Archive for May 2016

Home Archive for May 2016

CBD Hemp Oil - the big bottle!

Hi all
So I was going to post week by week update of the first bottle of Exliniol CBD Hemp Oil. However, the small bottle is considered a 'trial size' and in my case, it lasted a week and a half. Enough for me to make the decision to buy the larger size bottle, with the Australian dollar being so weak it is quite an investment - some $550AUD once you include postage. The upside of the larger bottle is this - it is the highest concentration of CBD Hemp Oil that can be produced which means I only need to take only a third of what I took with the smaller bottle. So from 3 teaspoons a day I now only need to take 1 teaspoon each day. I take half in the morning and half at night, after breakfast and dinner. The 'natural' version tastes somewhat like seaweed, while the 'cinnamint' is initially very strong on the mint flavour but more palatable than the natural.
And again, once the small bottle ran out I had to use panadol osteo to help me manage the Ankylosing Spondylitis pain, and the pain was real. With chronic pain you do start to question if it is in your head but when pain is so bad it's keeping you from sleeping you know it's real!
What I did notice while taking the CBD Hemp Oil was greater clarity of thought, decrease in aches and the capacity to sleep through the night.

I started on the larger bottle - the '3600' three days ago and I'll post on here my weekly progress. The larger bottle will last a lot longer allowing me to properly test of it's benefits - here's hoping that there are many!

Elixinol is the only company I could find posting CBD Hemp Oil to Australia. I know there are several Australian companies in the process of getting permissions to sell American CBD Hemp Oil but it's a way off yet.

Blossom

Lemony cheesecake with hemp seed base

Well this was something of an experiment! After looking at many beautiful images of raw cheesecakes that are gluten free and refined sugar free I was constantly struck at how time consuming they are and how many ingredients they take... I am something of a lazy cook, there had to be a simpler way!

So, I found gluten free Weetbix in the cupboard and mixed in some hemp seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup and shredded coconut. Voila, a cheesecake base was born! The hemp seeds add a lovely texture and nutty taste to the base. I would replace the shredded coconut with desiccated next time.

The next conundrum was the topping. I'm not dairy free but I am on lactose free and low fat dairy, and if possible goat cheese and yoghurt. So, I choose ricotta and low fat cream cheese. I'm still playing with the ratio, and I may try baking the next one with an egg mixed through to see which is best - raw or baked.

For my first attempt I'm quite happy - and it is very tasty. Lemon and maple syrup are a match made in heaven!

Prep time: 10 mins
Mix time: 10 mins

Ingredients

Base / Crust
4 crushed gluten free Weetbix
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons hemp seeds
1/4 shredded coconut (you can use desiccated too)

Topping
250gm ricotta
1/4 cup low fat cream cheese (a generous 1/4 cup!)
3 tablespoon maple syrup
Juice of 2 lemons

To make
Base
Add the base ingredients in a bowl and blend with a knife or in a food processor for a few minutes. You want a nice crumble consistency.
Put all of the mixture into a spring form base and using the back of a metal spoon, press firmly into the base and smooth the surface so it is even.
Pop in the fridge over night or minimum of 4 hours.

Topping
Add the ricotta and cream cheese in a bowl and blend together until smooth.
Gradually add the lemon juice and then the maple syrup until combined.
Pour on to the base and smooth out the top.
Gently tap the tin on the bench to remove and bubbles and pop in the fridge for minimum of 4 hours.

Serve cold and top with berries.
Enjoy!

Elixinol CBD Hemp Oil - week 1 report

Week 1 report CBD Hemp Oil.

Before I write about my first week on the CBD hemp oil let me explain my first experience with this product. I had been taking the CBD oil for one and half weeks back in March when I had to stop and go to Japan for two weeks. What I didn't know at the time was that I wasn't taking enough of the oil. I found the labeling very confusing and contradictory. When I came back I continued with the oil. What I did notice was my sleep. The quality of my sleep while taking the oil, even on the low dose, was much better and I slept much longer. So that in itself was enough for me to give it another go.
This time around I found the right person, Dr Blair at Elixinol, to explain how much I need to take with my disease. So I started again....week one ~

First week of taking the oil is done. Overall I can say there have been vast improvement to my AS symptoms. Far less heat and stinging pain in the feet, groin areas, wrists, chest and neck. No fatigue. Good sleeps. Far less need for the ice packs at night and for the past four days I haven't needed any panadol osteo (this and nurofen plus are all I can take) - this is a record for me! I'm sure my kidneys were singing jaunty celebration tunes!

Now, I'll be a realist here - was it the CBD hemp oil? I can't say definitely 'yes' but nor can I say 'no'.
Why? Because I take a sway of supplements. Here's my daily schedule:
AM:
1 Biozinc tablet (Nature's way)
5 drops liquid Vit D (BioCeuticals)
1 Theracumin tablet (BioCeuticals)
1 1/2 dropper CBD Hemp oil

Mid morning: teaspoon Chinese herbs - specifically for me and my disease.
Mid afternoon: teaspoon Chinese herbs

PM
1 theracumin tablet
1 1/2 dropper CBD Hemp oil

So, it's quite a line-up!
I am very certain the CBD Hemp oil is helping and I'm going to keep taking it. I know when I was in Japan and I didn't have the oil I had to take more panadol osteo and nurofen plus every day.

The CBD Hemp Oil I am taking is by Elixinol. You can purchase directly from their website;
https://elixinol.com/our-products/

And you will find a good review site of all CBD oils here - Elixinol rates very highly.
http://cbdoilreview.org/elixinol-review/

Hemp Bliss Balls

I love protein balls but many are just too sweet. I have played around with this recipe and found maple syrup works a dream! You can vary the sweetness to suit your taste buds, mine are a good balance of salt from the peanut butter and sweet from the syrup.

They're super easy to make and delicious!

Prep time: 10mins

Time to make: 10mins

Makes 8 balls

Ingredients
2 tblspn hemp seeds
1 1/2 tspn hemp protein powder
1/4 cup puffed quinoa
2/3 cup peanut butter (I prefer natural peanut butter - crunchy with salt)
3 tspn real maple syrup
1 tblspn coconut oil
2 tblspn coconut flakes (& more to roll the balls in, you can use desiccated)
1 tspn cinnamon

To make
1. Place the peanut butter in a bowl and mix in the hemp seeds, hemp protein powder and cinnamon and mix well using a metal spoon or knife
2. Add the maple syrup and mix
3. Add puffed quinoa and mix gently
3. Add coconut flakes and coconut oil

Using a teaspoon, roll a heaped teaspoon in your hands and then in either coconut flakes or desiccated coconut.
Store in a lined airtight container, use baking paper or brown paper, and keep in the fridge.
Enjoy!

Hemp seed & Banana flour pancakes

These pancakes are so delicious!

The quickest & easiest breakfast treat you can make. The hemp seeds are a perfect taste match for the banana flour, adding a nutty favour and texture.

Banana flour is made from unripe green bananas and is full of potassium. You can use banana flour instead of self-raising or white flour. For one cup of white flour use 2/3cup banana flour. It has a very mild banana flour.

The pancakes are gluten and work just as well without the egg.

Prep time: 5mins

Cooking time: 10mins

Makes 4 large or 8 small pancakes

Ingredients

2 tblspn hemp seeds

1 cup banana flour

1 egg

1 1/2 cup almond milk - (I use Pureharvest which has rice malt syrup)

2 tspns Cinnamon

1 tspn Freshly grated nutmeg

To make

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add milk and egg and mix all together with a hand whisk till smooth and no lumps.

Add 2tblspn hemp seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg & stir until evenly mixed.

To cook

*note: you can let your mix stand for 20mins to thicken if you like thick pancakes.

Heat a non stick pan & add in a small amount of coconut oil or butter.

Make sure your own is hot and pour in half cup of the batter slowly

When you start to see small bubbles form and the edges starting to look cooked flip your pancake and cook for a minute.

Toppings

Go for it!!

I love sliced banana, strawberries, goat yoghurt, real maple syrup & hemp seeds.

Victoria's first legal medical marijuana crop!

An update on Victoria's first legal medical marijuana crop proudly showed of by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
http://m.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/05/12/daniel-andrews-previews-his-medical-cannabis-crop/

No surprise I am keenly following these developments due to my disease. I don't believe we should have to wait til next year for this. All the tests have already been done. People with sever illness or all forms need this now, not next year! While I do applaud the Victorian Government for leading the way in Australia, this is moving too slow.

Medical marijuana in Australia - latest news in Queensland

I am following all the developments here in Australia on medical marijuana. As a sufferer of Ankylosing Spondylitis - a disease that is 'incurable', there has been great results in lessening the pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis with both the CBD hemp oil and medical marijuana.

On Tuesday the Queensland Government moved a step closer to legalising medical marijuana - for more on this please click on the link.

Go Queensland!!

http://www.hit105.com.au/news/feed/2016/5/medicinal-cannabis-legislation-being-introduced-into-qld-parliament-today/

It's here! Elixinol CDB Hemp Oil has arrived!

I am so excited to start using this product! Having read all I can online, & some of it is confusing for those of us like me with zero experience or knowledge of this industry, I decided that the CBD hemp oil is a product well worth me trying and integrating with my supplements and diet to battle Ankylosing Spondylitis. Elixinol is the only company I could find posting CBD hemp oil to Australia. Now, don't get confused with 'hemp oil' you can find online that is used for cooking and salad dressings - that is a different product. The CBD hemp oil is for pain management. It contains the the CBD compounds of the hemp plant that are non psychotropic (THC is the other compound which gives you the 'high') and they are reported to be immensely beneficial in reducing pain and increasing energy levels.
I have also consulted a physician regarding the dosage I need, when and what to take the oil with. For me, it's 1&1/2 dropper twice a day with high fat foods - coconut, peanut butter, oily fish. The CBD binds with the fats which allow it to be released and absorbed better.
So...here goes! I'll report on my progress when have finished my first week.
If you have questions feel free to post or email me.

"Hemp as Food" - Food Standards Australia New Zealand

I eat it. Every week. I'm not rolling around the kitchen floor in a rash or fever.
It has great omega 3 & 6 & essential fatty acids. It taste's nutty and adds a great flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes.

But it is illegal to sell as a food product here in Australia. Here is the FSANZ website on the topic.

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/generalissues/hemp/Pages/default.aspx

Let us eat hemp seeds in Australia!

While America, Canada and the UK can all eat hemp seeds and are aware of the incredible health benefits, here in Australia it is still illegal to sell hemp seeds as a food source!
This is an article from the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in 2014 on the topic.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/chew-on-this/let-them-eat-hemp-20140410-36gz5.html

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