DORÉ

I’m a strange person for many reasons, but one of them is this dichotomy in my personality where I’m immensely skeptical of just about everything (okay, and everyone), but I will also try ANYTHING and make friends with ANYONE. So, I’m basically a skeptic walking around with her arms wide open.

This skeptic has finally decided it’s damn time she make friends with this little cannabinoid known as CBD. You might have heard of it, it’s having “A MOMENT,” as the kids say. But due to said skepticism, I wanted to be introduced to CBD with knowledge, guidance, and a little science to boot. That’s where Standard Dose comes into play.

Standard Dose is an online CBD retailer that’s — ahem — setting the standard for CBD retailers everywhere. It was founded by Anthony Saniger with the intention “to share the benefits of CBD and create a space that offers natural options for relieving stress, pain and anxiety on a daily basis.”

What sets Standard Dose apart from the other retailers is that they emphasize educating consumers about CBD as a key component of their business. They understand we’re all a bit confused, and sometimes intimidated, by CBD so they want to bust down the stigma, educate you on the science, and guide you to make a choice that fits your (and ONLY your) lifestyle.

So, to answer your first question (okay, to answer my first question), what the hell is CBD?

Anthony explained, “CBD is a hemp derived cannabinoid that works by nourishing our body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). This biological system is responsible for regulating physical and cognitive functions including our stress and anxiety levels, pain, inflammation, memory and sleep patterns. So once we ingest CBD, through oral or transdermal means, it interacts with the cannabinoid receptors in the areas where we’re most deficient – which is why CBD is also considered an adaptogen, because it’s a multi-target remedy that adapts to our body’s needs and deficiencies.”

A common misconception (okay, my misconception), is that CBD gets you high like marijuana. This is incorrect. Because CBD is a hemp derived cannabinoid, and not a marijuana derived cannabinoid it does not have psychoactive effects, because there is no THC in it. What CBD can do is promote more regulated sleep, aid in pain relief, decrease inflammation, and even reduce anxiety and stress.

I know what y’all are thinking (okay, I know what I was thinking in this stage of my CBD education so let me try to guess what you’re thinking). You’re thinking, “wait — how does CBD help with all those very different human ailments?”

This is the point where CBD really started to win over this skeptic, so listen up buttercup.

Anthony mentioned CBD was an adaptogen, and you might have just glossed over that term (at least I nodded at the term like I knew what an “adaptogen” was), not knowing it was the key to unlocking literally everything CBD has to offer (btw, you know I’m passionate about this if I’m using the term ‘literally,’ because I literally hate literally).

Adaptogens are herbs or plants that support your adrenal system. What this means is that they balance your hormones so you can respond to and manage stress on a case by case basis. They regulate our system to keep it sympatico with everything that’s coming at it from the outside world (i.e stress).

So on it’s own CBD is already fighting the bad guys — the stress of the outside world — by supporting our adrenal system, but when it’s combined with other ingredients, it can target specific needs such as sleeplessness, inflammation, cramps, sore muscles… the list goes on. Not to mention, the more CBD is used, i.e. the more you flood your body with the good guys (the adaptogens), the more you’ll experience CBD’s benefits.

So now that we’ve tackled CBD 101 — let’s talk products! But you see how long it took us to get here? That’s because Standard Dose, above everything else, wants you (and me) to be educated.

Now that you’re ready to dip your toe in the CBD pond, which product and what dose is right for you?

Saniger explained, “when it comes to CBD, there is no standard dose.” The company’s name is tongue-in-cheek. Everyone’s “standard dose” is completely dependent on how your body adapts and reacts to the ingredients in each product. So it’s up to the consumer to play around, test, and reflect on what products, and what dosages are right for them. Standard Dose is simply here to help educate the consumer and put forth vetted and tested products to help consumers find their standard dose.”

Yep. Vetted AND tested. This isn’t hocus pocus. This is plant derived medicine that has been put under a microscope — and slathered on plenty of skin — to ensure they deliver. Saniger explained that at Standard Dose they, “require all brands to provide lab test results to ensure product quality and to validate their claims. We then conduct our own independent third-party lab testing to confirm that the provided information is accurate. The products that are selected after both rounds of testing are then sampled by our internal team, which ensures that they meet our standards of efficacy and experience.”

So where to begin? I cannot suggest the Standard Dose Tincture enough. It was developed by the Standard Dose team to be an optimal product to flood your body with the good-guy-adaptogens. Saniger threw himself into the development of this product because, “given that CBD’s benefits increase with regular use, it was important to me to identify the optimal concentration of CBD that we could consume daily. So after personally trying over 250 tinctures and extensive testing and research, we developed the Standard Dose Tincture with MCT Coconut Oil as its base carrier – chosen for its added health benefits of increasing brain function and lowering cholesterol levels. It was also important to me that it could be both consumed on its own and combined with all beverages, so we went to further lengths to design it with a clear and scentless formula – making it extremely adaptable.”

Beyond that, you still have a plethora of options — as you might have noticed from the oh-so-lovely photos that have accompanied my words. If ingesting CBD feels right to you, beyond the Standard Dose Tincture, they also offer such food products as Vireo Olive Oil and Potli Honey — two kitchen ingredients that a large swath of the population uses daily. Add a scoop of Potli Honey to your afternoon tea or swap out your EVOO with Vireo and BAM, you’ve got your daily dose of adaptogens.

If you’d rather try something transdermal, may I suggest all of the patches? Each patch from The Good Patch offers a different aid, from menstrual cramps to a sleep aid. Our favorite? The hangover patch ;) Aren’t we all still looking for that magic cure?

Even if you’re a skincare junkie who miraculously has no other ailments you’d like to address, Standard Dose has got you covered. From Hora Overnight Exfoliating Mask to Khus + Khus Rasa Restorative Potion, you can still maintain a top shelf of products, and benefit from the properties of CBD.

So what’s next on the agenda for Standard Dose? Anthony is, “looking to expand the conversation on holistic wellness and offer trusted CBD products through immersive retail experiences, the first of which is launching in New York this spring.”

Can I get an amen?