What we think:
What calms you down? Maybe it’s yoga. Hot tea? I’m into mashed potatoes. Hugs. The sea. If I spent some more time thinking about it, I could probably come up with a long list of peace-inducing triggers. And lucky for me, this extract is joining my calming conga line.
Sana Botanicals: Calm bills itself as a modest concentration of full-spectrum hemp extract in MCT oil, formulated to deliver a rapid reduction in chronic discomfort, stress, and anxiety — ultimately helping you stay calm, cool and collected. Each bottle contains 600 mg of CBD total, and every dropper delivers 20mg per serving.
Feeling adventurous, I decided to take a dose in the morning before work. This can’t possibly be a bad move, right? I followed the directions for use exactly:
I filled the dropper up to the highest dash (it’s marked, for your measuring convenience), carefully emptied the contents underneath my tongue, and then set my iPhone timer for 60 seconds. It was then that I realized I’d never tried holding liquid under my tongue before. It’s awkward. I waited. “Damn, this actually tastes super good,” I thought. It grew on me like a rabid moss. By the time the timer went off and I actually had to swallow the stuff — now fairly diluted with saliva — I was in love, already dreaming of how many things I could infuse with its complex flavor; a savory blend of botanicals that stoked warm memories of herb-heavy comfort dinners and crisp autumn night walks.
Once I read the ingredients list, the complexity fell into place; the extract is blended with bergamot, ashwagandha, chamomile, peppermint, lavender and vetiver. You may have heard of bergamot oil; extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange, it’s famous for providing Earl Grey tea with its distinctive citrus notes. A google search also assured me that in aromatherapy applications, the oil is known to help reduce anxiety and stress. I had already been acquainted with chamomile, peppermint, lavender as well-known agents of calm; however, it was my first encounter with ashwagandha and vetiver. Turns out, ashwagandha is a shrub that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat a variety of health issues (including anxiety), and vetiver is a fragrant grass known to provide a calming, grounding effect on emotions.
After I’d finished the extract, I caught the bus to my co-working space, and plunged into my work. I think I could start to feel the effects about 30-45 minutes after taking it. My body felt significantly relaxed, but I didn’t feel sleepy or disinterested. I was able to work as usual, but from a steady center of peacefulness that permeated my mood and made me feel like I was suspended in Zen City for the next few hours. And I might have totally been imagining it, but I seemed to talk just a little bit slower too. Either way, I liked feeling so serene. Ultimately, it made me feel more in control. When you’re not stressed, you have an easier time focusing on what matters.
Sana Botanicals says this tincture is designed to help you find the calm in the middle of even the busiest days. In my experience, that promise holds true.
You can check out the full line of products from Sana Botanicals here.
Disclaimer: Information found in this article or on canniful.com shouldn’t be taken as any medical or scientific opinion, advice or recommendation. Please do your own research and consult with your doctor before introducing cannabinoids to your body.