Innholdsfortegnelse for ABC of CBD i You South Africa

Your body has cannabinoid (CB) receptors – and it’s these receptors that are affected by cannabinoids such as CBD and THC. There are two types: CB1 and CB2 receptors. The CB1 receptors are primarily located on nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, but they’re also found in some peripheral organs and tissues such as the liver, kidneys, white blood cells, endocrine glands and parts of the reproductive, gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. The CB2 receptors are found mainly on white blood cells, in the tonsils and in the spleen. CBD and THC have the exact same molecular structure, but experts say a slight difference in how the atoms are arranged accounts for the differing effects on your body. This might explain why CBD doesn’t make you high. CBD works…

EDIBLES No, not dagga brownies – those contain far too much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to be legally sold in SA. THC is the psychoactive chemical in cannabis that makes you high, and in SA no CBD product may contain more than 0,001% THC, Willard says. CBD can be bought as gummies – just don’t let kids get their hands on these sweets. TIP Be wary of edibles that haven’t been put through an approval process, Dr Malherbe warns. The first CRI-approved gummies will be for sale in South Africa soon. CAPSULES These are a popular option wit people who don’t like the taste of the oil but the capsules take longer to take effect, according to Willard. “That said, several companies are now employing liposome technology to help with the absorption…

FOR two years she battled to ease her eczema. It was so bad the skin on her hands and feet sometimes cracked and started bleeding. Yolandi Venter-Winterbach from Potchefstroom in North West was desperate for relief and decided to try CBD-infused skincare products. Her wife, Mari Winterbach-Venter (37), recommended it to her after the products eased her 10-year battle with eczema. “Sometimes Mari’s eczema was so bad her hands were bloody from all the cracks in her skin,” Yolandi (41) says. She started using a broad-spectrum CBD cream that contains nine different ingredients from the cannabis plant. Her condition began improving within a month and now Mari’s hands are smooth and soft, Yolandi says. “It was fantastic. After all those years of using everything from cortisone and pills to every…

WHEN she heard of a clinical trial to test the efficacy of a CBD-infused aloe gel on menopause symptoms, she jumped at the opportunity to be part of the group. Linda Hannival from Cape Town was willing to try just about anything to put an end to the hot flushes and sweaty episodes that punctuated her day. “I was about 54 when I became menopausal and it took a while before I accepted it,” she says. Although she eventually came to terms with the fact she was going through the “change of life” she just couldn’t get used to all the distressing symptoms. “There were hot flushes, mood swings, low libido and sleepless nights, but it’s the sweating that was relentless.” Linda, who worked as a buyer at a pharmaceutical…

HE WAS sceptical at first when he heard about the hype surrounding medical cannabis. This was dagga, he thought – he didn’t want to be involved. But the more Andre Bothma found out about it, the more intrigued he became. He started doing his own research and discovered people in this business weren’t smoking their socks. The legal cannabis industry was taking off around the world – and he wanted in. Cannabidiol, or CBD, which is extracted from cannabis plants, has been introduced into a variety of health and wellness products, from teas to sweets to concentrated herbal extracts. The demand for products has been rising steadily thanks to its range of health benefits, including pain relief and anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties. Never mind pot, Andre thought – this could…

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OLYMPIC GYMNAST GABBY DOUGLAS Douglas knows what it takes to achieve Olympics glory. The three-time gold medallist has certainly pushed her body to the limit over the years. “It takes everything out of you, and you have to lay down a lot,” she says. To manage her pain, Douglas uses cannabidiol (CBD) products. She’s such a fan she’s also become an ambassador for a range of CBD products aimed to help athletes train, perform and recover from intense physical activity. “I’m glad athletes across all Olympic sports will now have the opportunity to use these products and hopefully experience their benefits.” FORMER RUGBY PLAYERS JAMES HASKELL AND BEN FRANKS Retired player Haskell (near right) first started using CBD when a friend recommended it after he suffered a concussion. The former…

‘VAPING IS JUST LOOKING FOR TROUBLE FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR LUNGS’ Everyone’s doing it, manufacturers and distributors swear it’s amazing and the internet says it’s the best thing, like, ever. But you need to be sure of your facts when considering CBD vaping because the health effects aren’t crystal clear. Here are some questions you should consider before you inhale. WHAT ARE THE SIDE-EFFECTS? There’s almost no research on the side-effects of vaping, but there have been reports of death and lung injury from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In South Africa, the CBD industry is not regulated. Many distributors may be selling CBD oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), says psychiatrist Dr Lerato Dikobe-Kalane from Pretoria. THC, the cannabis component which causes a high, could have adverse…

YOU’RE standing in the middle of the aisle at your local retail store with a plethora of CBD products staring back at you – there are oils, capsules, lotions, teas and even energy shots. Cannabidiol or CBD is the holy grail everyone seems to be recommending for everything from arthritis to anxiety. But because the market is relatively new and not well regulated, there are also lots of fake products around. One of the best ways to determine if the product you’re buying is safe and of good quality is by reading the label. Here’s what to look out for. INSPECT THE CLAIMS The CBD compound found in the cannabis plant falls into the same category as vitamins and supplements. All CBD companies are legally obligated to meet the requirements…

MAKING cannabis medicines and edibles is relatively easy once you understand the basics. The first thing to know is that cannabis is fat soluble and not water soluble, so the fattier the oil, the better the extraction. This is why most recipes recommend using oils such as butter or coconut oil. Secondly, for cannabis to become psychoactive and make you feel “high”, you need to either heat or cure the cannabis first. Using raw cannabis doesn’t make you feel high, although it does have an invigorating effect and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It’s also good to note that the whole plant can be used for different medicinal applications. THE ROOT There are Chinese texts dating back to 2700 BC that discuss the use of cannabis root as a medicine to…

IT BECAME clear early in his life that he was struggling with mental health issues. When he was still at school, his parents noticed he battled to focus, and he quit university in his second year. Andries Gous was relieved when doctors diagnosed him with bipolar disorder – it explained why he suffered extreme mood swings and horrible panic attacks. “A chemical imbalance in my brain causes drastic mood swings,” he tells YOU. “It’s like an Eskom account – it goes up, then it goes down. I need help to keep that on an even keel.” A few years ago he fell into a deep depression after losing everything: his citrus farm near Gouda in the Western Cape, his home and his bakkie. Around the same time his beloved father…

IT WASN’T that long ago that the idea of cannabis being legal in South Africa lived only in the hopes and dreams of activists. But since government changed its stance and decriminalised the use of cannabis for private use, there’s been a growing interest in the trend of using CBD products among ordinary consumers. The department of agriculture, land reform and rural development has also released its National Cannabis Master Plan (NCMP), which aims to turn the plant into a viable business sector for the country. This means there’s likely to be greater growth in this seedling of an industry in the next few years. Here are some fascinating facts and numbers. 2018 The year the Constitutional Court decriminalised the private use and cultivation of cannabis in SA. Even though…

IT’S hard to watch your child suffer. A cough at night is enough to keep most parents awake with worry, but what about the challenges posed by conditions such as epilepsy or autism? Parents in dire circumstances are often willing to try almost anything to improve their child’s quality of life. In some circles cannabidiol (CBD) is being touted as the solution to everything from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to autism, epilepsy and general anxiety. But experts warn you must be super careful before even considering offering your child that gummy or a few drops under the tongue. “There’s been some promising research,” says Cape Town paediatrician Dr Candyce Levin. “But the debate about CBD for children is ongoing because there’s little information about two important aspects: dosage and…

SARAH Wermuth’s heart sank when she got the call from her son’s primary school. Ethan had been in Grade 1 for only three weeks and his teachers were concerned about his behaviour. He was too chatty, unfocused and disrupting other kids in the class, his teacher said. The school suggested her son be tested by a psychologist to see if he had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Sarah, a special-needs facilitator, was left shaken after the meeting, especially as she hadn’t noticed any unusual behaviour in Ethan. “As a mother, you don’t ever want to hear that your child is battling and you definitely don’t want to hear they are ill or need to go on any type of medication,” she says. The 34-year-old from Morningside, Durban, and her husband,…

HIS career had just begun to take off. He was short-listed for the South African nation al team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, placed top 10 on the European Triathlon circuit and had his sights set on Olympic glory. But Nicholas Quenet’s dreams were dashed when he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder in 2019. Nick had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition where an additional pathway in the heart causes it to beat too fast. Hearing he had a heart condition was a bitter blow for the triathlete. “All the doctors and cardiologists said elite-level sports were off the cards,” Nick says. “At most, I’d be able to go for easy jogs and swim now and then. I’ve always wanted to represent my country at the Olympics so being told…

YOU’VE read all the reviews, heard a few life-changing stories, and spent a pretty penny on your own CBD products. But unlike everyone else, you’re not getting any effects or feeling any buzz. “My CBD lotion isn’t working,” you think. “What a waste of money, totally not worth the hype,” you tell your friends. There could be a few reasons why your results aren’t what you expected. The biggest is you’re expecting a high. Even though CBD comes from the cannabis plant, the compound is nonintoxicating. It might give you a sense of calm and relaxation – what’s known as a “body high” – but you’re not going to get stoned unless you take high doses containing THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis). We look at five potential reasons why…

I LOVE my dogs. I really do. But since the pandemic hit, I have on more than one occasion found myself sitting in my parked car, just trying to catch a breather from them. My husband and I have two Boston terriers. They’re more than just our pets. They’re our fur babies – we pamper our pooches with toys and treats, they kiss our faces and, I’m ashamed to admit, they even share our bed. But as working moms well know, sometimes you need a break from your (fur) child, no matter how much you love them. Which is how I found myself sitting in my car in front of my property, taking a moment. Still, I could hear Bailey whining and barking in the backyard. Bailey is our three-and-a-half-year-old…

THERE are plenty of topics that can get people into a heated debate within a matter of minutes – and vaping is one of them. Throw into the mix vaping as a way to consume cannabidiol (CBD) and you can have an argument that seems to have no end. Vaping is one of the most popular ways to consume CBD. Users believe it delivers the effects of CBD, including feeling calmer, much faster than applying a CBD-infused lotion or taking a drop in your tea or under your tongue. A vape, an electronic smoking device that heats CBD oil so it can be inhaled, delivers CBD straight into your bloodstream directly through your lungs. But the jury is out on whether it’s safe to vape CBD. It’s not even certain…

Not every vape is the same, but they all have four basic components: a battery, a heating element (also known as an atomiser), a mouthpiece and a chamber to hold the material to be vaped. The heating element vaporises whatever material it comes in contact with in the chamber and the user inhales the vapour through the mouthpiece. The two most popular types of vapes are the tank-style vapes and pen-style vapes. The tank-style vape is the kind that produces the billowing clouds typically associated with vaping, while the pen-style vape is sleeker and less conspicuous.…

IT’S on shelves at the grocery store and all over social media, celebs are into it and you may even have a friend or two using it. CBD is certainly becoming trendier by the day and it’s now so mainstream more retailers are stocking various types of products. But even though CBD items seem to be popping up all over the place you might not have the faintest clue exactly how it works. You’re not alone. Although most of us know it’s somehow related to cannabis, not many of us actually know what it is or what it does. The rising trend has made many curious and there are plenty of people using the many options on the market. But there’s still a lot of hesitation around using CBD because…

ONE friend says CBD capsules help her sleep better, another uses the cream to treat a skin rash, and even the neighbour’s grizzled old dog has a new skip in his step since he’s been getting a few drops of CBD oil every day. It might feel as if everyone you know has tried this hit herbal remedy except you. But don’t just rush out and buy the first product you find. The CBD (cannabidiol) market is booming right now, and the wide variety of products can be overwhelming. Here are a few things you need to know before deciding which product is best suited to you. IS IT SAFE? Safety and quality should be your top priority, says Sean Willard, a pharmacist and cannabis expert from wellness products supplier…

IF IT says CBD on the label can you trust it’s the real thing? Unfortunately not. Since its meteoric growth, the market has been flooded with fake CBD products. “Some products contain no CBD or less than the claimed amount,” says Aaron Riley, CEO of American cannabis company CannaSafe. HERE’S A QUICK WAY TO DISTINGUISH THE GENUINE ARTICLE FROM A COUNTERFEIT ONE FAKE CBD Claim miracle cure There’s no testing information The price is dirt cheap Comes in clear or plastic bottles You bought it online or from a “guy” REAL CBD Doesn’t make any promises A third party has given the product its stamp of approval Higher price tag Packaged in a dark-colour glasss bottle Available at trusted retailers CBD is a supplement. Unlike medicines, it can’t claim to…

WHEN they told their parents they were going to grow cannabis for a living, it did not go down well. Only losers dabble with weed, they were told. And every time they found little plants growing in the backyard, they’d toss them out and tell their sons to get real jobs. But today Constant Beckerling and Anlo van Wyk have proven their parents had nothing to worry about – their business is thriving. Through their company, AgriSmart Engineering, Constant and Anlo have developed a high-tech way of growing abundant cannabis crops indoors. The bright minds caught the attention of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) when they made it to the finals of the Innovation Hub competition last year. The GGDA recognises entrepreneurs who create tech-based solutions that benefit…

IT’S happening. Again. I flick to the next page of my book. I’ve already finished half the novel in the past few hours. The alarm clock gives my side of the bedroom a faint glow as another minute passes silently. It’s 2:47. 2.48. I must be up for work in less than three hours’ time and I can’t sleep. 4.10am. Finally, I feel that blissful tiredness and drift off. Seconds later – well it feels like seconds later – I’m woken by, “We have to get done, now!” The voice is loud, not yelling but a theatrical stage whisper. My then eight-year-old, eager to get ready for school. I’m dead on my feet. Argh. Insomnia. I’ve had it for years. Sleepless nights spent with my mind racing, and a few…

IT’S a busy weekday morning in Cape Town – the air is thick with fog; motorists are honking their horns and construction on new developments is going ahead at full blast. But the two people on the balcony aren’t bothered by all the commotion. Roxy Louw-Barton and Sam Barton are sitting on a mat on the balcony of their two-storey cottage in De Waterkant near the Mother City’s V&A Waterfront. Their legs are crossed, arms outstretched, and palms touching. Seated in silence, they’re focused on their yoga pose. Many South Africans will know Roxy as a model, entrepreneur and surfer. But today we’re talking to her about her yoga classes, which have an extra element in the mix to achieve relaxation: CBD oil. Roxy and her husband, Sam, are cannabis…

DEBBIE da Silva always knew her youngest son was different from his brothers. In primary school Cameron, who is now 18, had difficulty making friends and fitting in with children his age. “He always seemed to be on his own – if he did make a friend, it would just be one friend,” says Debbie (54) from Cape Town. Debbie and her husband, Sam, tried to introduce Cameron to sport and signed him up to play hockey, but he didn’t enjoy it. “When he was younger, he would always arrange things in a row. He would also do puzzles – that was all he wanted to do,” she recalls. As he grew older, Cameron spent more and more time alone, playing computer games. “He’d often have temper tantrums and wouldn’t…

IT SEEMS every athlete and their brother is using CBD these days. Pain management, faster muscle recovery – the enthusiasm knows no bounds. Given all the hype and potential benefits of CBD products, you might be wondering whether including it in your workout can help you achieve your fitness goals. According to experts, studies on how CBD affects training sessions are still in the early phases. It still needs to be clinically tested on people, but CBD does seem to have several physiological, biochemical and psychological benefits for professional athletes, says Dr Sid Allie, a Cape Town sports doctor at Cape Sports Medicine. “Conclusions from these studies are therefore very generalised and can still change significantly,” Dr Allie says. Here’s why athletes from around the sporting world are getting into…

MANY people swear by it and the rise in the number of products on the market suggests it’s a trend that’s not going away any time soon. But as with any industry in its infancy, it pays to give attention to the detail and know the product you’re purchasing is legitimate. Because too many suppliers aren’t sticking to the strict conditions laid down by the law – and consumers are the ones who pay the price. Research on the side-effects and potential benefits of CBD is ongoing, but products made from cannabis plants recently came under scrutiny following tests by the National Analytical Forensic Services (NAFS). And the results have raised concern in some circles. NAFS is a Centurion-based laboratory that’s accredited by the South African Health Product Regulatory Authority…

PRODUCTS CBD muscle and joint pain cream (250mg) and CBD daily capsules (600mg) WHY I USED IT I suffer quite badly from sleeplessness – I often find myself sitting up until the wee hours, only to fall asleep once my body is too tired to fight sleep. I’ve had success using sleeping tablets in the past but it’s not something I’m comfortable relying on. WHAT I THOUGHT I took a capsule in the morning, they were easy to swallow and did not taste bad. Unlike sleeping pills, I didn’t feel like I had to wait for it to kick in. The CBD capsules seemed to reduce my restlessness and I felt tired in the evening. Because I took it early, I could also reap other benefits throughout the day such…