How CBD Can Help You Recuperate From 4/20

How are you feeling today? Good? Great. Since 4/20 has already become a Colorado holiday, we'd like to suggest a secondary holiday on April 21. It would be like Black Friday, but without the shopping and stress. A day to relax with some CBD.

CBD is the component in the cannabis plant that's used for medical marijuana products. It's become more mainstream in recent years, as more and more companies develop products that anyone can use, whether they're a medical patient or not. "CBD is a vital nutrient," says Will Kleidon, OJAI Energetics founder and CEO. OJAI, a California-based company developing CBD products for everyone.

CBD affects the endocannabinoid system, receptors throughout the nervous system, and can help aid current problems or work as a preventative measure, much like taking vitamins. "It's like an engine," Kleidon says. "We've been idling the engine our whole lives. You got to prime the pump. If you don't get enough in, it's not going to kick into gear."

If you're hurting today, here are a few ways to use CBD to help aid in the recovery process.


1. Start your day off with some infused coffee
A few companies have developed the most beautiful thing for an angry, non-morning person: CBD coffee. Our favorite is made right here in Colorado. SteepFuze is a Boulder-based company that infuses its already delicious beans with CBD. The company is still small, so each bag is filled by hand.

2. Protein Powder
If coffee isn't your thing, Mary's Medicinals is another local company that's a one-stop shop for everything CBD. It has tinctures, patches, gel pens, tablets, muscle freeze and protein powder, as well as a guide to help you determine what CBD product might be right for you. Whether you're feeling muscle pain or want to throw some powder into your morning smoothie, Mary's has you covered.

3. Tinctures
This works like any other supplement you might find at Whole Foods: Take a dropper and put it in your mouth or under your tongue. Within minutes (sometimes up to a half hour), your vision can improve, aches and pains will start to fade, and whatever hangover pain you might have will likely dissipate. Your endocannabinoid system will thank you. You can order OJAI's Biologix online, or stop by your dispensary to find local CBD tinctures.

4. Capsules
If you want to treat CBD like the rest of your vitamins, why not get an actual vitamin? Multiple companies package the extract in the form of capsules, so you can conveniently add it to the rest of your daily herbs. If you want something local, Charlotte's Web was created by parents for their three-month-old daughter, Charlotte, for her seizures. Today Charlotte's Web is one of the best-known CBD tributes in the industry, though few know that it's not a direct reference to the book.

5. Salves and Topicals
If your body just aches, this is the way to go. Cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties, so it's ideal for decreasing muscle pain. CBD blended with warm wax and oils, usually hempseed oil, can treat conditions ranging from bruising to arthritis pain. Apothecanna offers everything from relieving body cream to intimacy oil and can be bought online, since it does not contain any THC.