A CBD Smorgasbord

The world of CBDs is a bit overwhelming. Ever since I wrote a short review about San Luis Obispo-based producer Mender in June, there’s been a steady string of deliveries of capsules, balms, and vape pens from around the country to my desk. None of these products get you high — unlike the stone-inducing THC part of cannabis, CBD, or cannabidiol, doesn’t really have much obvious psychoactive effect. But they all offer a seemingly unending range of beneficial wellness effects, from better sleep to less stress, pain relief to smoother, uh, beards.

The science is starting to line up to support some of those beliefs. But when it comes to determining what effect this brown pill or that foggy vape pull has on my well-being, the immediate results are far from obvious. Like other “alternative medicines” — and we can even throw doctor-endorsed vitamins in that mix — it may only be after prolonged and sustained use that CBDs will fully ease one’s woes.

That said, a rather untracked and somewhat sporadic combination of the following products have helped me sleep better, mellow out during stressful stretches, and even soothe a sore foot, perhaps from both the inside (via a capsule) and out (via a balm). The flavorful vape pens have become a go-to chill-out item in my house, and a good friend swore that one of the balms brought his out-of-whack lower back into better form. I’m starting to think a certain salve is clearing up some dry skin on my shin too.