NOTHING HERE IS MEDICAL ADVICE. THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH CBD.
People who know me know I have had a lot of lung issues. I have asthma so bad I’ve broken a rib coughing, and broken my nose coughing and hitting my face on a desk. And yes I used to smoke cigarettes, for 30 years, but quit 8 years ago. Then vaped 2 years, then my lungs got so bad I got off putting anything in my lungs, and got on oxygen 24/7.
I’ve nearly died from asthma and emphysema several times, and been hospitalized a lot.
CBD is a non-psychoactive component of the hemp and marijuana plants that has been shown to be very useful with many ailments, especially anything that involves inflammation, and that’s exactly what asthma is: inflammation of all the little tubes in your lungs, and between your mouth, nose, and lungs.
Getting on CBD was a big turning point for me though. I went, literally overnight, from feeling horrible every day to having a somewhat normal life. I’m still on oxygen at night, but don’t always need it in the day, and can even walk a ways and do simple tasks like take out the trash. I was too sick to even do that for several years.
I was told about CBD years before I got on it, but it was still illegal in my state. Pot is still a felony where I live, but non-THC CBD is specifically legal here as of a few years ago.
The first time I tried CBD, we bought a 30 ml bottle containing 1500 mg of CBD from a local vape shop. It wasn’t vape CBD (which I can’t use), but the vape shop was advertising it on the radio, and my wife heard the ad while driving home. That bottle cost 95 dollars, worked wonders, and lasted about 3 days.
I looked around online and found that you can buy pure crystalized CBD, either pure CBD, or full-spectrum CBD, and make your own oil. I use the pure CBD, it works well for me. Some people need to use full-spectrum, for the “entourage effect“, but pure CBD works great for me. Reduces inflammation and allows me to breathe, with no side effects, and it still works after using a few times a day for 2 years.
So to make my own, I order CBD from https://bluebirdbotanicals.com
I could recommend another site where I’d get some money each time you buy, but BlueBird does not have an affiliate program. I STILL recommend them, since they are the best. I tried 8 other places first, BlueBird rocks. I am using my amazon affiliate link for some of the cheaper things you’ll need, but I never recommend anything I don’t own and use. I own and use all of these things.
Sometimes they have a 20% off on first order when you go to the site, if you do that I’d recommend you order as much CBD as you can on your first order. They also have a pretty large discount for low income and for US military vets. But even if you don’t qualify for a discount, their prices are low, their product is great, and their service is good. Bluebird has lab reports from a reputable lab for each batch’s purity, and lack of germs and mold spores.
You can apply for that discount here. They also have a discount for first responders here.
I mix their powdered CBD with edible flavorless oil, and just take a few eyedroppers of that a few times a day. It ends up WAY cheaper than the pre-mixed kind. I don’t add any flavorings, but you can if you want. The oil I use has no taste (though cats like it and I give them a few drops a day) and is no problem to consume. I’d say five dollars a day based on the huge batch of CBD I bought 2 years ago that I’m still going through, and I use a lot. It’s much cheaper now, so I imagine most people would probably spend about 2 dollars, or less, a day. It’s still 40 to 50 dollars a day for the bottle with the amount of CBD that takes me 5 to 10 dollars to make. I think 2 bucks a day at the current prices would be the highest most people would need to pay now if they make their own oil like this.
You can buy a gram or 5 grams of CBD here, and can buy it in bulk, from 100 grams to 1000 grams, here.
And yes, it does look like crystal meth.
Mixing it up involves heating up edible oil, and the oil is slightly flammable, so I’m not responsible for anyone using this technique. But I’ve done this every couple months for 2 years with no problems.
If you don’t want to mess with making your own oil, Bluebird also has capsules, and CBD oil. But it’s more expensive than making your own.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CBD OIL:
To make your own oil, you will need:
-Some CBD isolate powder.
—Dropper bottles to keep it in. This is 12 bottles, but I got two of this order and I make 16 bottles at a time. It’s also good to have extra bottles. One was chipped in shipping, a couple have broken since, from being dropped.
–A mask. CBD is not toxic, but it is tiny powered crystals that can hurt your lungs if you inhale them. You could use your same everyday cloth COVID mask (but wash it first), or get a good mask. I use this mask that I have 2 of as part of disaster prep. Note there are two sizes: small and medium. Small is only for people with tiny heads. I got medium and it’s fine. They are adjustable.
—Eye protection. Even glasses will work, it’s just in case any hot oil gets splashed.
–A stove, a sauce pan, and a Pyrex measuring cup or other open-top heat-proof glass cup.
—A milligram-accurate scale to weigh your CBD.
–Some plastic spoons
First, wash the spoons, Pyrex, and dropper bottles in the dishwasher to remove any chemicals from manufacturing. Open each bottle and put the droppers in the silverware compartment.
Dry / shake them off. Put a couple inches of water in a sauce pan, and put it on the stove. Use a burner near a counter to your dominant hand. If you’re right handed, have the counter you can use directly to the right of the burner. This is so you won’t have to move the oil far to the bottles.
Weight out your CBD. I use 1000 mg (1 gram) per 30 ml dropper bottle. That’s a good strong dose, but not too strong. I put a small piece of paper on the scale, zero out the scale, and use a plastic spoon to put little bits on until I get to where I want it. Since I make 16 bottles at a time, I use 16 grams.
Seal up the CBD container. I keep mine in the container it came in, with some silica gel bags, inside another large zip lock bag. The Silica keeps it from getting damp from the air.
Add the proper amount of MCT oil to the Pyrex measuring cup. I use 450 ml. That with 16 grams of CBD works great to make 16 bottles of 30 ml each.
Drop the CBD into the measuring cup.
Open up all your bottles and put them on the counter near the sauce pan. Put them on paper towels to catch drips:
Put the measuring cup into a few inches of room temp tap water in the sauce pan. This is called a “water bath.” It keeps the oil from getting so hot it catches on fire.
Put the heat on medium, and slowly stir with a plastic spoon:
At this point I take my mask off, since there are no longer any loose sharp crystals of CBD. They are dissolving under the oil.
Slowly stir the oil as the CBD dissolves. Don’t let it come to a full roaring boil. Turn down the heat if it starts boiling a lot. You want a very light boil, and only for a few minutes.
Once the CBD is dissolved, turn off the heat and let it cool.
As it cools, even though it’s still hot, I use the syringe to start putting it in the dropper bottles. The syringe I use is about 1/3 of a bottle full. I go around the bottles 3 times, putting a syringe full in each one. Be careful not to burn yourself.
Cap the bottles tightly with the dropper caps. Wipe the bottles off with paper towels and store until needed:
Now put the spoon, sauce pan, and Pyrex in the dishwasher. I usually pre-scrub the Pyrex with some soap in the sink since it’s so oily.
I use each spoon for about 3 of these runs, then throw it out and use another spoon. I don’t use metal spoons, since it may react with the CBD and taint it a bit in heat.
I take a few droppers full of CBD every 3 or 4 hours. You may not need that much if you’re in better shape than me. It also helps with muscle aches. I just have my wife rub a little on, and I also take a few drops. Really reduces a back ache.
It took me years to try it. Not only because it was illegal at the time here, but because it sounded like hippie bullshit, like crystals an pyramid power or something. But it really does help a lot with a lot of things.
The MCT oil + CBD is a natural anti fungal and anti-bacterial too. I’ve never seen any mold or discoloration in any of my oil. And I;ve looked under my microscope at oil from a bottle that had been used many times without cleaning, and nothing was moving in it. A drop of water from any backyard is full of wiggling beasties under a scope.
Just don’t touch the tip of the eyedropper to your tongue, and it will be fine.
Please let me know if any of this helps you, and best of health.
Michael Dean