By Vivian Roach | Staff Writer
CBD has recently become popular in Waco among first responders and former athletes who use the product to help heal injuries and relieve stress.
Anne Tamporello is the owner of the CBD American Shaman Waco franchise, which opened in late December. Tamporello is a former professional athlete and is currently a police officer for the Waco Police Department.
After trying CBD oil herself almost two and a half years ago, Tamporello said she had better sleep quality and less knee pain.
CBD is one of the thousands of cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. People have natural cannabinoids in our system, and CBD binds with the receptors in the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system is connected to the nervous system and is responsible for keeping everything balanced in your body. When that balance is thrown off from stress, poor diet, injury or other factors, the imbalance causes inflammation. CBD is anti-inflammatory and acts as a healing agent, said Tamporello.
CBD is not to be confused with THC, which comes from the cannabis plant and causes a psychoactive effect.
The most sought out benefit of CBD its ability to block pain or anxiety. “It’s all about what you don’t feel,” Tamporello said. “It’s like smoking weed without the high.”
However, THC is inversely related to CBD. A high THC content means a low CBD content, and vice versa.
Saratoga, Calif., sophomore Cailley Bryan has worked with several doctors who have done research in holistic medicine. She used to use CBD oil, however, has since stopped because she is unsure of the long-term effects of CBD and worries about the plant being genetically modified.
“What is attractive about CBD is that it is natural. Although, the plant is so profitable it has become mass produced,” Bryan said. “When production began they started to spray [the plant] and genetically modify it by breeding mother to daughter plants and increasing the THC level. So, even companies that are certified, are certified due to their farming practices. That means the seed might still be genetically modified though, and therefore unpredictable.”
Tamporello said that CBD American Shaman carries CBD products with THC, that is inherently in the plant, as well as without. This is legal because it is federally and state legal to buy THC products that contain less than .03% THC in them.
CBD American Shaman is the largest CBD franchise in the nation, and is the only franchise certified by the U.S. Hemp Authority.
CBD American Shaman has propertized nanotechnology that allows them to break down the CBD oil into even smaller particles able to dissolve in water. The benefit of water soluble CBD oil is that you’re not losing any of the potency of the CBD when your body digests the oil.
“I will have some people come in and say, well I can go to the gas station and get 25,000 milliliters of CBD, why would I only take these 300?” Tamporello said. Supplements without the U.S. Hemp Authority seal are not regulated, so labels may be incorrectly representing the product. Additionally, users lose most of the potency during the digestion process.
Tamporello predicts the future of CBD becoming a “copilot” to marijuana, enhancing the healing effects of cannabinoids in the cannabis plant.
