Although civilizations have been cultivating cannabis sativa—better known as the cannabis plant that provides marijuana and industrial hemp—for centuries, the herb has enjoyed positive attention in recent years through efforts to educate people about its medicinal qualities. As early as the 1990s, the Journal of Psychopharmacology published a study on how cannabidiol (CBD), the non-hallucinogenic properties of the cannabis plant, can help calm anxiety. The Journal of Experimental Medicine published a more recent study in June 2012, examining how CBD can ease inflammation, thus helping chronic pain.

Natural Awakenings recently caught up with Debra Stoltzfus of Inshanti Pure Essential Oils, in Kinzers, to learn more about how CBD oil can help with pain and anxiety, as well as dispel any myths about this sacred plant that has, at times, gotten a bad rap.

CBD oil has gained much attention recently for its wellness properties, but for those not familiar with CBD oil, what is it?

CBD is cannabis sativa, and that is the plant that is marijuana and also hemp. It’s the same plant. The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) chemical component of the plant is marijuana. The portion of the cannabis sativa plant that has more of a CBD component is hemp. The plant can be harvested different ways for different uses.

The THC is what gives people a “high”, but that’s not the component of the plant that is present in most medicinal CBD oils?

Correct. CBD is cannabidiol, and you don’t get high from that. It’s federally legal in all 50 states as long as there’s 0.3 percent or less THC in the oil. I get my CBD oil from a federally regulated industrial hemp farm in Kentucky that grows through organic methods. A chemist, Dr. Robert Pappas, tests all of my CBD oil so I know exactly what I’m getting and that the THC level is consistently below 0.3 percent.

What are some wellness properties of CBD, or hemp, oil?

It’s good for chronic pain, such as inflammation and arthritis. It is best taken sublingually (under the tongue) so it goes straight to the bloodstream. People can start off with a couple of drops every few hours and gradually increase the dosage. CBD oil also eases pain from fibromyalgia. I have customers that are cancer patients and use it to help their pain. Another gentleman I talked to had suffered from headaches for 12 years and was taking Advil every day. He tried CBD oil, and he said he’s been headache-free since using it. It’s also good for ADHD, since it helps people feel less anxious. There’s also documentation showing how CBD oil helped people with debilitating seizures and epilepsy.

What should people watch for when purchasing CBD oil?

When you’re buying CBD, you have to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples, and not apples to oranges. In my one-ounce bottle of vanilla mint hemp blend, there’s 750 milligrams of CBD. Another blend might have less. Some people question why my oil costs more, but when I looked at their one-ounce bottle of a different brand, there was only 20 milligrams of CBD. Cheaper, mass-produced oils are often adulterated with harmful synthetic filler ingredients. You cannot mass-produce nature.

How is Inshanti’s vanilla mint hemp oil made?

The CBD, vanilla and peppermint is obtained through CO2, or carbon dioxide, extraction. We flavor the CBD oil with vanilla and mint so it’s not so bitter. The CO2 extraction means the product is always solvent-free and you get heavier molecules out of the plant than you would through steam distillation. The plants are grown on legally certified, organic fields in Kentucky, and I have the lab tests stating that the product is free from pesticides and mold. I’ve also recently introduced a cinnamon-flavored CBD oil.

On my website there are links to research and studies, and people can email me to obtain access to an additional web page with links to articles, studies and testimonials from people that want to share information about how CBD oil has helped them.

Inshanti is located at 48 Slaymaker Hill Rd., in Kinzers. For more information or to purchase CBD oil, call 717-587-3990 or visit Inshanti.com.

Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and contributor to Natural Awakenings magazines throughout the country.