This article is brought to you by Joe Sunnyside, co-founder of Sunnyside Botanicals. Dive with us into Sunnyside Botanicals' origin story, the transformational effect CBD had on Joe's life, and three tips he wishes he was given when he started his CBD journey.
A few years ago, my circumstances made it clear that I needed to embark on journey to improve my wellbeing. I’d been coping, or suffering with chronic pain from youth sports injuries and a serious car accident, along with newly diagnosed mood disorder. Gratefully, I was given a wonderful opportunity to take time and I initiated a quest for self improvement.
I have to admit that, while it was a slow start, it wasn’t until I introduced CBD to my routine that everything catapulted forward with life-changing momentum. Including a CBD tincture into my daily routine has without question been among the most positively impactful decisions I’ve ever made – the benefits have allowed me to make profound improvements to both my physical and mental health.
But, despite almost being a poster child for someone who could benefit from CBD, noting the ailments I was suffering from, I was hesitant to try CBD. I was very familiar with cannabis, having varying periods of consumption, heavy or otherwise, over my late teens and 20s and working in the industry. But CBD… I was a skeptic.
Three main reasons I was skeptical of CBD:
- It sounded too good to be true. Because it seemed to be all the rage especially down in the USA (Where it was more or less unregulated completely) bold hyperbolic claims that it could cure and solve anything and everything. It just wasn’t believable sounding to me.
- Many of the people I knew personally who’d tried it felt it didn’t seem to work for them.
- At the time, most of the products available here in Canada didn’t resonate with me. This was pre-legalization, and it seemed there were only recreationally focused “stoner brands” that had little education on proper dosing, or what the product was really about. It didn’t leave me with much confidence in the products available.
But it was after (too long) a period of agony with the arthritic issue, and having stomach issues as a result of some of the medications I’d been on for both arthritis and anxiety, a degree of desperation set it in and I gave CBD a chance…
For me the impact was so profound, I sit here today with the opportunity to write educational blogs for you after co-founding a CBD company that is now the basis of my career, and purpose. I’m so grateful, I still can’t believe it at times. It is our goal at Sunnyside Botanicals to not only provide high-quality remedies, but to educate you, the conscious consumer, so they can make the most out of our products. We hope our contributions leave the industry a better place than when we entered it, and that our own experiences can provide guidance and conversation to enrich the lives of those we come across.
Anyone who seeks CBD is doing so for some sort of relief. It is of great disappointment to us that the experiences of some are so underwhelming that they not only continue to have to cope with their ailment, but they now may even discourage others from seeking the potential life changing benefits of CBD. We feel its usually because of a bad product, or they’ve not given CBD the chance to work for them.
Here are 3 pieces of information I wish everyone knew so they can make the most out of their CBD journey.
Edibles are bad — sublingual tinctures FTW.
The #1 reason people feel that CBD didn’t work for them is because it didn’t. Why not? Often it’s because they’ve consumed their CBD as an edible, like a gummy, a capsule, or even dropping their CBD oil into a beverage.
Many studies conclude the same — this is the least bioavailable way to get your CBD. The gastrointestinal system, i.e. your digestive system, has been shown to only absorb approximately 6% of a CBD dose (some studies show as low as 4%, one shows as high at 9%). This means if you’re taking a 10mg gummy, or dropping 10mg of oil into your morning coffee, you’re actually consuming less than 1mg.
The simple reason: our water-based bodies do not absorb oil-based nutrients very efficiently. It can also take between 1-2 hours for any benefits to be felt. Not ideal.
To be clear, nothing really absorbs at 100% efficiency (the proper term is bioavailability) — there’s a reason why you get an IV if you go to the hospital. It injects nutrients/medicine directly into the bloodstream instead of through a digestive system. CBD, however, is particularly awful at being absorbed gastrointestinally.
We always recommend taking your CBD with a tincture, holding the oil under your tongue so it can be absorbed by the sublingual gland.
This absorption method delivers the therapeutic agents directly to the bloodstream at approximately 35% (that’s much better than 6%!) and in as little as 30 minutes. Best held for 60 seconds or so, we encourage people to take the time to integrate a mindfulness ritual into their routine during this time. Taking 60 seconds to be still, or even go over a list of things I’m grateful for was a simple yet rewarding improvement to the experience.
Note: Vaporizing and suppositories have better bioavailabilities, but those come with potential other health risks or convenience factors to consider.
Your ideal dose is as unique as you are! Finding it takes time, a little experimentation, and consistency.
People take CBD to remedy a variety of things, be it arthritis or chronic pain, insomnia, varying degrees of anxiety, stomach or bowel issues, aches and cramps, or even for supplementation to encourage things like homeostasis and as anti-inflammatory antioxidants.
Each of these can be remedied with different doses (let alone different products, e.g. isolate or full-spectrum).
Chronic cases of both pain and insomnia are best remedied with a full-spectrum product, and may require larger doses. Those with anxiety may prefer a CBD isolate tincture at, depending on your anxiety, a small dose of 25mg or a large dose of 300-400mg (per studies examining benefits of CBD for individuals with PTSD).
Crucially, like any supplement like magnesium or fish oil and especially those affecting the body’s or brain’s chemistry, it can take 2 or more weeks for the full benefits to be reached. Consistent daily dosing for up to a month is the best way to ensure you’ve given it the best chance.
We always recommend people start off taking 5-10mg (under the tongue, sublingually of course!) 2x daily (depending on their condition) and increase by 5-10mg every 4-5 days. After benefits are no longer being felt with increases, you’ve hit your ideal dose. Some people track and journal their experiences too.
CBD is not a cure-all… but it can be a wonderful ally on your wellness journey.
As I integrated CBD into life, it offered some relief from chronic pain and took the edge off from the side effects I was feeling from my medications. Having a greater capacity to be more physically active, as well as bringing some mental clarity, if not stability, was the miracle of my CBD journey. But I did have to do something with that capacity. Feeling better physically made it easier to become more active, which improved my mental state. Feeling better mentally motivated me to continue working on myself, and the confidence to purse something I was passionate about. But work had to be put in, CBD was just there to take the edge off, and then provide support along the way.
Ensuring you’re active is key to feeling better physically and is a crucial contributor to mental wellness. If pain is limiting your ability to be active, CBD is a proven potent pain reliever. An all natural anti-inflammatory. If you suffer from chronic pain, (condition depending, of course) consider trying something like yoga or Thai Chi if you can start feeling able.
If you’re taking CBD for an anxiety issue, no matter the severity, please consider talking to someone about it.The best remedy for anxiety is talking about it. It’s hard to do so when one isn’t in the state of mind though, and CBD might help get one there. The more we talk about it, the easier it becomes.
I hope you’ve found my tips and tricks insightful. You can find our full selection of products throughout getmysupply.co/brand/sunnysidebotancials — I’m sure there’s a product (or 2, or 3 at least!) that can help you enjoy the Sunnyside of Life. ???