“Is this real?”
It’s one of the more common questions I get from new customers seeing our hemp flower for the first time. It’s understandable: I asked the same question the first time I saw it. I think it’s safe to say that most people today have tried or at least heard of CBD, but based on my experience as a budtender, few seem to understand that it is derived from a type of cannabis.
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of many different cannabinoids found in Cannabis Sativa, a species of plant within the cannabis family. A cannabinoid is simply a naturally occurring chemical compound found within different plant species and to date, scientists have identified over 150! Though some may overlap with others, in terms of what benefits they can provide, there are many that carry unique properties.
Fun fact: your body produces its own cannabinoids within your Endocannabinoid System!
If you are anything like me when I first started learning about CBD, you’ve probably heard little to nothing about the Endocannabinoid System within yourself. Researchers are still trying to fully understand how the ECS operates but what we know so far is that it plays a huge role in keeping homeostasis.
Two different receptors, CB1 and CB2, are scattered throughout our entire bodies that bind specifically to cannabinoids. When this occurs, our bodies can naturally control everything from anxiety, depression, nausea, chronic pain, and balance sleep and appetite cycles. These are only a few examples, of course. Cannabis research is an ongoing process, and the possibilities remain endless.
So, back to what brought us here: is it real?
With many states heading into different forms of legalization, I hear the hidden question within the question. There is nothing wrong with being an advocate for more cannabis progression, but as we learn more about this plant, and CBD specifically, I’m not sure there ever has been a real or not real. CBD is simply a different cannabinoid found in hemp with its own unique properties.
As a budtender at Trinity Pharms Hemp Co, I have had the unique opportunity to introduce people to the wonders of plant medicine for the first time. I’ve seen skepticism curve and lives changed and because of these things, I urge you to come and check out the reality of CBD.