Maybe your Mom, friend, or sister has always been a rosé lover or can’t wait to get back to the spa. But despite being fairly committed to her go-to strategies for winding down and managing stress, it’s possible she has yet to get into adding cannabidiol (CBD) to her wellness routine. She might not be sure if it’s for her or how she might benefit physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Here’s what you’ll want to share if she’s interested in learning more about CBD.

CBD Basics to Share With Your Friends & Family

Consider sharing the following must-know facts for CBD beginners:

Everyone Has an Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

Like your body’s digestive system and immune system, the body has a system that manages homeostasis. It’s found in not only humans but also mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and even invertebrates.

The ECS handles chemicals called endocannabinoids that interact with certain receptors throughout the body referred to as CB1 and CB2. Endocannabinoids will “unlock” the CB1 and CB2 receptors and release enzymes that aid a range of physiological processes from mood to energy level, hormones to blood pressure, glucose metabolism to how we experience pain or stress.

But as we age, the ECS produces fewer endocannabinoids, leaving us susceptible to imbalance.

CBD is a Naturally Occurring Compound

It’s found in the resinous flower of cannabis and is one of more than 100 phytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids (“phyto” comes from the word phytogenic, or from plants) can help fill in when we’re lacking endocannabinoids that are necessary for helping the body obtain homeostasis.

CBD Oil Comes In a Variety of Forms

Once CBD is extracted from either a marijuana or hemp plant, it’s refined and formulated into tinctures, gel caps, topicals, and more.

CBD is Federally Legal

The Federal Farm Bill (the Agricultural Acts of 2014 + 2018) legalized the production and sale of hemp bred with 0.3% percent or less THC. The industrial hemp plants EQ use in their products meets this requirement, and their full-spectrum, whole-flower hemp CBD products are completely federally legal.

3 Big CBD Misconceptions

It’s common to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information out there about all supplements, including CBD. It can feel challenging to differentiate myths from facts. Here are just a few of the most ubiquitous CBD myths out there — busted.

Misconception: CBD works best without THC.

Truth: Phytocannabinoids work together to increase one another’s effectiveness. This is referred to as the “entourage” or “ensemble” effect, and full-spectrum CBD products (like the Daily Softgels and Daily Drops) harness the power of this effect to help CBD attach to your ECS CB1 and CB2 receptors.

By comparison, broad-spectrum CBD has some phytocannabinoids but no THC whatsoever, which prevents the product from offering a full entourage effect. And CBD isolate doesn’t contain any other phytocannabinoids.

Misconception: CBD will make you sleepy.

Truth: High doses of CBD can promote sleep — thanks to its ability to reduce stress, points out Project CBD. But it’s not intrinsically a sedative. In fact, moderate doses of CBD actually offer a mildly energizing effect.

Misconception: You need a high dose to feel the effect of CBD.

Truth: When you’re looking at full-spectrum products, clinicians and patients have found that a combination of CBD, THC, and other cannabis components are effective at low doses, although some people do need higher doses. Everyone’s different.

It’s also important to keep in mind that more CBD is not always better. CBD has a biphasic effect, which means that too little- or too much- could be ineffective. In fact, many EQ members report feeling the opposite of the desired effect when they take more CBD than their body needs at a given time!

It’s best to start out with a low dose and slowly increase it, ideally with support from a Certified Wellness Coach. They can also help your friends & family determine the delivery method that best suits her needs and goals. Schedule your Wellness Consultation at myeq.com/wellness or send an email at wellness@myeq.com if you have questions about how to get started.