Tag Archives: pain

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/

Mountain High Cannabis Caramel Apple Sucker Review

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The Caramel Apple flavored sucker is just one of many flavors of infused hard candy made by Mountain High Suckers. They are labeled as THC + CBD enriched and contain 8.29 mg THC and 1.53mg of CBD. Mountain High Suckers is a well-established and trusted brand of infused hard candy edibles, made in Colorado since 2009.

As regular More Than Buds readers will know, I prefer it when edibles are labeled as Indica or Sativa, so we know which kinds of effects to expect. The Caramel Apple sucker, like many of their suckers, are not labeled. Mountain High now has a sucker that is not only labeled with a type (Indica or Sativa) but is strain-specific, made with Blue Dream. They also make sugar free suckers, which is a great addition to their offerings.

Mountain High Suckers Carmel Apple picture of the green lollipop with caramel coating

Mountain High Suckers Carmel Apple lollipop with caramel coating

The Caramel Apple flavor is true to its name, with an almost Jolly Racher-esque apple flavor, complemented by a delicious caramel. By mistake I had kept this one past the expiration date and it was as good as if it were fresh. I always recommend taking edibles before their expiration date, this was just a test for our lab. A nice bonus is that it doesn’t need refrigeration. When eating it, the sucker lasted as long as lollipops not infused with cannabis and had a background taste of THC that remained, with the caramel, as part of the aftertaste.

The effects were felt within an hour, a primarily relaxing body high. At first that lead me to guess that it was made with Indica or a hybrid Indica-dominant strain. Fortunately it was taken in the late afternoon when that relaxing body effect is desired. If I had taken it in the morning I would have felt relaxed but also slightly lethargic and lazy. I experienced some of the Sativa head effects of focus and creativity, so this is likely a hybrid strain

My usual dose of THC in an edible is 10 – 15 mg, and this sucker contains an 8.29mg dose, so the effect was understandably more mild. The effect lasted the usual expected length, about 4 hours of the strongest effect then 2 hours of a more mild effect before it faded out. As expected, eating dinner half way through the effect zone reduced the impact, but it did rebound more than expected after about 45 minutes. The CBD dose was so small that it felt similar to taking a single low dose aspirin, a tiny bit of overall pain relief but nothing significant.

If you are not concerned with the Sativa/Indica labeling of your edibles and are looking for a hybrid impact to both your head and your body, this is a great tasting choice. It lasts a long time without refrigeration, includes a small CBD dose for pain and has good staying power.

Strength: 6

Taste: 7

Website: MountainHighSuckers.com

Kikoko Little Helpers Cannabis Infused Mints Review

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Kikiko has a line of Little Helpers mints that deliver various combinations of THC, THCV, CBD and CBN. Each one is formulated to deliver specific effects, as their names indicate: Calm, Sleep, Focus, Buzz, Boost

Spearmint Lavender flavor Calm is for relaxing with 5mg CBD & 2.5mg THC. Sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free. These also contain organic moringa, l-theanine, lavender and spearmint.

Sleep is Spearmint Rose Chamomile flavor. To help you sleep it has 3mg CBN, 2mgTHC (Indica) and 1mg Melatonin per piece. Sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free.

Focus is Hibiscus Orange flavor and it has 3mg CBD & 1mg THC plus Vitamin B. Sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free.

Boost Coconut Yuzu has 2.5mg THCV, 2.5mg THC and Matcha. THCV promotes clarity and energy. They are sugar and gluten free.

Buzz is Watermelon Basil flavor, with 5mg THC and Vitamin D3 – essential for immunity and bone health. Vegan, sugar free, dairy free, and gluten free.

Kikoko uses organic ingredients and high quality cannabis in their products, so they are a premium product. This creates a price point per dose that is higher than the average edible or beverage.

Calm and Sleep

The Calm and Sleep mints work very well. About 45 minutes after use I start to feel very relaxed. With the Sleep one, after an hour I usually feel like heading to bed. I am able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep. If I do get up it is not hard to get back to sleep. I sometimes feel a little something different in the morning, but too slight to call it a hangover, let’s call it a fuzziness that dissipates quickly.

For both of these the THC dose is low, but you definitely feel the calming effects of the Indica cannabis. They both have a definite spearmint flavor, so you need to be a fan of mint to enjoy the taste. I would surely recommend their use as part of an evening wind down or anti-anxiety routine.

Boost, Buzz and Focus

Buzz has the most THC of any of the Kikoko Little Helpers at 5mg. Due to that dosage, this mint has the strongest “elevating” properties. Focus is mostly CBD, intended to provide focus without a high. Boost is in the middle with its 2.5 of THC and THCV.

While I usually take some caffeine with edibles, the matcha and vitamins in these edibles provide a good amount of energy. I started to feel the effects in a mild way in about an 45 minutes, which is longer than usual, but everyone is different and reacts differently to different products. These may take longer to have the effects felt than other edibles or, so be patient when waiting for the effects. Your results may vary.

With Focus, after two hours I was feeling a mild effect, what I usually expect from a 10mg THC dose when it is paired with CBD, because for me CBD reduces the impact of THC. The effect was noticeable, and just what you want if you’re looking for focus without a high feeling.

So many things effect how we respond on different days like the type and amount of food in our system. My experience is that this product is good for people who want a mild effect from the 5mg, 2.5 or 1mg THC dose. My usual is a 10mg dose, so after trying just one to judge the impact, another time I moved up to 10mg which was a good amount for me.

At my dispensary most of the mints are $20, with the sleep slightly higher. The Boost are much more and one of the more expensive cannabis edibles per 10mg dose that are available due to the THCV. For our chart of comparing your cost per 10mg THC dose, see our Cost Per Dose post.

Kikoko’s Little Helpers are an excellent, high quality and unique way to elevate. Good flavor profiles, good strength and specific formulations make this a solid choice, especially when you want to treat yourself or those you love.

Taste: 6

Strength: 6

Website: www.kikoko.com

Valhalla Cannabis Sativa Gummies Review

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My go-to edible for daytime use is the Valhalla Sour Watermelon Sativa gummies. They hit all of the important points for me – flexible potency, great taste and consistent effects.

Tasty, Portable, Economical and Effective

One of the first and most important elements of any edible is taste. While you may be willing to deal with a not-great taste for specific effects, it is always great when the edible is delicious. Being a big fan of Jolly Roger-type flavors, I love the Sour Watermelon flavor that Valhalla uses. I can still taste the cannabis a little bit and the flavoring works in harmony with that taste, not trying to cover it up or clashing with it, as some edibles can.

Since they come in Indica and Sativa and CBD specific types, the Valhalla gummies let you find the right ratio of each through experimentation.You might want half a Sativa and half a CBD for daytime pain relief and uplift. Or half an Indica and a whole CBD for evening use or sleep support.

I have found that if I take them on a relatively empty stomach and take it with some food with fat in it as well as having caffeine, I get a perfectly strong effect that lasts at least 4-5 hours. When I feel the effects fading I can boost it with another half of a gummy, as they are easy to cut or bite through.

This is my standard edible for days when I want an energetic effect to help me get things done around the house, spark creativity or help focus on a task. Valhalla gummies deliver that consistently and with great taste!

Read our review of the Valhalla Indica Gummies here.

Strength: 8

Flavor: 9

Website: http://www.valhallaconfections.com

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.

Transdermal CBD Gel Trampled My Pain

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A good friend was sharing her positive experiences with transdermal patches, and she whipped out the Mary’s Medicinals transdermal gel pens that she uses to boost the effects of the patches. The lotion-like gel is what gave me my initial first-hand experience with a transdermal CBD application.

Besides the pens, Mary’s Medicinals also makes transdermal patches in several formulas – THC Sativa, THC Indica, CBD, and more. Mary’s makes transdermal gel pens in similar formulas. Each pen dispenses a measured amount of medicated gel, that is similar in consistency to a skin lotion.

Mary's Medicinals Transdermal Gel Pens

I was experiencing severe pain in my left wrist, unable to support any weight with it in several different positions.  Traditional pain relievers (advil, aspirin, tylenol) didn’t make much of a dent in the pain. I tried ingesting THC and CBD tinctures which provided some general relief but didn’t target the pain. It had gone on for weeks and I was about to make an appointment with my doctor to see if it was arthritis or something more serious.

My friend suggested I try the transdermal lotion. I rubbed a nickel-sized portion of the CDB lotion on my wrist and within an hour the pain was completely gone. I have had no sign of the pain since then and it has been over 6 months. From that point on, I have been an advocate for transdermal CBD application. Whether as a topical gel or in transdermal patches, it works especially well for pain that is specific to one area.

My pain was likely from inflammation, which CBD can be great at reducing. I have also used the CBD gel rubbed on my temples to reduce headache pain or on the back of my neck at the base of the skull when I feel tension built up there. The great thing about the pen is that it dispenses small portions so it easier to control how much you use.

For general aches and pains, edibles and tinctures are fantastic. For pain in specific areas, transdermal gels and patches provide more targeted relief.

Read more about Mary’s Transdermal Pens and patches, including one of our favorites for sleep, Mary’s CBN transdermal patch.