JP Sears is selling CBD. His new company, Awaken, recently sent out a marketing email extolling the benefits of CBD. Derek looks at the science behind the claims.
Show Notes
CBD is everywhere. But is it a scam?
Inverted U-Shaped Dose-Response Curve of the Anxiolytic Effect of Cannabidiol during Public Speaking in Real Life
Pioneering UAMS Study Warns of CBD Supplements’ Harm to Gut Health
Can Cannabis Help Your Gut?
The Impact of Cannabidiol on Human Brain Function: A Systematic Review
Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature
Does CBD Help With Insomnia?
Cannabidiol (CBD): What we know and what we don't
Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol
Cannabidiol (CBD): a killer for inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts
A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study
Immune Responses Regulated by Cannabidiol
Can CBD Benefit Your Immune System?
CBD and Heart Health
Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabivarin on Glycemic and Lipid Parameters in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group Pilot Study
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Sears was hinting in his newsletter that something big was coming.
An event that would give his subscribers more freedom than they'd ever known.
Would he be following up as the opening act for Carrie Lake and run for office himself?
Addy finally had enough with gun violence and was finally declaring that he would stop his horrific trans trolling.
Of course, not on that one.
And then the actual announcement came.
He was launching a CBD company.
I'll forgive you if you were as underwhelmed as I was.
The gas station around the corner from me has a banner for kratom and CBD.
It's about as wellness-oriented as goji berries and cacao nibs at this point.
And his marketing, it's something.
The product is called Awaken, pretty ironic given his war on woke, and the only word associated with the brand is freedom.
For example, here's some homepage marketing copy.
With its ability to improve and support so many different uses of your health and wellness, you can experience everyday freedom from relief to restful sleep.
Oh, wait, wait.
Let me add a comma in there for him and try again.
With his ability to improve and support so many different areas of your health and wellness, you can experience everyday freedom from relief to restful sleep.
Ready to step into greater freedom?
You know what, I'm going to take JP at his word in this episode.
He recently sent out a marketing email entitled, Deli Dose Gummies, 10 Benefits for Your Life.
So I want to see if his purported benefits really hold up.
Seriously.
I've always said that I'm for what works.
CBD is something I've inadvertently been consuming for 30 years this year.
I'm a long-time cannabis user, and I take no issue with it.
I know it's helped me in certain areas of my life, and I also know that the consumption of any substance has its risks.
It's not a panacea, but it's also not the devil's weed.
Out of anything I've ever put into my body, it's just been a sidekick for a very long time.
I've gone months without it, and my daily consumption now is rather small.
It's either a 2.5mg edible microdose, or 2-3 hits from a joint, and always in the evening after my work day is over.
Some people unwind with a glass of wine, and while I like a little alcohol, in general it makes me sluggish.
Marijuana hits my sweet spot.
Everyone has a relationship with their substances.
Coffee, beer, tobacco, whatever it is.
Sometimes it becomes an addiction, and it would be a lot harder for me to kick caffeine than cannabis.
And sometimes it's an accoutrement, an enhancement.
Sometimes that line is fuzzy.
That said, if people use cannabis for recreational purposes, or for healing purposes, or both, provided that it's not weighing them down, I'm all for it, just as I'm all for CBD usage.
I just get tripped up with the medical claims.
So let's start with a little context.
Cannabidol, or CBD, is one of 113 identified cannabinoids found in cannabis.
Its complete mechanism of action is unknown, but it has shown some real strengths.
There's been a lot of research on cannabis generally and CBD in particular.
So right now, only three cannabis-related products are clinically proved for medical usage.
You have Epidiolex, which is for seizure treatment.
You have Marinol and Syndros, which contain Dronabinol, which is used to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy and HIV patients.
And then you have Sesamet, which contains Nabalone, which is used to treat nausea and vomiting when Dronabinol doesn't work.
Even here, CBD is often used in conjunction with another substance or substances, or what's known as an adjuvant.
And that's one big criticism of the CBD gold rush in recent years.
It's part of an orchestra of 111 other cannabinoids, and of course the big one, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the reason you get high from the cannabis plant.
By contrast, CBD is not psychoactive, which makes for a compelling therapeutic.
Healing without a high that many people find anxiety-promoting or debilitating.
And it would be great if isolated CBD held up with the claims made about it.
But here's the thing.
The CBD market is expected to reach $47 billion by 2028.
Judy Mikovits was recently promoting it on Alex Jones' channel, and she's been on that kick for years as well, so you see it in the wellness space often.
When that kind of money is at stake, there's no end to the false claims that will be made about the science supporting CBD, regardless if the science holds up.
Now in many cases, CBD appears to work best when combined with THC, which is actually and truly how nature intended.
Or at least how nature evolved and we curious apes stumbled across a plant that made us feel warm and fuzzy, and sometimes even gave us great insights about ourselves and the world.
So, let's take a look at Awakened CBD's 10 Giant Claims and see how they stand up against the science.
