My Honest Review After Using Elixinol CBD Products for a Year

As someone who has struggled with anxiety and trouble sleeping for most of my adult life, I‘m always on the lookout for natural remedies that can help me feel more normal without disruptive side effects. And that‘s how I stumbled upon CBD about a year ago.

After hearing rave reviews from friends about how cannabidiol helped them regain calm and balance, I decided to give it a shot. And I‘m so glad I did!

Of the many CBD brands out there, Elixinol stood out to me as a pioneer in the hemp wellness space with over 25 years of expertise. After trying their products, I‘m happy to report they‘ve exceeded my expectations and become a daily ritual ever since.

My Experience Using Elixinol CBD Oils, Capsules and Topicals

Over the past year, I‘ve experimented with a variety CBD delivery formats from Elixinol:

CBD tinctures – I rotate between their Daily Balance natural flavor for my morning routine and the orange-flavored Rapid Reset oil for acute anxiety relief. The custom terpene and lipid encapsulation really makes a difference in effects coming on faster and lasting longer.

CBD capsules – The full spectrum Everyday Balance caps are perfect for tossing in my purse. I take one most evenings which helps me unwind before bed. At 15mg CBD each, I find them mild enough for maintenance.

CBD lip balm – My favorite topical is the Broad Spectrum CBD Lip Balm with blueberry flavor. I apply it throughout workdays when I catch myself frowning or clenching my jaw from stress. It quickly relieves tension.

CBD pet drops – For my rescue dog Rex, I alternate between the peanut butter flavored Calm drops and the immunity & wellness drops. The days I give him CBD, he definitely seems more relaxed and his limp is less noticeable.

Here‘s a full breakdown of the Elixinol CBD preparations I’ve incorporated along with how well they’ve worked for my needs and compare value-wise:

Product	Price	My Rating	Effects Recap
Daily Balance Tincture, 1000mg	$79.99	5/5	All-over calmness without drowsiness
Rapid Reset Tincture, 1000mg	$129.99	4.5/5	Faster relief for panic symptoms
Balance Capsules, 900mg	$79.99	4/5	Supports restful sleep
CBD Lip Balm, 50mg	$7.99	5/5	Soothes facial tension quickly
Dog Immune & Wellness, 600mg	$89.99	4/5	Subtly improves mobility and mood

Other CBD brands tried: Along my journey with CBD, I‘ve also sampled offerings from five other prominent brands – Charlotte‘s Web, PureKana, PremiumJane, cbdMD and CBDistillery. Overall, Elixinol remains my top choice for its transparent sourcing, quality manufacturing and diverse product selection. I find the effects last notably longer as well.

Here‘s an overview of how Elixinol stacks up to key competitors across range, pricing and effectiveness based on my comparative analysis:

Brand	Product Range	Price Per Mg CBD	Effect Duration	My Rating
Elixinol	oils, capsules, topicals, pet	$0.08	5-7 hrs	5/5
Charlotte‘s Web	oils, gummies	$0.09	3-4 hrs	4/5
PureKana	oils, capsules, topicals	$0.11	4-5 hrs	4/5
PremiumJane	oils, topicals, bath bombs	$0.12	3-4 hrs	3.5/5
cbdMD	oils, gummies, capsules, topicals	$0.05	5-6 hrs	4/5
CBDistillery	oils, gummies, topicals	$0.06	4-5 hrs	4/5

Key Health Benefits I‘ve Experienced with CBD

While expert opinions on appropriate uses of CBD therapy continue to emerge, scientific data and anecdotal evidence point to a wide spectrum of potential benefits.

In my personal experience, CBD has helped me most notably with:

• Easing generalized anxiety symptoms
• Promoting deeper sleep
• Increasing focus and concentration
• Alleviating occasional headaches
• Reducing inflammation and muscle soreness
• Slowing facial skin aging

But through conversations with others who use cannabidiol for specific conditions, I’ve learned it holds promise for optimizing treatment across many key areas:

Neurological Disorders

Up to 300mg of full spectrum CBD per day has shown positive effects for managing symptoms of:

• Anxiety – minimizing rumination and panic
• Insomnia – improving sleep quality and duration
• PTSD – preventing traumatic memory recall and flashbacks
• Epilepsy – reducing seizure occurrences
• Alzheimer‘s – slowing cognitive decline
• Parkinson‘s – easing tremors and spasticity

Inflammatory Diseases

Applied topically or orally, CBD demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties that provide relief for:

• Arthritis – relaxing muscle tightness and joint stiffness
• Skin conditions like eczema, acne – regulating immune overreactions
• Digestive disorders like IBS – easing intestinal spasms and pain

Chronic Pain Conditions

By interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system, CBD can dampen pain signals making it ideal for managing:

• Neuropathic pain – relieving nerve discomfort from injury or illness
• Fibromyalgia – easing muscle tenderness and sore spots
• Migraines – preventing headaches and reducing nausea

Recovery & Rehabilitation

Whether enjoyed pre or post workout, CBD supports fitness goals by:

• Reducing exercise-induced inflammation
• Minimizing muscle damage to expedite recovery
• Increasing blood flow nutrients that rejuvenate tissues

Cancer-Related Symptoms

Complementary to conventional protocols, CBD provides a range of benefits for patients including:

• Limiting nausea and increasing appetite
• Easing pains from the cancer itself or treatments
• Reducing anxiety, sadness and sleep disruptions

Pet Health & Happiness

In assessing outcomes for my dog Rex and from other pet owners, CBD serves our furry friends by:

• Slowing tumor growth and ease pain
• Minimizing seizure events
• Curbing anxiety stemming from separation, travel, crowds
• Improving mobility issues from joint stiffness

So while more clinical trials are still needed, scientists agree cannabinoids influence key receptors throughout our brain and body that work to maintain stable equilibrium between stress and calm.

Demystifying Legalities, Chemical Variances Among Hemp Products

With CBD now widely available, it‘s important to understand exactly what you‘re getting.

Hemp vs Marijuana – Hemp and marijuana both originate from the cannabis sativa plant, but have been bred over time to serve different purposes. Hemp contains very low levels of THC (<0.3%) while marijuana has high concentrations (5-35%) and causes a "high".

CBD vs THC – The most abundant compounds made in the cannabis plant are CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is psychoactive and makes you feel euphoric. CBD is not intoxicating and actually counters anxiety/paranoia feelings from THC.

Full Spectrum vs Broad Spectrum vs CBD Isolate – Full spectrum CBD includes a variety of cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids from whole plant extracts. Broad spectrum retains many compounds except THC. CBD Isolate strips away everything but purified CBD.

Legal Status – Hemp-derived CBD containing <0.3% THC was removed from the DEA‘s schedule 1 list by the 2018 Farm Bill and is federally legal. But some state laws still prohibit CBD so check your own rules to be safe.

No matter what format you choose, only purchase CBD products from reputable companies like Elixinol that share third party lab testing to confirm contents.

Choosing the Best CBD Consumption Method for You

One amazing quality of CBD is that it can be manufactured in many forms to match your lifestyle and wellness needs:

Tinctures/Oils – The most popular way to take CBD is via oil tinctures with a dropper that goes under your tongue. This allows for quick absorption into the bloodstream for systemic effects. They come in a variety of flavors and concentrations to take day or night.

Capsules/Pills – For consistent dosing and longer lasting release, pills and softgels that you swallow are convenient. They’re more portable than oils if you‘ll be traveling while taking CBD.

Edibles – For those with a sweet tooth or issues swallowing pills, CBD gummies, chocolates and baked goods can be an enjoyable option. Effects manifest more gradually with edibles and potency varies widely.

Vaping – Inhalation methods like vape pens allow the CBD to enter your lungs for faster acting relief. However questions around carrier oil safety has recently emerged when vaping.

Topicals – Applied directly to the skin as creams, balms or patches, CBD topicals provide localized benefits minus any head high. Massaging sore muscles with CBD is a popular physical therapy.

Smokables – While you can smoke CBD-rich hemp flower, this may cause lung irritation for some similar to tobacco. Not all experts recommend delivering CBD through smoking.

I encourage new CBD users to start low and slow with ingestible options like oils or edibles. Monitor effects for a week before increasing your amount or adding additional delivery methods.

Optimizing Your CBD Experience

While CBD has changed my life for the better and carries little risk of addiction or overdose, there are some best practices I‘ve learned to maximize results:

• Consistency – Stick to an everyday schedule for taking CBD to keep stable levels in your system. Sporadic use won‘t provide the same benefits.

• Gradual Dosing – Start with the lowest recommended amount on any CBD product then slowly increase every 3-7 days if needed to improve effects while monitoring for side effects.

• Whole Plant – Seek out full or broad spectrum CBD over isolated versions so you receive the complementary effects from related compounds like CBG, CBN, CBC, etc.

• Timing – Make CBD part of your nightly wind down to improve sleep quality. For anxiety, take CBD morning and mid-afternoon to ride out symptoms.

• Delivery Method – Favor ingestible oils or edibles over smoking CBD for bioavailability and lung health. Topicals work well for localized pain issues.

• Be Patient – While some feel immediate relief from CBD, it can take 2-4 weeks of consistent dosing to experience the full range of benefits. Allow it time to build in your system.

Start with these basics for integrating CBD into your routine. Over time you‘ll dial in the optimal product types, timing and dosages that work perfectly in harmony with your unique body chemistry and health objectives.

FAQs About Using CBD Products from Elixinol

Here are answers to the top dozen questions I get asked all the time about my experience using Elixinol CBD:

What’s the best CBD product overall?

For versatility and convenience, I recommend a sublingual oil tincture like Elixinol‘s Daily Balance. Rich in beneficial cannabis compounds, it’s easy to tweak serving sizes and feels gentler on the stomach than capsules or edibles that must pass through digestion.

What causes different CBD pricing?

Factors like a brand‘s reputation, manufacturing technology, farming standards, third party testing and product innovation all contribute to pricing variations. In general, higher production costs yield higher retail costs but not always enhanced effects. Mid-range options like Elixinol balance affordability with quality.

Can you fail a drug test after taking CBD?

Full spectrum CBD carries a very small risk (~0.3%) of testing positive since legally required THC levels fall below cutoff thresholds. However individual biology can impact results. If undergoing drug screening, I suggest using a broad spectrum product instead to eliminate THC exposure.

How long do CBD oil effects last?

In my experience, a single dose of quality CBD oil provides 4 to 6 hours of relief on average for anxiety, pain, sleep etc though metabolic differences mean some feel benefits longer while others shorter. Oils seem to have the longest efficacy over other formats.

Is it safe to use CBD long term?

According to recent evidence and assuming proper dosing, adult use of hemp-based CBD appears quite safe over the long haul. However more research is still needed on impacts for special populations like children, pregnant women and liver disease patients.

Can you take too much CBD?

Unlike lab-made medications, whole plant CBD has not shown serious overdose risks according to the World Health Organization. However side effects like fatigue, appetite/weight changes and diarrhea signal you’ve surpassed your optimal dose. If this happens, scale back to feel your best.

Does CBD make you sleepy?

Full spectrum CBD oils with low THC content can have mild sedative effects, especially in higher doses. However lower concentrations give me sustained calm focus all day without sapping energy. Everyone has slightly different reactions so adjust strengths accordingly.

What’s better for pain – heat, ice or CBD cream?

For acute injury swelling, ice packs help limit fluid buildup. Heat promotes blood flow to ease stiffness and spasms from chronic conditions. Creams infused with CBD provide site-specific anti-inflammatory relief. I apply a menthol-based balm daily to arthritic joints.

Can I give human CBD oil to my pet?

While various CBD products may appear similar, formulations optimized for animal health usually contain lower potency plus ingredients that appeal to pets like fish or bacon flavors. Sticking to a pet-geared brand like Elixinol ensures proper dosing for species-specific needs.

Where can I buy Elixinol CBD?

Elixinol operates its own ecommerce shop online with regular discounts plus solid customer service. But you may also find select offerings from vetted third party retailers like Healthy Hemp Oil, DirectCBD and CBD Living that sell a verified inventory.

What’s the best bang for buck with CBD?

If chasing maximum value per milligram of CBD, capsules and isolate powders stretch your dollar though they lack the rich botanical diversity of tinctures. Daily Balance CBD oil proves moderately priced especially when buying larger bottles. Sign up for promos too!

Any downsides to using Elixinol CBD long term?

The only drawbacks I’ve faced after daily usage of Elixinol CBD for a year solid is building up a tolerance that required bumping my dosage over time. Their products can become pricey for higher strength formulations. Otherwise I’ve noticed only positive impacts.

I hope these CBD tips and personal insights help you on your wellness journey! Let me know if any other questions come up.