Okay, we know that CBD gets credited with helping with a seemingly endless list of health conditions, but there is some solid science to back up some of the hype. CBD has been studied for its effectiveness in treating anxiety, anxiety related to public speaking, and even PTSD. So if you suffer from even occasional anxiety, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t, especially these days, read on to see if CBD is right for you.
Three cases for using CBD when you have anxiety:
First, this case series found that symptoms of anxiety were improved in 79% of participants. This is one of the best cases for CBD’s role in improving symptoms of anxiety, due to the fact that anxiousness decreased and stayed decreased throughout the entire three-month duration of the study. It contained great news since it used a relatively small dose of CBD, 25mg, compared to some other studies. That means that even in lower amounts, CBD may ease anxiety.
Second, for those that hate public speaking this study found that high dose CBD improves both objective and subjective measures of anxiety. That means that not only did the participants feel more chilled out, according to scientific measurements of palm sweating and heart rate, they were more chilled out.
Third, if you have PTSD, this study focused on how CBD may interfere with the brain’s ability to prioritize fear-based memories over others, offering a chance at the relief of your symptoms.
If you’re still dubious, there are a few other studies out there relating to Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder so read away!
How to choose the right CBD for anxiety:
Okay, so CBD can totally help with anxiety so that means you should just buy some and give it a go right? Well, not exactly. Although it may seem like CBD is CBD, there are many different formulations out there and many ways in which to try it. First, make sure your source is legit, with an analysis certificate showing just how much CBD is actually in the bottle. CBD products are one of those where you mostly get what you pay for so it can be important to not try and skimp here. If a company has suspiciously low prices (we’ve seen bottles go for a laughable $6.99), you can be assured that company doesn’t pay for lab analysis and likely has a dodgy supplier.
If you want to be sure your CBD won’t make you even a tiny bit high, you want a product with zero THC, as some products are legally allowed to contain up to 0.3%.
Perhaps most importantly, consider bioavailability when you are looking for a CBD product to help with anxiety. Since the word ‘bioavailability’ literally means the amount of CBD that your body can use, this is an important number to consider. Most oral formulas have a maximum bioavailability of 30%, which means that more than 70% of the CBD the bottle says it contains (and that you paid for!) is simply not able to be used. Fortunately, some products use a special technology used to ensure vitamins are more available — liposomal encapsulation — to ensure a 90% bioavailability. Elevare Labs is a top-tier manufacturer of these products — plus it uses a PURE PROTEIN blend, instead of saturated fats, making it a better choice for those who don’t want to add potentially bad-for-you fats into their diets. More on that here.
So, if you have been wondering if you should try CBD for anxiety, the answer is probably yes, but make sure it’s an Elevare product so you can really relax knowing you are using a high-quality product.
If you haven’t heard of CBD, well, welcome back from Mars, hope the trip was great! The rest of us here on earth have discovered something pretty cool — cannabidiol (CBD) — and like the good people we are, have started putting it in just about everything. Remember those delicious gummy candies from when you were a kid? Yeah, those have CBD in them now. If you haven’t tried CBD yet, you may be wondering what the big deal is but that’s probably because you haven’t tried it yet.
Some of the most solid evidence for using CBD is when using it to help you sleep. Since the CDC estimates that one in three Americans has trouble sleeping, CBD has the potential to help a lot of people!
In this case series, 66% of participants reported better sleep after less than one month of taking 25mg of CBD. Also in that series, researchers noted that high dose CBD, of 160mg, helped increase the length of time spent asleep. Side note, if you’re having trouble sleeping try reading scientific literature, that may do the trick on its own!
How does CBD help you sleep?
Well, scientists don’t have a clear cut answer to this question yet but they believe it has something to do with the endocannabinoid system. A case can also be made for CBD’s role in easing an underlying problem, like pain or anxiety, thereby making it easier to catch enough zzz’s. Most CBD users report at least a slight sleepiness, no matter the reason they take it, so most manufacturers recommend taking it at night — yeah, it’s anecdotal evidence but with so much of it out there, it’s more than worth a mention.
How long should I take CBD if I have trouble sleeping?
The case series mentioned earlier had patients use CBD for three months, with over 56% of participants still using it at the end. Most sleep aids, including over-the-counter products, don’t recommend using them for the long term and advocate for getting to the root of your sleeplessness, and that is always solid advice.
Is there anything in particular I should consider if I want to try CBD?
First, make sure that CBD even has the potential to help with whatever it is you need help with. Obviously, if there are studies on it, great, but keep in mind that science hasn’t totally caught up with the CBD market yet, plus studies can take years to publish.
Second, you need to make sure you are taking a high-quality product. All legit companies will provide a certificate of analysis stating that the product actually contains what it says it does — beware of companies that can’t/won’t provide one! If you don’t want to be worried about traces of THC in your product (worry is not great for sleep after all), then make sure you choose one with zero THC.
Last, but not least, consider the issue of bioavailability — the amount of CBD in a product that your body recognizes as actually available to use. If you want another sleep aid, read “A Systematic Review on the Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol in Humans, where researchers note that CBD needs to be used with fats to increase absorption, and formulas with “pro-nano liposphere” formulation increased oral bioavailability by about 6-fold”. That means products like Elevare Labs tinctures, that use liposomal encapsulation (more on that here) have CBD in a form that is more easily usable by the body. After all, if you want to maximize the benefits of CBD for sleep, you’ll want the maximum amount available, otherwise, the product (and your money) is wasted!
With CBD finally enjoying its moment in pop culture (rightly so!), many people have thought “hey, CBD is totally working for my x,y,z could I give it to my pet for a similar condition?”
Most vets agree that it’s completely safe to give your pet CBD since most mammals, including dogs and cats, have the same endocannabinoid system that humans do. If you want to do a deep dive into the science, click here or here but it’s a tad too boring to get too into. Suffice to say, mammals have cannabinoid receptors throughout their brains and organs, which is why CBD (a cannabinoid) may play a part in regulating body processes like sleep, anxiety, stomach troubles, etc etc. So if it works for these things in humans (a whole bunch of research says so) it makes sense that it would work in pets and any other mammals that just so happen to eat a hemp plant.
Are there any benefits to giving CBD to my pet?
There is a fair bit of anecdotal evidence for giving CBD to your dog. Some of the most credible stories are the ones that mirror the effects we see in humans. If your dog suffers from separation anxiety or repetitive behaviors that indicate anxiety, CBD may help him chill out, just like it does with people. Many pet owners give CBD to their dogs to help with pain or to control seizures, the American Kennel Club is even sponsoring a first-of-its-kind study using CBD to treat epilepsy in dogs.
Will CBD hurt my pet?
Thanks to the endocannabinoid system, mammals have an enzyme that breaks down excess cannabinoids, which is why overdose is basically unheard of, even with the psychoactive THC. Luckily, CBD, especially real hemp-derived CBD, won’t get your pooch high, nor harm them. Maybe they’ll suffer from a bit of dry mouth, maybe a good thing for all the droolers out there, but other than that, it is considered safe for both humans and pets! Of course, if your fur baby has a health condition that you are looking to treat, ask your vet for a personalized recommendation.
What should I look for when shopping for CBD for my pet?
You should consider the same things when giving CBD to your pet that you would consider if you were taking it yourself, mostly the quality of the product. Make sure you get a zero THC blend, to minimize side effects — if you have an anxious chewer, the last thing you need to give him is the munchies! Another thing is bioavailability — how much CBD is actually available for the body to use — this is where only a few brands come out heads and shoulders above the rest. Elevare CBD for pets uses the same encapsulation technology that it uses in its other CBD products for a bioavailability rate of 90%, compare that to most other brands with a max of 25-30% and it becomes clear which one is better. If you’re jealous of your dog’s newfound chill attitude after using CBD, you can pick up the same high-quality brand for yourself here!
Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, is a compound found in hemp plants. Contrary to popular belief, hemp is not marijuana and CBD is non-psychoactive, so it won’t make you high or greatly interfere with your ability to function.
It is not yet fully understood how CBD works in the body but there is scientific agreement that it has to do with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). In the most basic terms, humans, and many other mammals, have an internal system that creates, monitors, and breaks down excess endocannabinoids (endo means “within”). Since CBD is a cannabinoid, it is thought that it resembles the body’s own enough to act within the system. For a more in-depth explanation go this link.
There are many studies concerning the use of CBD in treating health concerns from acne to cancer and generally, the conclusions are favorable to CBD. It is widely considered by science to be a safe compound, with few, if any side effects and no known abuse potential (link).
Elevare’s broad spectrum CBD is called that because it contains other compounds, terpenes, for the “entourage effect” (discussed in question “what terpenes are used in your products). We believe it makes for a better product, more naturally mimicking the consumption of the entire hemp plant but with zero THC.
Don’t worry, since our products are derived from hemp and contain no THC, they are legal on the federal level.
Liposomal Encapsulation Technology (LET) is, to put it simply, tiny healthy fat particles (phospholipids) that act as delivery systems to the tissues of the body. LET’s have been used for years to increase the bioavailability (how much of the product your body can actually use) of various vitamins, with scientifically backed research.
To better understand this technology, an understanding of how LET works, a little understanding of the body’s nutrient processing system is needed. The food you consume, including vitamins, goes into your stomach for digestion. The digestive process itself breaks down the vitamins for absorption in the intestine, but the digestive juices often destroy a large portion of them. With LET, the phospholipids protect the CBD molecules from digestive acids, ensuring that more of the molecules survive the digestive process and make it to the intestines for absorption. This is what we mean when we say that Elevare’s products have a higher bioavailability.
Even if you take a product with a high milligram dose of CBD, most of it will be lost in the digestive process itself so the amount actually absorbed by your body may be a lot lower than you expect. LET products have been scientifically shown to have around a ninety percent absorption rate — since Elevare uses LET you can expect it to be better absorbed than products that don’t use this technology.
There can be various reasons your tincture is giving you energy.
First, it could be the ‘paradoxical effect’. While many people take CBD for its ability to support a healthy sleep cycle and its relaxing effects, around twenty percent of people experience the opposite and find themselves with extra energy. This is simply due to the different ways bodies react to compounds.
Secondly, it could be that because of CBD’s potential for assisting in sleep (link), you are waking more rested and more energy is a natural byproduct of that.
Also, if you’re experiencing pain relief and lowered anxiety levels as a result of your CBD consumption, it’s possible that alone allows you to feel more energetic.
Lastly, it’s possible that the Sacha Inchi oil gives you a little extra boost. Containing tryptophan, a precursor (building block) to serotonin which is known as the happy hormone.
Although many CBD products use coconut oil as their carrier oil, it is an MCT. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT’s) aren’t necessarily “bad”, or bad for you but they may be less efficient, less effective, and there is a potential for side effects. In order to understand why, a little science has to come into it.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a lipid, meaning that it can’t be dissolved into water or water-based products — given that fact, many companies choose to use coconut oil (an MCT) or glycerin. Since these products are metabolized differently than LET’s they may be less effective and come with undesirable side effects like cramping, bloating, and diarrhea. Also, the fat in coconut oil is 92% saturated fat, the unhealthy fat, and that percentage is higher than butter!
Unlike saturated fats, protein is essential for the function of a healthy body — it is a building block to create and repair muscles as well as being the basis to create necessary enzymes and hormones within the body.
Elevare’s PURE PROTEIN blend substitutes the saturated fat of MCT’s with muscle building protein. As an added bonus, we use Sacha Inchi oil, itself a protein powerhouse and recognized as a ‘superfood’. The Sacha Inchi oil allows the CBD molecules to be suspended and comes with a host of its own benefits — including supporting digestive health. Containing more fiber than broccoli or even chickpeas, Sacha Inchi adds fiber to your diet, which promotes the regular functions of your intestines.
Unlike MCT’s, the Omega fatty acids found in Sacha Inchi, are healthy fats, not saturated. Also, coconut oil does not contain any of the omega fatty acids, and omega fatty acids are scientifically acclaimed for their potential to reduce blood pressure and help people shed excess pounds.
Elevare’s pure protein blend is a clear choice for consumers who are concerned about their saturated fat intake.
An exotic nut, the seeds of Sacha Inchi, pronounced Sasha -Inchie, are rich in oil, an oil that makes a great carrier oil for tinctures.
First of all this oil contains a mix of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids in addition to vitamins A and E, and fiber. There is an abundance of science supporting the role of omega fatty acids in a healthy lifestyle. Consuming omega-3 in particular seems to have an effect on mood, inflammation (link) in particular inflammation caused by fatty liver disease (link), an increasingly common problem, especially in those who are overweight. While the most common carrier of omegas is fish, if you’re following a vegetarian diet, you may not want to consume fish, or even fish oil capsules — this is where plant sources come in. Since Sacha Inchi is a plant source abundant in omega-3’s, it can be a great alternative to fish oils.
Sacha Inchi oil is also a good source of iron, a necessary nutrient in maintaining muscle tone and brain function due to its role in transporting oxygen throughout the blood.
Given the fact that it is nutrient-dense and full of Omega fatty acids, we think Sacha Inchi oil isn’t just a better carrier oil for our products, we think it’s the best!
We use a proprietary terpene blend, created after nearly a decade of analyzing which terpenes have the best synergy with CBD.
Synergy isn’t just a buzzword here — the “entourage effect” has been documented (link). First brought to the attention of scientists in 2003, this effect means that all of the different compounds in hemp work best when they work together. Various terpenes work with the CBD to help it act more efficiently and effectively. Terpenes also give flavor to many plants, from cannabis to grapefruit and they are responsible for both the scents, and some of the effects of essential oils.
Elevare uses linalool, found in calming plants such as lavender as well as hemp. Linalool also helps vitamin E (which also naturally occurs in Sacha Inchi oil) absorb and function in the body. We also use A-pinene, a terpene getting its time in the spotlight for its potential to inhibit bacterial growth ( link). A-pinene works well in combination with CBD, enhancing its effect. Mycenae, in addition to its potential assisting CBD penetrate the skin in transdermal applications (link), has its own effects — it is thought to be anti-inflammatory as well as relaxing. Finally, we add Beta-caryophyllene to the mix for its potential to reduce inflammation.
Each ingredient in our blend — terpenes, CBD, and Sacha Inchi oil — has its own purported benefits, but we think (and science has shown) that they work best together. As an “entourage” each compound goes beyond its own potential and contributes to the greater good.
