The author of The Rebel’s Apothecary: A Practical Guide to the Healing Magic of Cannabis, CBD, and Mushrooms, Jenny Sansouci is a writer, health coach, and the creator of wellness blog Healthy Crush. She’s a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and has been trained by famed functional medicine doctor Frank Lipman, MD.

Here’s what Jenny shared with us about cannabis, CBD and wellness…

How did you get into the world of CBD and cannabis, and how did the book come about?

Jenny: In November of 2017, I found out that my dad had stage four pancreatic cancer. I’d been in the world of nutrition and alternative health for a decade, so I knew there must be something I could do to help him. I committed to learning and researching everything possible about alternative methods for healing, and cannabis was one of the main things that kept coming up in my research. So many cancer patients reported feeling relief from the side effects of chemotherapy, using cannabis. And, some even claim it has helped with the cancer itself. I’m not a doctor and can’t confirm this, of course, but I found many anecdotal stories!

Cannabis seemed like a really promising addition to the traditional care he was receiving at the hospital, so we quickly got him a medical card, got his oncologist’s blessing, and started him on a very high potency cannabis oil with a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. This is taken orally, and is often called RSO. His chemo side effects (nausea, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping) started to subside. Since he started taking the cannabis oil, he’s been able to avoid almost all the common side effects of chemotherapy, and three years later, he’s still undergoing his treatments, and he’s feeling stable and has a great quality of life.


As I was researching cannabis for my Dad, I started to learn about the many uses for CBD. I started to incorporate it into my daily routine – to help me sleep, calm my anxiety, and ease my menstrual cramps and back pain. I started blogging about CBD and cannabis on my blog, and a friend of mine sent the blog posts to a book agent. The book agent asked if I’d be interested in writing a book on the topic that was geared towards the wellness uses of CBD and medicinal mushrooms (which I had also added to my Dad’s routine), and we got started from there. I wasn’t planning to write a book, but I had done so much research, I knew I wanted to get the information out in a bigger way that could potentially help more people.

During this particularly challenging time in global history, how have you been using cannabis and CBD to maintain your sense of balance and wellbeing?

Jenny: I have been experiencing more anxiety and trouble sleeping this year, so I use a full-spectrum CBD oil (the kind with .3% THC or less) during the day in lower doses (10mg or so) to calm anxiety. At night, I take another dropperful of CBD oil (around 25mg, sometimes more) to help me fall asleep. Lately I’ve also been experimenting with a 1:1 edible at night as well, with 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD. I take that right before bed, and it helps to keep me asleep throughout the night. Since the effects of edibles take longer to kick than a tincture, and the effect of edibles lasts longer, it can be helpful for people who tend to wake up during the night. I think a dropperful of a tincture under the tongue coupled with an edible (even just a CBD edible with no THC), can be the perfect combination for sleep.

I committed to learning and researching everything possible about alternative methods for healing, and cannabis was one of the main things that kept coming up in my research. So many cancer patients reported feeling relief from the side effects of chemotherapy, using cannabis. And, some even claim it has helped with the cancer itself. I’m not a doctor and can’t confirm this, of course, but I found many anecdotal stories!

“I had done so much research,
I knew I wanted to get the information out in a bigger way.”

Jenny

Why should women consider incorporating cannabis and/or CBD into their wellness routines?

1 to nourish the endocannabinoid system – All of us have a system in our bodies called the endocannabinoid system (or ECS). We have specific receptors that interact with the compounds in the cannabis plant. These compounds are called cannabinoids. We also produce our own internal cannabinoids – endocannabinoids are produced by the body, and phytocannabinoids are the ones that come from the plant. The ECS is responsible for keeping us in homeostasis, or balance, in virtually every system in the body. The ECS plays a key role in regulating our immune system, mood, inflammation, pain, sleep, and more. By taking CBD every day as part of a wellness regimen, particularly CBD that has other cannabinoids (chemical compounds within the cannabis plant) in it, we can nourish our ECS to feel more balanced.

2 To calm anxiety – Two of the endocannabinoids we produce in the brain (anandamide and 2-AG) have been shown to be linked to mood enhancement and anxiety. Anxiety is correlated with low levels of these endocannabinoids, and taking CBD can boost those levels, which points us to why so many people use CBD for anxiety. When it comes to cannabis and anxiety in general, many people feel more anxiety when they consume too much
THC, so I recommend using cannabis products that are higher in CBD.

3 To ease pain – One of the first things I tried when I started getting into cannabis was a cannabis suppository for my menstrual cramps. As someone who has had terrible cramps every month for most of my life, and relied on a lot of Advil to relieve the pain, I was shocked at how well it worked! I also use a cannabis topical for back pain. I fractured my tailbone a few years back, and it aches when I sit for too long. A cannabis topical really soothes that pain. I also use it to help relieve the pain of sore muscles or any injuries
from exercise.