and posting reliable information is appreciated! Thank you.
Have you or your readers had any experience with air travel and CBD being banned by TSA? We’re getting ready to travel for a family vacation and the TSA website specifically notes Cannabinol oil is not allowed. This is posted under the What Can I Bring? section:
“Medical Marijuana
Carry On Bags: No
Checked Bags: No
Possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products, such as Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, is illegal under federal law. TSA officers are required to report any suspected violations of law, including possession of marijuana and cannabis infused products.“
I realize they’re misguided but going through airport security check point isn’t the time or place for me to be educating them! It would be an unfortunate situation to have my CBD oil tossed out or worse, be detained.
Hello there. I asked some friends who travel more than I do and this was the response:
“I’ve never heard of issues with people flying with it expect out of Colorado where they have CBD and marijuana products legal that arenover the legal limits elsewhere”
Does that help? I can tell you that we brought ours on a recent trip and had no issues.
I have been considering CBD oil for my teenage son with Aspergers/ASD. I’ve recently come across a local supplier. I used the information in your blog to ask questions regarding growing, extraction, etc. Here is his response:
“I get my supplies from the mid west and the cbd’s that I get is 99% pure. All of my products are made from NON-GMO, PESTICIDE FREE, Industrial Hemp. It is grown outdoors under natural sunlight with organic practices. The oils are made with coconut oil and CBD’s and the capsules are pre measured doses of the same cbd and oil. I can make these products to suit the customers needs as far as the dose is concerned. I can make my drops in 350mg to 1000mg whatever is needed. Finding the correct dose for a certain customer is the hard part so I usually start with 350mg and upgrade as needed.
Any thoughts on this information? Anything else I should be asking? Any red flags in this response? I would like to buy locally, but I am hesitant, and have been looking at the recommended suppliers you have so thoroughly researched.
Thank you!
Hello there– sorry I don’t know what happened to your comment but I’m finally seeing it and responding.
I have quite a bit of information in the post on the CBD oils that we like. I think sourcing is hugely important due to hemp’s detoxifying properties. Does that help? Just b/c it’s pesticide free doesn’t mean it wasn’t grown in soil with toxins.
Hi,
Thank you so much for this information . It is so very helpful. I am new to this and was interested in CBD oil for Autism Related Catatonia for my daughter. A while back I watched the specials on CNN…WEED and WEED 2. All they discussed was the Charlotte’s Web brand by those brothers in Colorado. Is that a similar product to what you are speaking of here? I am confused as families in the special had moved to Colorado to obtain it as it is illegal in many states and the fact parents can’t obtain it in certain states has been a huge issue. I am wondering how these products can be purchased with no problem.
Thank for the info. It is all so confusing and traditional doctors don’t help and they don’t care.
Hello there. Thanks for the kind words. It is confusing.
Yes, the CW brand is similar but I personally prefer the ones I mentioned in the post–the CW brand has pesticides and herbicides used on it and many of their products are extracted w/ isopropyl alcohol which isn’t ideal.
I don’t know what the situation is but laws have changed and in some states there is a lot of confusion over what is legal and what isn’t. Also in some you can’t buy it in a store but you can receive it from an online order.
Hope that helps.
– adrienne
I have been researching CBD for anxiety as well as inflammation and stumbled across your site. You have a lot of great information – thank you! Do you think the Purium would work for anxiety and inflammation or is there another brand you would recommend? I am also super concerned about weight gain. I have read articles both ways some saying that CBD will cause weight loss (that would be a good thing) and other articles that it will cause weight gain (that would be horrible) do you know anything on this? I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks
Hello Jodi – thanks for reading and for writing and for the kind words. I have a lot more that I am working on but things have been so busy! Looking forward to sharing. Anyhow, on the one hand, CBD is CBD. However some people like one brand over another. I hope to bring more brands to the table but I have been asking some questions of a few and not getting solid answers yet so not sure.
I haven’t heard anyone reporting weight issues to me at all so I can’t speak to that. I haven’t noticed our son or anyone in the family gaining or losing weight. I don’t see why it would cause gain since it typically reduces inflammation, but maybe b/c the body works better??
As for the anxiety and inflammation I can’t medically advise but I personally would try the Purium first simply b/c of the price point and the return option and see how it goes. Our son’s panic issues did better on the Purium than the 4 Corners but I think everyone is different.
I would also mention that you might want to look at Purium’s Biome Medic. It’s been proven in preclinical trials to reduce CRP by 75%, which is an inflammation marker. Just an idea. There is more info on it in this post but I am working on sharing more. We tested our youngest’s urine and had a reduction of glyphosate of 2/3 in just 2 weeks.
One of my friends had her adult son take it. He had chronic back pain that they had bought a new bed for, but nothing helped. The Biome Medic took it away. They did a trial of removing the supplement and reintroducing it and it came back and then went away again. I can’t say that this would happen for everyone but they were thrilled.
I hope that helps!
i am currently using green gorilla CBD OIL and it has been working great so far. Would u recommend this or have u heard of anyone else using it?
Hi – sorry I hadn’t heard of them before. I personally think it’s crucial to have organic oil as a base and to have testing showing the amt of CBD and other crucial parts of the product, in addition to testing for contaminants. Do they have them? And the testing should have a chemist’s signature. There are other things I care about but those are some.
My husband and I use CBC oil from Bluebird Botanicals. It is really excellent. My brother, who has rheumatoid arthritis takes it too. We have all experienced tremendous relief and would not want to be without it. Veterans get a discount.
Adrienne,
What is your most recent information on this CBC rich hemp product? The last posted information was from Feb. 2018. Your son was using the Four Corners brand. I am interested but would like your most recent opinion, thoughts and findings.
Thanks,
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for asking! So we ended up trying out the 4 Corners and then Purium. Our son honestly prefers the Purium, and in fact doesn’t want to use the leftovers of the others so the rest of us in the family will. I think everyone is different but I like that he prefers the one that is the least expensive! Happy to answer any other questions :).
this is the all in one website where you can find anything you want that has hemp CBD
anonymous.myctfocbd.com/
Hi there. Sorry but I don’t allow people to use my site as their marketing platform. I would think you would know better. Your name is now “anonymous”. However, I left the company part of your URL so people could see where you were trying to send them. I hope that your company doesn’t recommend doing that kind of thing, do they?
um actually the site will not work unless it has *nameremovedbyblogowner*.myctfocbd.com/
and they want to advertise and also the recommend.
Hi again.
I guess you don’t understand. I know it won’t work and I will not be posting your URL to the CTFO CBD company so that you can get business from people visiting from my blog.
You are telling me that the CTFO CBD company wants reps to drop their links on other blogs? If so that is really offensive and spammy.
Here’s one more thing I should add. I have worked for over 7 years on this site to make it a place where people can come for trustworthy information and not for MLM reps to drop a bunch of links to companies that I either haven’t vetted or did and decided that I could not recommend. Hope that clarifies things.
Hi Adrienne, are you familiar with isodiol? It is full spectrum. Thank you for sharing your research/ knowledge. Definitely going to give your recommendations a try.
Don’t bother looking into isodiol.
I’m betting the products you have used are way superior in quality. I know you well enough to know you look for high quality and value.
I did anyhow :). Thanks much for the kind words – that means a lot!
Hi there. I wasn’t familiar with them. My first thoughts are that there are no labs on the site showing any data. Also it seems that these are isolates with no full spectrum. I also am not comfortable at present w/ nano CBD and some of their products are nano. Hope that helps :).
I think Isodiol has a good product. It seems your comfort level is low but you may want to keep an eye on them in the future. Their CBD product was been approved by the UK health ministry.
Thanks. Are you connected w/ them? What do you think about their labs not being on the site or the fact that it appears to be an isolate? Unless absolutely necessary I don’t like isolates over full spectrum. The approval by a gov’t agency might be a plus or it might not.
Hello I have no connection with them. As for the analysis, that available upon request according to their website. Just thought I’d share the UK certification with you as I see it as a positive. After all there is a reason you have the FDA in your country, right?
I would have to see the analysis – to see if it has a lab name and chemist’s signature on it. What do you think about the isolate?
Yes, there is a reason for the FDA but they approve drugs that end up killing people and they come down hard to natural remedies so I’m just not sure what to think–plus I don’t know how certifications work in the UK. For example–if a company can get certified just by paying off officials, then it doesn’t hold weight for me. Not saying that is what is going on but I have no knowledge of this. Do you, by chance?
Your blog is amazing! I so appreciate you taking so much time doing such thoughtful research so the rest of us don’t have to. I came to your blog to read your series on essential oil companies and was so impressed I started following the links to many different topics you’ve discuss. After reading this particular post I just want to give you a big virtual hug…i have very recently discovered (came out of denial) that 10 year old daughter has Asperger’s and I feel at a complete loss right now as to how I can help her. I won’t go into my feelings that are probably universal to all moms when learning about their child’s autism, but I will say that I am so grateful to have found your blog. Thank you for not writing a blog for the sake of ego, I don’t see one iota of fluff or filler content. You obviously share your insight for all the right reasons and I can clearly see (read) the amount of effort and time consuming investigation you put forth into your subject matter! Bless you!
Thank you so much. Wow – you made my day. Virtual hug received with joy.
Feel free to email me. I can’t medically advise but I can share all that we are doing w/ our son to support him. Things are going very well. He is on the Kamut Blend from Purium now and it’s helping more. I had never heard of it but it is apparently more potent than wheatgrass.