Raised Spirit: Organic CBD Cacao

I think we can all agree that sitting around at home during lockdown can be a bore. But we’ve learnt some new and fun ways to pass the time by experimenting with our baking. Today, The Amazing Blog  would like to introduce a tasty new healthy treat from Raised Spirit with their delicious Organic CBD Cacao use it in baking, spread it on a toasted bun, or just spooned straight from the jar!

Raised Spirit was launched in 2013 by health coach Nick Osipczak. As a former professional athlete, Nick had the opportunity to travel worldwide and learn about health and nutrition from various experts and discovered the hemp plants benefits. He always dreamt of releasing an organic, plant-based product, and in 2017, they launched with CBD Coconut Oil Pro, as their first hemp-infused product. Raised Spirit creates a variety of organically certified CBD edible and topical products, that have the versatility to be used to enrich a diet or applied to the skin.  What sets the brand apart from its competitors, is that they are the first UK brand to produce CBD infused organic coconut oil, which is a superfood in its own right. Their vision for the future is to increase their hemp-based offerings, expanding into clothing, building materials and biofuel.

We couldn’t resist trying the Organic CBD Cacao which is a delicious and divine nutrient-dense superfood. We like that it is  made using only four simple ingredients: Organic CBD coconut oil GOLD, raw cacao powder, coconut blossom syrup and sunflower lecithin.  In this 200m jar is their exclusive ingredient of Organic CDB Coconut oil GOLD, which contains 500mg of full-spectrum (with 0.2% THC), which offers the maximum ‘entourage effect’ meaning that the whole hemp plant is used rather than a single aspect. This offers significant benefits with all the compounds working together boosting the health, and the overall therapeutic effect of the cannabinoids. Plus, there’s vitamins A, D, K and E, as well as 400+ offer compounds found in the hemp plant. This is combined with organic coconut oil made of 100% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) with a shorter chemical structure than other fats. In simple terms, the fats are quickly absorbed, promoting satiety and preventing fat storage. The lauric acid in the oil destroys bacteria that can lead to stomach ulcers and food poisoning, and converts to monolaurin, for a protective immune function. It also has the advantage of being a stable oil without spoiling when used at high temperatures making it an excellent substitute for any kind of butters or vegetable oils.

The addition of the raw cacao here is another superfood, made from raw fermented unroasted cocoa beans. This organic cacao powder has 40 times the number of antioxidants of blueberries, is full of anti-inflammatory flavanols, and is packed with mood-enhancing compounds that release endorphins making it so compatible with the full-spectrum CBD here. The other two ingredients are coconut blossom syrup, a nectar collected from the sap of coconut blossoms, a healthy sweetening alternative to sugar and contains iron, magnesium and zinc. And finally, the sunflower lecithin, is the vegan alternative to the lecithin typically sourced from egg yolks, it has antioxidant properties and helps contribute to brain, heart and liver health.

This Organic CBD Cacao has a semi-sweet coconut-chocolatey taste that offers a variety of uses, and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Whether you’re in the mood for baking chocolate brownies, or quickly adding some to a smoothie, this won’t disappoint! So, If you’re planning to make changes for a healthier diet, or just looking to experiment with something new, this will make for a tasty substitute. It is very rich, so if you get tempted to spoon it from the jar (like us!), you’ll find that 2 teaspoons will quickly satisfy that chocolate craving. Dare we compare this to a well-known high street hazelnut spread? Yes, we will as we think this is much nicer!  We used it (as suggested) combining two tablespoons of CBD Cacao with 1 cup of oat milk on low heat, whisking it and blending thoroughly - yum.  We also got creative and used this in a recipe "Cacao & Almond Date Energy Balls" on Raised Spirit’s Facebook page here;  which we found to be a good sweet energy pick-me-up ideal for those afternoon slump moments. Or you could try experimenting with your favourite chocolate brownie recipe by substituting butter and cocoa with this healthier (and tastier) alternative. Curious to try?  Then see here where you can purchase this 200ml jar of Raised Spirits Organic CBD Cacao for £39.99.

Ann & Eli Apothecary- Happy Period Tea

We knows how many women dread that ‘time of the month’ and at The Amazing Blog we like to find new ways to help ease period pains. Welcome Ann & Eli Apothecary who have created a solution with their Happy Period Tea.

Founder Andrea Bomo is a holistic wellness coach based in Montreal with a background in journalism. After her own rocky path in life, and after hearing others stories, this propelled her on to the natural health and wellness path. She spent her early twenties not paying much mind to her diet or mental health and suffered from chronic illness and depression. She was later diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome; which is when she decided to prioritise her health. Bomo is a great believer that there is a connection between our emotional and physical health. Thus her drive and inspiration behind creating Ann & Eli Apothecary is to help other women in need of support and guidance, especially to “ live naturally healthy lives and take care of their little ones.” Ann & Eli Apothecary specialise in a wide range of healing organic herbal teas and tinctures.

 The Happy Period Tea comes as a loose tea in a 57g bag with twenty five servings/portions. This tea is labelled as a menstrual cramps relief tea, but it can also help PMS and to help regulate the menstrual cycle. We recommend you use this tea if you have period pains before or during menstruation, experience PMS, have irregular periods, heavy bleeding, or have missing periods (amenorrhea). NB: They say please do not use this tea if you are pregnant. The suggested intake is to drink one to three cups a day, starting three days before the first day that your period is due. Scoop around one teaspoon of the tea into a cup or tea infuser before adding in boiling water, then allow the leaves to steep in the water for up to 15 minutes. After steeping, strain the leaves out and enjoy. Red raspberry leaf helps support healthy menstruation, toning the uterus, lessens cramps, and helps to regulate mood and hormones. Yarrow is used to relaxing the muscle in both the intestine and uterus. Sage is another ingredient that helps regulate the menstrual cycle in amenorrhea. Lemon balm also helps to relieve menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome. Mugwort, sounds worse than it is (!) and increases circulation to warm up the uterus, and also regulates hormone levels. The zingibain enzyme found in the ginger helps your body fight against inflammation. As mentioned, Ann & Eli Apothecary have a range of other herbal teas. These range from those for nursing mothers, pregnant women, and some are for the everyday person for everyday use, such as Cleanse Organic Liver-Detox tea and Morning Boost, to even Beauty Sleep and an immuniTea – something we all need now that we’re in #lockdown! To take period pains away try Happy Period Tea here 57g for £12.70.

Black Sheep Dispensaries: CBD Full Spectrum Supplements

Have you felt a bit ‘wobbly’ recently? In these uncertain times, we at The Amazing Blog have been searching out natural products to help steady our nerves, take the edge off and generally give us some uninterrupted sleep. As regular readers will know, we’re big fans of CBD (see here) not only for its calming effects but also for its anti-inflammatory and skin-boosting qualities. As we approach Christmas (and the anticipation of a further lockdown in the New Year), we’re just so pleased to introduce you to  Black Sheep Dispensaries and their supplements, which we have to hand!

Black Sheep Dispensaries was founded in 2015 with a vision to provide honest, affordable, organic, natural cannabis products for the consumer. Kimberley Brown and her co-founder have a wealth of knowledge on the cannabis plant which includes a Bachelor of Science Degree whereby a study was made into the link between cannabis and mental health as well as two diplomas in Medical Cannabis. In 2017 Black Sheep Dispensaries officially launched with their product range and over the past few years have developed new products, clothes and accessories. Through personal experience, cannabinoids have been used to treat anxiety which was a contributing driving force to create a company based on a product which had a positive impact upon their life. As the company has developed connections have been made throughout the sporting industry which includes boxing, mixed martial arts, football, basketball, snowboarding, motor cross as well as actors and the general public across a wide span of age groups. The customer base and connections made have further driven Black Sheep Dispensaries to become pioneers within the industry by continuing to grow, develop and provide for every different type of consumer. They are continually completing research and development with a vision to be pioneers within the cannabis industry by bringing new and exciting products to market.  Products currently include edibles, vapes, wax crumbles and balms all of which are made with organic hemp.  Black Sheep Dispensaries uses the whole plant with full spectrum cannabis sativa plant, where it’s extracted using a supercritical CO2 extraction. This gives their products the cannabinoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, Omega-3,6, fatty acids, and amino acids; all of which encourage the entourage effect.

They very kindly sent us three of the products to try. The 1 ml Whole Plant Cannabis Sativa Extract Syringe 1000mg was a first for us, as we’ve never tried a cannabis sativa extract in a syringe before. Having both CBD and CBDA it offers even more health benefits than your regular CBD. For those new to CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), it’s a raw form or predecessor to CBD. It has been used in many medical trials as an anti-inflammatory, anti-depression and anti-nausea for cancer patients and also deemed effective in medical trials for seizure treatment (see here). Whereas, the CBD present, offers all-round pain relief, anti-anxiety and improved sleep. Recently we learnt that it has antidiabetic and enhanced bone healing properties too! With full-spectrum CBD, terpenoids, flavonoids, omega 3-6-9 fatty acids, and amino acids; this Extract offers you all the goodness that you could want from a CBD supplement. We think this is a great way to take CBD. For novices, we should say that this Extract does have a bit of a ‘kick’ but not in an unpleasant way. It’s quick and easy to take, we put a tiny rice-sized amount onto our finger and then massage into your mouth. This is extremely good value at a mere £10 for 1ml here as with this Extract Syringe, a little goes a long way!  

 We also received the 1000mg CBD & CBDA Oral Dropper in 10ml  which comes as an oil in a black bottle with dropper.  Again, this is made up full-spectrum CBD plant extract together with the CBDA (as discussed above) and diluted with organic hemp seed oil.  It has the strength of 14% which is erring on the low side, so good for the initiating any CBD newbies. The percentages of CBD tend to start around 10% and up to 50% for the most potent. They recommend no more than the maximum dose of 200mg so you might want to go here to see the calculator when taking. See here to purchase the Oral Drops at £35. 

Finally, we have the third product which is their 100mg Full Spectrum CBD Capsules. For those of you wanting to try CBD but not keen on the hempy taste, these will be for you. They have 14mg of CBD per capsule, with a breakdown of 11.7% CBD and 2.5% CBDA with the same 14% of CBD + CBDA as the Oral Dropper. However, here the capsules are combined with organic MCT (coconut oil) in a vegan capsule. To purchase  30 capsules for £35 see here . We agree with Kimberley Brown, the co-founder who said: “We believe cannabinoids play an important role within the body and by introducing daily cannabinoids to your everyday diet and routine you not only treat existing ailments but prevent others from arising.” As they say, prevention is better than cure!

Cheerful Buddha: Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops

As we at The Amazing PR  are fervent supporters of CBD, we thought we’d share with you some more THC-free products that we’ve recently tried. Taking CBD oil sublingually is one of our favourite ways to ingest it because it’s a fast and easy way for the body to absorb all the goodness. The Cheerful Buddha CBD drops that we’re featuring today, taste absolutely delicious with naturally flavoured Peppermint or Chocolate & Hazelnut. We had to keep reminding ourselves not to overdose!

Cheerful Buddha was recently founded in 2019, and is one of the few UK based CBD companies offering home produced, manufactured and tested products. The hemp is grown by one of the country’s rare Home Office licensed Sativa growers. The founder and CEO of the company, Claudia Marcela Guevara Gonzalez explained more about the brand in an interview for Natural Products online: “We have worked tirelessly to create a stylish and superior product that steps above the hippy stereotypes of the cannabis plant. Cheerful Buddha embodies the scientifically proven health and wellbeing benefits that CBD naturally brings.” Being able to spread positivity and promote feelings of well-being, and inner peace is what motivates Claudia, who by her own admission is a quite spiritual person who identifies with the Buddhist principles of peace, love, and positive existence. The brand carries a whole range of CBD-infused coffee, drops, and chocolates, so it’s easy to find a CBD product that suits. All of these are broad-spectrum and offer the entourage effect with their terpenes, flavonoids, and waxes, but THC free nevertheless. The cannabidiol is extracted through a high standard critical CO2 extraction and of course, to guarantee top quality and respect of dosage restrictions, all batches are third-party laboratory tested here in the UK, and the results are made available directly on Cheerful Buddha’s website here. The hemp-derived CBD oils are also all gluten-free, non-GMO, organic and lactose-free. We think that transparency is key when purchasing any CBD products.

In the Cheerful Buddha Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops, the carrier oil is MCT oil, which is the best carrier for cannabidiol, as it is sustainable – no deforestation required like that of palm oil. Also, more importantly, it allows faster absorption of the product and does not affect the amount of CBD ingested. This allows the body to fully benefit from the percentage of CBD present in the oil, which is about 500mg per 10ml bottle. These oils not only contain cannabinoids including CBD, CBN, CBL, and CBCVA, but also the aromatic cannabis terpenes like pinene and limonene. In addition, they contain a wide variety of other healthy constituents such as the vitamins B1, B2 and D, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, trace minerals zinc, calcium and magnesium. The best part is, that for those of you who want to benefit from CBD’s many positive effects but cannot stand the hemp taste, these drops are available both in Peppermint, and Chocolate & Hazelnut flavours. The flavours and sensations are different: The Chocolate & Hazelnut tastes chocolatey, sweet, well-rounded and absolutely de-li-cious! While the Peppermint one has a creamy smooth mild minty taste which leaves a freshness. Overall we found that these two oils did their job, and helped to take the edge off the day with their dose 500g of CBD in 10ml. We loved both but we’d have to say that we did have a preference for the yummy taste of the Chocolate & Hazelnut drops. Why not try these to help you find your inner calm with either of these two Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops which are available for £34.95 right here.

The Health & Beauty Botanical Handbook by Pip Waller

Now that we’re all working from home, at The Amazing Blog regular walks in the countryside and gardening have become even more precious, as we get back to nature and using our kitchens as never before.  Herbal lore and remedies have been used by humans over the centuries.  In London there are a number of wonderful apothecary’s gardens growing medicinal plants, The Chelsea Physic Garden is only a ten-minute walk for us and has over 5,000 different varieties of edible and medicinal plants.  We have found ourselves inspired by this Health and Beauty Botanical Handbook which is full of information and recipes.

The Health and Beauty Botanical Handbook is written by Pip Waller who is an experienced medical herbalist and plant spirit practitioner. She has taught at the Academy of Natural Health in London and was a clinical supervisor for the UK-based National Institute of Medical Herbalists Training Clinic.  Pip is also the author of Holistic Anatomy - An Integrative Guide to the Human Body (North Atlantic Books, 2011) and The Domestic Alchemist. She has successfully taught anatomy, physiology and pathology to students of natural medicine since 1991. Her teaching style, which is informal yet extremely informative, comes across well in this book.  Pip Waller shares her invaluable herbal know-how for natural wellbeing.

The book helps to turn the kitchen into a pharmacy providing plant-powered health and beauty recipes. From making tinctures and tonics to syrups and creams, this world-renowned herbalist shares over 350 recipes for pure well-being and holistic health.   An introduction to the power of plants is followed by growing tips and profiles; guidelines on how to set up your kitchen to make the recipes, and techniques for making everything from tinctures to tonics.  It starts with some information about herbs and making herbal recipes, then the recipes themselves and a herb dictionary. Although this book doesn't have any photographs, it's illustrated beautifully. Each recipe has a little blurb and there are extra notes and cautions throughout the book too. The ingredient dictionary at the end is helpful for anyone inexperienced in making herbal remedies. One of the best things about this book is that each recipe lists tell us how long it keeps for, and instructions on how to store, which is great for peace of mind so you know you're only consuming/using fresh and safe products. 

This book has inspired us to try out some of the recipes and read up about herbs and their healing properties.  This is the perfect time of year for the Soothing Sloe C Syrup as sloes are now in the hedgerows (the fruit of the blackthorn) this can help with bronchial conditions, colds, catarrh and inflammation of the throat.  The Weight Loss Spice Tea is also good to try with ginger, cardamom, turmeric and cayenne pepper to help burn fat. The Rosemary Vinegar Hair Rinse can be used in multiple ways, as a rinse to increase shine and restore the hair’s protective acid pH or as a drink to improve circulation.  Totally fitting into our way of life now. You too can buy the book a here from Quarto Books, the price is good value at £12.99. We think that this book is a great introduction to gaining a better understanding of plants and herbs and their uses.  Now we have it, we’ll be dipping into it as we go foraging!