Tag Archives: Pain Management

OM Cannabis Infused Epsom Salts – Lavender and Arnica Pain Relief Review

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OM’s Cannabis infused Epsom salts are infused with 25mg each of both THC and CBD in the 6.5 ounce package. The focus is on soothing aches and relaxation. Lavender helps calm the nervous system as well as aid in sleep and relaxation. Arnica aids in pain relief. Both arnica and lavender work synergistic with cannabis.

They also have products based on CBD in other formulations including fragrance free, lemon ginger, rose geranium, and an “athletic” formula.

Product

All of the ingredients are naturally occurring and contain moisturizing oils including apricot kernel, avocado, jojoba, and argan oil. The arnica product also contains lavender, camphor, and rosemary. The lavender contains vitamin E and aloe vera. This product is vegan friendly with no animal products or by-products like gelatin.

Dosing

OM recommends using the entire bag for the maximum effect. As with all edibles, tinctures, patches, creams, balms, and bath products, it is best to start with a small amount. Consider trying a quarter of a bag just to see if you notice any effect and to make sure you don’t have an adverse reaction, since some folks have sensitive skin. Like all topicals, since it is absorbed through the skin and not into the bloodstream, it doesn’t produce the psychoactive effects typically associated with THC.

We found very mild effects with a partial bag and the effects were more noticeable with a full bag.

Effects

We tried the lavender purely for relaxation with no expectation of pain relief. It was a pleasant fragrance and the oils provided a lot of mosturizing with the vitamin E and aloe vera. Very relaxing and set us up of a good nights sleep.

The arnica did have a more pronounced impact on sore muscles and aches. The full bag really provided an impact in relieving soreness and pain. The orange, lavender and rosemary oils gave it a pleasant sent without being too medicinal. We found it less effective treating joint pain or anything deeper than surface muscle and nerve pain. It’s hard for a topical to penetrate deep into joints from the skin even with a long soak.

OM’s line of epsom salts is a good choice to try if you are looking for a topical rich in natural oils that can address muscle or nerve pain. While it does not work on all types of pain and does come with the greasiness, I found it effective for treating minor aches and pains.

Flavor: n/a

Strength: 5/10

Website: https://www.om-wellness.com/

Dixie Synergy CBD:THC Balm Review

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Dixie’s Synergy Relief Balm is infused with 50mg each of THC and CBD in the 1.7 ounce package. Its focus is on easing deep muscle aches, joint pain, and inflammation. Dixie says is is ideal for joint mobility, muscle relaxation, easing acute muscle and nerve pain.

Dosing

Since it is a balm and not divided into doses, it can be difficult to get the dose right. For example, if my usual dose is 10mg and the package contains 50mg, does that mean I need to use one fifth of the product? It has the consistency of a balm and is in a container you cannot see through, so trying to get the dose right could be a challenge. As with all edibles, tinctures, patches, creams and balms, it is best to start with a small amount.

Try a little on your skin just to see if you notice any effect and to make sure you don’t have an adverse reaction, since some folks have sensitive skin. Like all topicals, since it is absorbed through the skin and not into the bloodstream, it doesn’t produce the psychoactive effects typically associated with THC.

Dixie Balm Synergy ReliefProduct

This product is vegetarian friendly and it contains beeswax, so it may not be suitable for vegans that don’t consume honey or other animal products. It is based in infused olive oil, with other oils such as cocoa butter and castor seed oil. Along with the THC and CBD oil are various essential oils including rosemary, lavender, cedar wood, and pine. The smell is nice and mild, with the fragrances of the lavender, and other oils without any of the camphor or other strong smells in other topicals and transdermals.

While the oils make for good moisturizing, they leave the skin greasy initially. The greasy film gets absorbed eventually but it does linger for quite a while. Don’t put on any delicate fabric like silk on over this balm unless you want grease stains on your clothes. Expect to leave greasy hand prints around too, so be sure to wash your hands after you use the balm.

Effects

I tried the balm on a variety of muscle and nerve pain points. I found it to be effective when used on specific types of pain, such as nerve pain in my feet and muscle pain in my leg. I found it less effective treating joint pain or anything deeper than surface muscle and nerve pain. It’s hard for a topical to penetrate deep into joints from the skin and I didn’t find it effective for that type of pain. While I wasn’t able to dispense the product in any type of consistent dose, I found that using a generous amount was needed to get the desired effects. Just using a little produced no effects for me.

The product can get hard in cold weather, but I found it quite pliable at normal room temperature. I found that 2 or 3 pea-sized portions dug out by my finger was the amount I needed to cover the back of my hand or the top of my foot.

The Synergy Relief balm is a good choice to try if you are looking for a topical rich in natural oils that can address muscle or nerve pain. While it does not work on all types of pain and does come with the greasiness, I found it effective for treating minor aches and pains.

Currently available in California, Nevada, Colorado, Michigan, and Maryland.

Flavor: n/a

Strength: 4/10

Website: http://dixieelixirs.com/product/synergy-relief-balm/

Korova 1:1 CBD/THC Cannabis Infused Vanilla Bean Cookies Review

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Korova’s line of cannabis infused cookies are some of the best edibles on the market. Their excellent taste, use of real ingredients in their products and consistent potency have all made them a very popular edible treat. The CBD/THC 1:1 Vanilla Bean cookies bring a balanced CBD + THC formula to Korova’s line.

Korova Cannabis Infused mini cookies 1:1 CBD/THC Vanilla Bean flavor bag

Each cookie provides 10mg of CBD and 10mg of THC. Each package contains 10 cookies, each one coming in at 45 calories. Like other Korova cookies, these use simple ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla bean paste and a few others. No artificial colors or flavors are used. These are made with Hybrid Cannabis extract and contain dairy and gluten.

Taste

Like other of the cookie edibles in the Korova line, they smell and taste great, like a good quality crunchy cookie. It is primarily a crumbly butter cookie with a solid vanilla bean taste. I hardly was able to taste the cannabis extract, which for folks who don’t like that taste is a big positive. Even the aftertaste was butter cookie, not cannabis oil.

People are fans of Korova since they produce a good tasting product with consistent effect and keep the ingredients simple.

Effects

As always with a new edible – even from a familiar brand – it’s important to start with half a usual dose. My usual dose is 10mg of THC, so I started with half of one cookie so I could judge how the 5mg each of THC & CBD in this product reacts with my system. I usually feel very little with a 5mg THC dose and when it is one to one THC to CBD, the CBD usually dampens the THC effect for me. I found the effects of half a dose to be mild enough that I was able to trust trying a full dose without fear of overdosing.

My experience is that taking 10mg of THC by itself or taking 10mg of CBD of itself in an edible is much different than taking a combined 10mg THC & 10mg CBD together. The CBD reduces the impact of the THC for me, so I have much less psychoactive effects. At the same time, the THC actually increases the effects of the CBD. If I have aches and pains and take 10mg of CBD with no THC, I don’t get much relief. If I take something with a good amount of THC – no less than 2.5mg of THC to 10mg of CBD – I get much greater pain relief.

Korova Cannabis Infused mini cookies 1:1 CBD/THC Vanilla Bean flavor bag and cookies

Within 60 minutes I started to feel the effects of a mild buzz and some pain relief. The buzz remained on the mild side. I felt a little relaxed but not a lot. I did not feel the uplift, energy or focus I normally get from a Sativa edible. These seem to have the effects of a balanced mild hybrid with a slight cerebral high and a mild relaxing body high. I tried these several times in the afternoon and they did not give me a strong head high or any significant body effect, just a slight stoned feeling.

The CBD effects were noticeable. My muscle aches were reduced, as was some pain from inflammation related to my budding arthritis. On a cold, damp day when I would usually start to feel aches, it reduced those aches to a low level. With the CBD pain impact and relaxing THC effects, the effects made for a very body-focused experience. It was similar to what you might feel from taking a warm, relaxing bath where your aches were soothed.

Beyond the stoned head and relaxed effects, I felt very little of the THC effects. The CBD effects were more noticeable. If you are okay with the slightly spacey, stoned effect that comes with the THC and boosts the pain management effects of the CBD, these could be a good product for you. I appreciate the relaxation and the pain relief very much for times when that is what I desire. For afternoon or evening use, I don’t mind the spacey, stoned feeling I experience. I likely would not use these in the morning or early afternoon unless it was on a do-nothing day as they reduce my energy and focus too much.

Great tasting cannabis edibles with solid CBD pain impact and a relaxed, mildly stoned THC effect.

Taste: 7

Strength: 6

Website: http://www.korovaedibles.com/

Kiva Camino Sparkling Pear CBD Cannabis Gummies Review

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Camino cannabis gummies come in a Social formula with a Sparkling Pear flavor. This formula has 2mg of THC and 6mg of CBD per serving, for a total of 40mg THC and 120mg of CBD per package. As with the rest of the Kiva Camino range of edibles, these gummies are not just infused with distilled THC but are formulated with natural terpenes to create specific effects.

My local dispensary charges $20 for a package, making it $2.00 for each 10mg serving of THC, the same price point as the Kiva Cannabis 100mg Chocolate bars. These gummies do contain gelatin, so they are not vegetarian or vegan friendly. The tin is one you push down while you turn it to open. The gummies are not individually wrapped.

Dosing & Flavor

The smell from the tin is a natural and mild pear smell. Like the other Camino gummies, they have a lovely opaque appearance and a soft texture that is easy to bite through.

The flavor is a mild natural pear flavor that doesn’t have any bad aftertaste. A mild sour note gives these that sparking pear cider flavor.

As we always recommend with new edibles, try half of your usual dose before trying a full dose as you never know how strong something will effect you. The Camino Social gummies are easy to bite in half to give a 1mg THC/ 3mg CBD dose. Since I am experienced with edibles and my usual dose is 10mg of THC, I began with one piece, with 2mg THC and 6mg CBD. After having only light effects for that trial run, I then moved closer to my usual, taking two gummies for a total dose of 4mg THC and 12 mg CBD.

The 2:6 THC to CBD ration is an unusual dose profile and I think it’s a good one. Most edibles with a mix have THC to CBD ratios of 1:1, 4:1, 16:1 or higher. I experience very little effect from anything above a 14:1 CBD to THC ratio. You need a solid amount of THC to get the best out of the CBD effects I have found.

I find I need at least 10mg of CBD to have a noticeable effect. For me, CBD reduces the impact of THC, so if I take a 10mg edible with 10mg of THC and 10mg of CBD, I only get about 80% of the effect of 10mg of THC alone. I also know that THC boosts the effect of CBD, so I greatly prefer some THC with my CBD. With the Social Camino gummies, I found that the 12mg dose was a good one.

Effects

The effects I experienced were pain relief, plus the anti-inflammatory CBD properties. For aching joints, the CBD helps with that while the THC brings the pain reliving effect. I tried these on a bad headache and was pleasantly surprised when the headache was gone within 45 minutes. Same with aches and pains from yard work, I found it effective and long lasting.

Enjoyable flavor profiles and type-specific effects are exactly what I look for in an edible and Kiva’s Camino gummies do a great job on both counts.

Kiva Camino Cannabis Infused GummiesHero Marquee

Read the review of the other Camino gummies here.

Taste: 9

Strength: 6

Website: https://kivaconfections.com/products/camino-gummies

Super CBD Blueberry Chill Pills Review

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Super CBD Blueberry Chill Pills were very highly recommended to me by my favorite budtender with the day-glo yellow hair. She warned me that they were very strong and to take a smaller dose than usual. Super CBD blueberry chill pills have more THC than CBD so they will give you a decent buzz.

However, the taste was so nasty and medicinal that I almost spit it out. I couldn’t find any blueberry flavor whatsoever, it was like sucking on a NYQUIL lozenge for 5 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend this product because of its taste alone. It’s discreet and compact. Yes, it’s strong, but it tastes repulsive.

After an hour and fifteen minutes I was able to feel a calm, full body buzz. It was strong and I was very happy that I listened to my budtender regarding a smaller dose.

As far as pain management, I felt significant relief for the bruises on my leg from falling down (not so eloquently) and complete relief of a wrist burn from making tea. I was feeling achy and sore. The pain disappeared for several hours.

The taste isn’t great, it is sort of like eating cannabis shatter or oil. The slight berry taste just doesn’t compete well with the strong cannabis oil taste.  They are meant primarily for medical use more than getting a buzz.

Chill pills come in medical and recreational versions. Both have 10mg of THC from a hybrid strain. The medical version has 10mg of CBD in each pill, the recreational/adult use version has 5mg of CBD. They are part of a line of chill pills from The Growing Kitchen .

I tried mine at the end of a day working in the garden, feel pretty sore and wanting to chill out. Within 90 minutes my muscle soreness was significantly reduced. I felt relaxed but very able to function. There was no couch-lock or heavy head effect, just a nice anti-stress and pain relief effect. Just the kind of chill out experience I was hoping for. After eating the effects were reduced and after about 3 hours I was feeling a little tired, likely a combination of just being tired plus the relaxing effects of the THC and CBD.

I was not put off by the less-than pleasant taste and if you are looking for a solid medicinal effect, this can be a great choice. As always, start with a low dose – these are potent!

Taste: 3

Strength: 8

Website: http://thegrowingkitchen.org/edibles/

Transdermal Patches: An Introduction

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I first learned about transdermal patches from a good friend in Colorado whose son uses the CBD patches for pain management. For their privacy, we’ll call them Brenda and Will. Brenda had the patches recommended by a doctor for Will’s pain related to cerebral palsy. They are easy to apply and have much less side effects than opioids (and most other pain pills). The transdermal’s effects last up to 12 hours, so you don’t have to remember every 4 or 6 hours to administer another dose – or wake up to take them in the middle of the night. While other medications are necessary for his complete pain management, the CBD patches provide a more reliable and consistent foundation of pain relief than Will has ever had.

Brenda then shared that she had used them for pain as well, including after she had knee surgery. When she went in for her 3 month checkup after the surgery, her doctor was surprised to see that the knee had healed as well as if it had been 6 months. He asked her what she had done to accelerate her healing and she shared how the CBD patches had helped manage the pain and must had had an impact on the healing.

She wears the transdermal patches herself as needed for pain relief and other effects.

The transdermal patch is something like a nicotine patch, if you’ve ever seen one of those. It has an outer layer that often looks like a type of bandage fabric, a layer of medication in a medium designed to dispense consistently while worn, then a layer of adhesive to make sure it sticks to your skin.

Patches come in either single formula or a mix. They can comes as THC-Sativa, THC-Indica, THCa, CBD or CBN. There are slao patches with rations, such as CBD/THC 1:1.

To apply them, you find an area of your skin that is venous like the inside of your wrist or ankle. You can apply them close to a point of pain like a knee or hip as well, just try to make sure the area is free of oil, hair or scars. Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the area before applying the patch. Apply it firmly and evenly to ensure it adheres well to your skin. We like to use rubbing alcohol not only to clean the area but that it helps to remove the adhesive once you remove the patch.

Usually patches provide an even, long lasting effect as they release over time. As with edibles, the effects can be impacted by what you eat. If you feel the effects are too strong, try eating something to see if that reduces the effect. The effects can be boosted by using transdermal gels, edibles or smoking flowers. Always get to know your reactions to individual products first before combining them.

A favorite is Mary’s CBN patch, used to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. My local dispensaries often sell out of them within days whenever they get them in.

Read the Review: Mary’s CBN Transdermal Patch.