I have never been high. The opportunity to smoke weed has never presented itself, and I’ve never sought it out. In my teen years, my relationship to marijuana was defined by “Say No To Drugs” campaigns and sluggish stoner stereotypes. But that was well before CBD lotion, oil, and vape pens were ever even in modern conversation.
In fact, I was pretty sure I was never going to experience any of the effects of marijuana ever. Then, in my 20s, my migraines started to get more frequent and more painful. I developed generalized anxiety, major depression, and PTSD. I started having suicidal thoughts. I started taking a lot of medication to help take on all of this. When it worked, it worked. But when it didn’t, I started looking for alternative solutions. And that’s where the idea of CBD came up.
CBD, or cannabidiol, has a bit of a bad reputation, thanks to the war on drugs, resulting stigma around marijuana use, and general miseducation about what CBD truly is. As Project CDB, a non-profit working to destigmatize cannabis, says CBD is a cannabis compound — a component of a marijuana plant — that can help combat inflammation, pain, anxiety, seizures, and other chronic conditions. CBD is non-psychoactive, which means it contains no THC — another cannabis compound.
CBD, simply put, will not get you high. And, even in high dosages, CBD has been found to cause no danger to humans. But it has been proven to help with chronic pain and mood disorders. And though research is still needed to help decode much of CBD’s potential — and to help destigmatize cannabis — I wanted to try CBD. Now.
The Claim
To give CBD a try, I went for a form I was already comfortable using — body lotion. More specifically, Lord Jones CBD Body Lotion. Though I’ve since tried ingestible CBD oils for pain and mood disorders, topical CBD seemed less intimidating as a starting point. After all, lotions are in my daily routine already. What’s a little added CBD — especially if it can relieve some pain? Plus, a few Google searches convinced me the Lord Jones lotion was the lotion to try if you were curious about topical CBD for pain. If I was going to become a believer in the compound, this was undoubtedly the product to convince me.
Lord Jones describes their High CBD Pain & Wellness Formula as a “soothing, rich, luxurious lotion.” The brand goes on to say natural ingredients create a cooling sensation upon contact, and provides “unparalleled absorption” of moisturizing and pain relieving ingredients.
The lotion is available in both a signature scent and a fragrance free version. The signature scent, which is the lotion I tried, has notes of sage, mint, and green citrus, according to the brand. I’ve found burning sage helps soothe my migraines, especially when I have an attack that makes me sensitive to strong, aggressive scents. Having a lotion with a gentle sage scent, then, appealed to me. The warm, earthy scent of the herb, however, isn’t for everyone. If that applies to you, go for the fragrance free variety.
The first thing I noticed about Lord Jones’ Lotion was the quantity for the price. A 50 mL bottle of the lotion will set you back a cool $60, which isn’t anything to sniff at. Each bottle contains 100mg of CBD. The pump of the lotion was created to dispense 1 ML of lotion, which contains approximately 2 mg of CBD.
The Experiment
For this trial, I didn’t use the product every day. Though the pain I experience is often and persistent, I can go some days without remedies like pain relievers. But I did use Lord Jones the majority of days in the trial, even if it was a pea sized amount on my neck to curb mild headache-inducing pain. All in all, the entire bottle lasted me a little over a month with fairly regular application.
The first time I got a migraine after receiving the Lord Jones CBD Body Lotion in the mail, I was actually a bit excited. Finally, I was able to test out the lotion. I popped a few Tylenol, as per usual, and applied the lotion to my right temple. Then, I waited.
Some reviews on Lord Jones’ website cautioned me that I may have to “chase” the migraine before it completely subsided, claiming the CBD would relax the muscles in one area and encourage the pain to migrate. Though there’s no scientific studies I could find on this phenomenon, that did seem to be the case. I found myself having to “chase” my pain three to four times before it completely subsided, with the pain moving about 15 to 20 minutes after application.
Yet after about an hour of letting the Tylenol settle in and the CBD take effect, I was left without much pain. I was incredibly impressed — and the trend continued throughout the trial. On the onset of pain, the Lord Jones lotion quickly became my go-to in conjunction with pain relieving pills. I tried the CBD lotion on pull muscles and minor aches, quickly finding it help soothe either fully or partially within an hour at most.
The Verdict
The Lord Jones lotion quickly made me a believer in the powers of CBD for pain relief, and convinced me it was worth trying as a mood remedy. I quickly turned to Charlotte’s Web oil as a next step, no longer timid to try ingestible CBD for both pain and mood after getting my feet wet with the lotion. The pair of products — both Lord Jones lotion and ingestible CBD oil — are now staples in my home. Even though they both come with steep price tags, the type of relief they provide is, in my opinion, worth it.
Sure, I’ve never been high. But I do believe in the positive power of cannabis — especially after experiencing it first hand.
Readers should note that the regulations and data surrounding CBD are still developing. As such, the information contained in this post should not be construed as medical or legal advice. Always consult with your doctor before trying any substance or supplement.
