All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I may make a commission. I do not accept money in exchange for positive reviews or a quick feature.

It’s the beginning of a new year. Usually, I post an end of year blog about plastic surgery and aesthetic trends. This year, I’ve decided to change it up and post about CBD and Cannabis. You’re probably wondering why and what does this have to do with plastic surgery? For one CBD has many healing properties that can address pre-op anxiety, post-op pain and inflammation.  CBD +THC can also help patients wean off RX opiates after surgery.

Since Cannabis is still a schedule 1 drug, your physician is not allowed to prescribe it, therefore the research is in your hands.

2018 was the year I dabbled into the world of Medical Cannabis, learning about its many healing properties, attending industry conferences and Cannabis events, meeting incredible inspiring woman and visiting many dispensaries in the Bay Area. Plus interviewing entrepreneurs and medical professionals about Cannabis for my new podcast, Cannabiztalk, launching soon. All part of my ongoing education about Cannabis as a lifestyle medicine.

Understanding dosing, strains, CBD, THC ratios, and sorting through the many types of cannabis products available is very confusing.  I’ve curated a list of some of my top favorite products, which I’m excited to share with you. There are several other companies that I also love, which I will review in a future blog post. You have to decide what works best for you.

The information in this article is from my personal experience.  I was not given any of these products from the companies mentioned below in exchange for a review.

All of the products in this post are high quality containing no fillers or additives and meet all the current California regulations. The edibles in this post are not available online. To access any of the websites mentioned you have to be at least 21 years old..The products mentioned in this article are available at many California Dispensaries and Cannabis delivery services.

EDIBLES: Edibles come in many forms. Cookies, gummies, chocolate bars, wafers, mints, candy chews, butter, honey, drinks, gelcaps, tea and more.  Some contain small amounts of THC for microdosing, or CBD ratios. Its very easy to eat more because edibles are yummy. If you are new to cannabis you may not realize how much THC you are really taking, so its important to understand dosing and to know your THC tolerance level.  Most of the edibles I mention here are a sativa or hybrid strain. My experiences are different with all of them, though there are some common denominators.

*Any product that is THC only, you can combine with CBD. CBD balances the THC as it creates an entourage effect. CBD will also bring you down if you are feeling too high!

Here are my top favorite Edibles and Tinctures: 

1. Garden Society Bright Blooms– Sativa Hybrid.  Garden Society uses fresh ingredients and chef inspired receipes. These gummy edibles are yummy.  Each piece is 5MG THC per serving with a high  THCA content. The first time I tried it, I cut the candy in half and waited about an hour. The effect was minimal, I felt good and knew that the full dose of 5MG was prefect for me.   I have a low tolerance for straight THC, so one serving is enough  to feel energetic, good and creative. Garden Society has another variety that I haven’t tried. I’ve also experimented with adding a CBD only edible, this combination works nicely.
2. Atlas Nimbus Dark Chocolate – Hybrid Granola Clusters which are 10MG per serving.  I recently bought one cluster as part of a special offer with several other products.  I like hybrids, a combination of Sativa and Indica strains.  I started with 5MG then an hour later ate the other half. I felt energetic, creative, and happy. As this product is THC, I did feel a little light high.  Nimbus was definitely a mood elevator and very yummy. I’ll look forward to trying their other offerings and may combine them with a CBD edible. For me that’s the best of both worlds.
3. Satori- CBD Rich Strawberries in Milk Chocolate. These taste as good as they sound. They taste so good.  If they were not cannabis infused I would have no trouble eating about 10 of them! Each piece is 3mgCBD:3mgTHC. I can eat 2 at a time and I usually do not feel high unless I eat them on an empty stomach. I have found that all the products ingested on an empty stomach increases their effects. A great everyday choice to feel good with a sense of wellness.
4. Kikoko Teas. These teas are targeted formulas depending on your mood. I especially like drinking a cup of tea in the winter. I tried 3 out of 4 formulas.  POSITIVI-TEA is 10THC: 5CBD. It’s a nice green tea taste but potent. I dilute it or make two cups. It’s hard to know how much THC and CBD you are getting when you dilute it.  My favorite is SYMPA-TEA 20CBD : 3THC. The flavor is orange, turmeric and ginger.  I’ve experienced some hip discomfort lately and find this tea helped.  I tried SESUALI-TEA 7mg THC one rainy damp night. Kikiko markets it for an increased sexual experience. I felt good and happy, but not necessarily horny.  ( I do have cannabis recommendations for that!) . The tea is organic Hibicus, cardamon and rose. A little sweet, but good.
5. Ora Chocolate: 8:1 CBD. Ora is an organic probiotic, dark chocolate coconut wafer.  I love this brand and wanted to give Ora a shout out, even though as of this date it is not available. The CBD content is high, it’s non-psychoactive. and  delicious.  Hopefully Ora will be back on the dispensary shelves soon.
6. Potli Hemp Infused Raw Honey- Love, love this honey.  The honey is harvested in the Bay Area.  It’s sweet with a little taste of the cannabis plant. I use it in tea, oatmeal or anywhere else I use honey. It not only tastes good, it lowers stress and relieves any anxiety. Potli Honey is Hemp with a small trace of THC, totally non-psychoactive. You can buy it directly from their website, which may be cheaper than buying it from a dispensary because of all the extra  taxes.

Two other edible brands to check out are Kiva and Plus.  Plus cannabis infused gummies come in a cute little tin container. They make CBD pineapple and coconut gummies which are great for mixing with higher THC edibles. Kiva is a popular edible brand known for their delicious chocolate bars. Their chocolate bars are very yummy so proceed with caution. Kiva also makes cannabis infused gummies and mints perfect for micro-dosing .

Tinctures: Place under your tongue or add it to water or juice. I don’t mind the taste.

1. Humboldt Apothecary: This company has designed their formulation with herbalists which is a big plus. The cannabis is grown organically using whole flower extract and organic herbs.  No additives. Inflammation Soother is one of my favorites, however, due to the new regulations, this formula is not now available. Hopefully Humboldt will offer it again soon.  As an alternative, I’ve been using Sweet Jane 4:1 CBD to THC and I have an older version of Sweet Jane which is a 8:1. Both formulas are non-psychoactive, but again if I take them on an empty stomach, I feel a little spacey. They come with a dropper to measure the precise dosage.  I prefer the higher CBD to THC. My experience is feeling good, creative and happy. Takes the edge off of everyday stressors.  I do have to experiment with formulas and dosing. Since I’ve had some hip pain the higher CBD formula seems to help more. I start with the recommended dose and see how I feel in a couple of hours. Consistency is the trick. The effects of CBD build up over time.
2. Care by Design: Another tincture which comes in various strengths of CBD and THC. As with Humboldt, I like the 4:1 and 8:1. Care By Design is easy to find and more commercial than Humbolt or some of the other artisan brands. I prefer the artisan brands, but Care by Design was the first tincture I tried, so I wanted to list it here.
3. Herba Buena– This brand was my introduction to artisan tinctures. I love their Rock and Roll formula. Herba Buena was also affected by the new regulations and had to stop manufacturing most of their tinctures. Currently Herba Buena offers a formula called Quiver, which I have not tried. Hopefully, Herba Buena will expand their current product line.
4. Juna- This brand is fairly new for me.  Juna’s founder, Jewel Zimmer’s has an interesting background as a fine-dining pastry chef and certified sommelier in San Francisco. Their flower is grown in Mendocino. Juna have several different formulas, plus a hemp brand. I ordered Jade, which is slightly psychoactive, 2.5mg CBD and 2.5mg THC per dose. I have not tried it yet, but was intrigued by the founder’s background to purchase a small bottle.  I’ll follow-up with an update in another blog post. Juna products are only available in California.

This list would not be complete without mentioning Calm from Dosist, a targeted formula disposable vape pen. There are no additives or fillers. Calm is non psychoactive, 10:1 CBD to THC and is an overall wellness, anti-anxiety formula with specific terpenes which enhance the effect. All Dosist pen are a precise dose of 2.25mg with each hit, so you know how much you are getting.  I felt really good and balanced afterward 2 hits.  Calm is also a mood elevator, which is a nice bonus. The pen is small, sexy and very discreet. They are recyclable for credit towards a new pen.

You can buy Hemp oil online as long as the THC content is under 0.03%THC.  Juna for instance does have a Hemp oil product that you can purchased online.  Keep in mind that Hemp oil is made from the seed of the plant and usually is called Industrial Hemp. Some products use Hemp oil as a carrier.  Hemp oil alone has less efficacy than CBD and THC together.

It is important to know what you are buying and from whom. As with any products that make marketing claims, do your homework and experiment with dosing until you find the magic formula that works for you. The cannabis plant has many medicinal properties, some of which we don’t even know about. The research is still in its infancy. I’m hopeful that Medical Cannabis will become legal soon at a federal level, this will open many more opportunities.

Cannabiztalk Podcast is launching  in January featuring some very inspirational woman in the cannabis industry. Keep in touch through Facebook and IG @cannabiztalk.

To learn more about Cannabis, local dispensaries and how it can benefit you, please send me an email michele@niptuckcoach.com. or contact me 415.494.7211. Private consultations are available.