A WELLNESS GUIDE TO CANNABIS + MY FAVORITES

To celebrate 420 I am sharing with you my wellness guide cannabis and my favorites products. 

As I type this I realize that time and time again the universe tries to teach us lessons when we most need them. As you all know, I was driving from abq. today to Denver to visit my momma and also attend the GFAF Expo this weekend, oh and well celebrate 420 in Colorado.

WELL. The universe had other plans.

Didn’t make it to Denver, I am actually typing this in a hotel room between the ice on the road, the snow and fog I couldn’t drive.

So I guess my festivities will be put on hold until tomorrow. Okay, maybe not. I already had an edible and I am planning on writing for a few hours to keep myself busy or maybe pass out, whatever ends up happening, I hope you are all having a kick ass 420 and celebrating this beautiful, healing plant we know as cannabis.

 

Anyways. Something I’ve been asked by a lot of you is to share my wellness guide to cannabis and with that my favorite products. While I myself don’t smoke or vape it often, I am more into edibles and tinctures I still have a few brands I really love and that I am passionate about. While I am of course bias to companies and brands in Colorado, there are a bunch out there.

First of all, let’s really talk cannabis before we dive into my approach and all that grass. My attempt of jokeeee. I did an entire post dedicated to my personal journey with cannabis and how it helped with my bipolar disorder here.

CANNABIS

The scent of cannabis has been very much in the air lately and especially in the wellness scene, and as more states prepare for legal recreational use, more people are looking at this ultra magical and healing plant in a new light. Cannabis is a very powerful medicinal plant with a vast potential for improving mental health as well as physical. I happen to be someone who is truly pro-cannabis and while my journey with it wasn’t always the healthy one it is now, I truly believe that more and more people should shy away from the stereotype and embrace this medicinal plant for what it is healing.

So while I totally wish we were at a place where cannabis is perceived as a mainstream wellness product, it is just barely skimming the water. And while I am excited to see what the future holds, I truly believe that talking about it, is what is gonna move us towards that direction.

One of the questions I get asked the most is why I am okay with consuming cannabis and not alcohol.

First of all that is such a complicated question in its own, but I will say this, you won’t ever see a ‘stoner’ act out irrationally and provoke someone, while a ‘drunk’ or someone highly intoxicated will. Now, when I first started to reintroduce cannabis into my every lifestyle, I made myself a promise. I promised myself that I was going to be as honest as possible with myself and my support system and also that I would no use cannabis as a way to numb myself. Okay. Why am I saying this?

When I was a freshman in college, I got high to stop feeling, that was my main goal. I was looking for a way to numb and not feel anything emotionally. I didn’t want to feel, I didn’t want to think, I just wanted to be. If that makes any sense.? I stopped halfway into my sophomore year when I medically withdrew from school.

Now. I consume cannabis in a controlled environment. What does that really mean, well that I am 100% comfortable mentally and physically and that where I am is also somewhere I can just be. I don’t consume it to make anything go away or to feel less. I consume it and continue on with whatever it is I need to do. My life doesn’t revolve around it, cannabis revolves around my life.

WHAT..!?

I can imagine all of you saying that and also with these questionable af face.

I have a few approaches:

night time ritual: I get home, eat whatever I am feeling (edible wise) and then change to get ready to workout. I workout for about 30-45 minutes, HIIT, vinyasa yoga, I go for a run or hit the gym. Then I prep my food and while it cooks or heats up, I will work on the blog for another 30-45 minutes, eat and then finish unwinding with a bath and a good book. I sleep like a baby. My insomnia is gone and I have the best night sleep of my life.

inspiration time: I will consume an edible or have some tinctures, and do a quick latte + vinyasa flow, then get writing on the blog, or recipe test, edit pictures, take pictures. My creativity is totally on so it works out perfectly.

hiking time: if I am going on a trail that I’ve been on before and know my way around if I am surrounded by people I know and also taking an edible that I had previously already had and know how it affects me, then I will go on a hike and take an edible.

WHY.?

Remember a few things, not all strains are the same and they affect everyone differently.

You know how some people will get tired when they have red wine and then others will be totally okay. The same thing with cannabis. Different types of cannabis will have different effects on the mind and body and can, therefore, be used for different purposes.

TYPES OF STRAINS

INDICA. is believed to be a physical + emotional sedative. this is perfect for relaxing before bed or just lounging.

SATIVAS. tend to be more of a natural upper. they uplift your cerebral effects and are great when you want to be physically or need a creative boost.

HYBRIDS. are a mixture of both, they can totally be a guess who, type of high since they inherit their traits from their parent strains.

I’ll be honest, when I first went to a dispensary last year in the summer, I was blown away by everything and will also say the best thing you can do is talk to your budtenders, they know A LOT.

Also, remember that there are more than 100 different components when it comes to the cannabis plant. The two most common are THC + CBD.

THC is the psychoactive element of the plant that can produce a ‘high’ effect.

CBD is associated more with the healing, therapeutic effects.

I’m gonna say it first, THC can be extremely healing and therapeutic and should be known for way more than just the ‘euphoric’ like state it can put you in.

Now that being said, I am not expert at all, I am still learning and there is so much more to what I just said.

So while indica is supposed to be a calming more emotional sedative, it totally depends on you, and the product and so much more. Like my really good friend, she gets tired af doesn’t matter if it is indica, or sativa or a hybrid.

So again, you gotta see what works for you and what doesn’t.

MY FAVORITES

So truth be told, I don’t smoke that much flower, it’s more of a weekend type of thing for me, mainly because well I don’t wanna abuse of my lungs, LOL. Kidding, I prefer edibles but because they are metabolized by your liver, I like to give my liver a rest and on the weekends will either vape or smoke. My brother dabs and when he is around I will, I get more high CBD than THC though. But on the day to day, I stick to edibles for sure.

EDIBLES

So just like my food, my everyday products, I like to keep my edibles cleaaaan. I don’t wanna eat crap or put crap in my body.

. So I discovered Stillwater last year and have been obsessed with them since. I literally count the days until I’m in Colorado so I can get my hands on some. I use their Ripple Dissolvable THC the most because I feel like I can make my own edibles, I’ll add it to my smoothies, fat balls, energy bites, waffles, cupcakes, coffee. You name it, I add it.

RIPPLE BALANCED 5 – is half 5mg of CBD & THC (when I am out, maybe with friends, on a hike)

RIPPLE PURE 10 -is full of 10 mg of THC ( I use this more towards the end of the day or if I need to get some work on the blog)

RIPPLE 20:1 -10mg of CBD to .5mg of THC (I use this during the day, especially on days that I am a bit more overwhelmed, also when I am on my period, great to help with cramps and lower back pain)

STILLWATER MELLOW MINT- is caffeine free, it’s peppermint tea infused with 2.5 mg each of CBD & THC.

WHITEWATER MELLOW MINT- also caffeine free and is infused with 10 mg of THC

They have a bunch of other products, these are my favorites.

ALCHEMY  . I actually have the immense pleasure of trying for the first time earlier this year, it’s funny cause one of my favorite bloggers out there ( I’ve been following her for YEARS) is the brain behind Alchemy. Ashlae from OLC started this whole food edible companies and I love that it is made with real ingredients and her famous canna-coconut oil (which is gonna be available soon, can’t wait) Not gonna lie these are my favorite treats, cause they taste so good and you feel amazing after.

I will drive from dispensary to dispensary to get my hands on these. I adore them all. They have Almond Cacao Bites (aka special brownie bites) Coconut Lime Bites, Peanut Butter Oat Bites and their new Canna-Coconut Oil. So you can either get one or five, each bite comes with 10 mg of THC. I normally eat half, and then go on a hike and do my own thing. I also LOVE to eat half and spend the day writing my heart out. My brother will eat the entire one.

Julie’s Natural Edibles 

I love that they are gluten-free, refined sugar-free and they make strain specific edibles. I love their fresh granola and roasted seed mix. They make both recreational and medicinal edibles which is something I think is pretty, freaking cool.

I enjoy these before bed. SO great for my sleep and as a way for me to unwind.

BINSKE. 

I love all of their products that I have tried, I also adore their motto which is all about understanding where everything comes from and using the best of the best.

I really like their olive oil, it is so good and it is great to add it to my salad dressings and to my avocado toast. They have a garlic, lemon, chipotle and regular and trust me get the garlic and lemon SO good.  I also really like their honey it is great in teas or on pancakes.

EXTRACT LABS 

I have yet to try all of the products that extract carries but I am a huge fan of their tinctures. Their CBD tincture is hands down one of my favorites.

THE ROOT OF IT ALL 

I feel like this is me in a product and I say this because they use an Ayurvedic approach when it comes to cannabis which is awesome. They make cannabis-infused essential oils and seriously it is like my dream product. I have used their GO which is great for energy and I also really love their SLOW which is calming.  I also really like their STOP which is amazing for sleep. So I really like that their SLOW has chamomile, lavender and valerian root and also it has 90mg THC to 30 mg CBD. Then you have their GO which has rosemary and ginger and it is full on THC.

MARQAHA. 

I recently tried their tinQture as they call them they are sublingual oral tinctures and I really like that they are vegan, gluten-free and all natural PLUS low glycemic. I am really excited to try more of their products.

STRATOS 

Their motto of taking cannabis to new heights makes me SO happy. They are still pretty new to me, I’ve tried their relax tablets and really like them, I do wanna try more and experiemnt more.

TOPICALS

The cool thing about cannabis is that now you can also buy products infused with THC & CBD like lotions, balms, salves and so much more. BTW the names are so cute.

Mary Jane’s Medicinals are amazing. I love their products and have been obsessed

with their lip balms for a few months now.

Lip Bong– is their cannabis-infused balm and babes if you check out these ingredients they are crazy good, like jojoba oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and peppermint essential oil among others.

Hash Bath– I love getting into a warm bath after a long day and my favorite new product to use to unwind is definitely this heavenly hash bath.

Apothecanna is such an amazing company and I love their entire approach. I actually am planning on ditching the lotion I currently use and going to just use their medicated lotion.

Calming Body Creme is amazing, it has lavender, chamomile, and frankincense. It smells incredible and leaves your skin feeling great. I love that you can order it online it makes my life so much easier and I am obsessed with it, it’s amazing post workout and great at relieving your tense muscles.

Everyday oil. Is also great, the main ingredients are avocado oil, and  a bunch of essential oils which I love, it is a great face and body oil.

There are still a bunch of products out there that I am trying out and experimenting with and I will continue to update this post here as I try them and experience them. I just want to make sure I can give you all the best info and all be as honest as can be.

Let me know what your favorite cannabis products are and how your approach is to cannabis?