Product Reviews

Quickly, about six years ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis – and bursitis and a couple of other “itises” – in my right shoulder. As someone who has loved playing guitar since nineteen sixty-something, this has been hard to live with. And painful. I had to gave up tennis, ‘cause it hurt too much. And I moved from playing lead guitar to playing bass, ‘cause I don’t have to move my right arm too much. I can’t tell you how much I miss playing guitar, although learning all the great things one can do on bass has been a lot of fun.

But sleeping sure isn’t. I roll over, my shoulder hurts, and I’m awake. Then I usually need something to help me fall asleep again. During the day, I pick up stuff and my shoulder hurts. To add insult to, uh, injury, by laying off my right arm, the muscles in my back have atrophied to the point that my right hand shakes a bit when I lift something as light as a fork or spoon. Don’t sit near me when I’m eating soup, unless you look good in clam chowder.

I’ve had epidural injections, which have helped significantly. Physical therapy has been beneficial as well. But there’s still some lingering discomfort and pain. Believe it or not, this has made me somewhat crabby. So says my wife.

At her behest, I tried some CBD/THC balm about five years ago, and was astounded how quickly and effectively it worked. But it was a bit greasy and a challenge to get off my left hand which I used to apply it to my right shoulder. And if I didn’t get it all off and then accidentally rubbed my eye, I could clearly see Mars, even at noon, without really wanting to.

So I was intrigued when Jason April, Senior-High fan and my ultra-supportive contact at Green Roads, mentioned his company had become an official Supporting Sponsor of the Arthritis Foundation. Green Roads had provided a $120,000 donation to support the organization’s pain management initiative to advance improved quality of life for those living with chronic pain. I was even more thrilled when Jason told me Green Roads was developing a product specifically for arthritis sufferers. And when production began, he sent me a sample even before it hit the shelves.

I’ve taken my time in testing this product because I wanted to give it a thorough road test. Plus, I wanted my review complete because there are so many people in my age group who have arthritis and endure pain every day of their lives. Could this product really live up to its promise?

It does. I apply it about 2-3 times every day. It’s not at all viscous and goes on quite easily. I just have to make sure I don’t confuse it with my Mitchum deodorant, also a roll-on. It smells of Menthol, but it’s not a strong aroma and certainly not offensive. And since it is a roll-on, nothing is wasted and there’s no worry about it getting on anything other than the places it’s needed. Very sanitary, which on its own merit is worth nothing in this pandemic-prominent era. It doesn’t stain clothing, either.
Unlike some other solutions I’ve tried, the Green Roads product seems to take a bit longer to kick in. And since it comes on rather slowly, it’s been hard to gauge how long it really takes to work, but 30 to 50 minutes seems to be about average.

And when it does kick in, the relief is subtle but obvious. I’ve had to remind myself to check and see if it’s working because I’ve been able to go about my tasks and not notice that the pain is almost totally gone. It’s like I felt ten years ago before the arthritis reared its ugly… shoulder. It contains no THC, so it can’t be confused with recreational cannabis. I’m feeling pretty good. May even play some 12-string.

This product needs to be a hit. If you’ve got arthritis (as I do), give Green Roads’ Muscle and Joint Cream a try.

I’ve been applying it to my !*@&# arthritic shoulder twice a day for a week now, and I can really feel the difference. It’s a purely subjective statement from yours truly, but while it may lack a bit of the punch offered by Papa & Barkley’s 1:3 Releaf Balm, it compensates with a number of advantages our audience will certainly appreciate.

But first, one olfactory observation: it smells fairly strongly of menthol. This only makes sense since it contains 4% menthol. But that’s hardly a bad thing. It’s a very fresh and clean aroma, hardly like that crap rubbing compound you used to get from the school nurse in junior high. It doesn’t smell medicinal, just…clean.

Unlike other topicals for pain that we’ve tried, it rubs in quickly. We don’t have to wait for it to dry before putting on a shirt. If you’re in a hurry to get going so you can run the scores of errands that your boss/wife demand on a near-daily basis, this makes a difference. The quicker you can get out of the house before she can think of more things for you to do, the better.

And it delivers significant relief! We felt our pain nearly vanish after using Muscle and Joint Cream, and that’s what really counts.

For those worried about getting stoned, Green Roads Muscle and Joint Cream does not contain THC in any measurable amounts. There’s no way you will feel any psychoactive effects. So you may be able to buy it over-the-counter (although you may enjoy discounts as well as appreciated the convenience of ordering through Senior-High’s store – click the Aches & Pains tab).

We did find that it takes a bit longer to kick in. But 15-30 minutes isn’t that long, particularly when the pain is alleviated so significantly. For that degree of relief, we can wait a bit.

The frosting on the cake, beyond the great relief, is what really sets it apart. Rather than a tub you need to stick your fingers into to access the product, Green Leaf’s Muscle and Joint Cream comes in a small metal container with a pump dispenser that opens and closes with a twist of the cap. That makes pumping out the right amount simple and easy, and eliminates any mess. Twist the top again and the pumps retracts into the base, so you can’t accidentally spill any. And in an era in which preventative health measure and staying sanitary are more important than ever, you can share this cream with friends and family without fear. That’s absolute genius on the part of Green Roads.

We give this product an A. Go to the head of the class, Green Roads!

Although my wife will disagree, I’m not wrong often. I mean, there was that time in 2004 when I bet that the Eagles were going to win the Super Bowl. And when I told her that there was no way that Hillary Clinton could lose the 2020 election.

And I’ve been under the distinct impression that THC was absolutely necessary to make a topical cannabis product effective. As astute Senior-High students will recall, I am cursed with arthritis/tendonitis, bursitis, and possibly three more itises in my right shoulder. I’ve tried a number of balms and creams that were CBD-only, and they just didn’t do much for me.

I did a bit of research. According to Leafly, “CBG is often referred to as the ‘mother of all cannabinoids.’ This is because CBGA, the acidic precursor to CBG, starts off in great abundance in hemp and cannabis plants. Almost all of the CBGA then transforms into CBDA or THCA, but a fraction of it becomes CBG. Because it occurs in such tiny quantities, it is known as a ’rare’ cannabinoid. Other rare cannabinoids include: CBC (believed to fight depression), and CBN (often used for relaxation and restful sleep), CBDA (reportedly good for nausea), and delta-8-THC (which has similar benefits to delta-9-THC but is derived from hemp).”

I read a few more articles and found that CBG is believed to not only help relieve anxiety but also may reduce inflammation. Aha! It gets quite complex; CBG may also help slow aging and is being used to treat patients with Parkinson’s, MS, and cancer. Perhaps we’ll get into that more in a separate paper. I’d also suggest you read a rather scholarly look at CBG in this study by PMC Labs.

But in the meantime, I’m now convinced CBG offers therapeutic benefits for pain. My shoulder is feeling much better with continued use of Kurativ’s CBD/CBG Full Spectrum Cream. I have no problem playing guitar or bass, and can even throw Ralphie’s tennis ball for her to fetch for what seems like hours. You may want to stroll (or scroll) through Senior-High’s Student Store (click the Aches and Pains tab) and order some. It works.

And this time, I’m not wrong.

This product does contain 0.03% or less of THC. This means, at this miniscule level, the federal government as well as several states, consider such a product “legal hemp” as opposed to “illegal hemp.” In other words, it’s considered hemp, not marijuana.

Anybody who knows me will agree that I tend to be moody. Actually, I have one stepdaughter who simply calls me “Grumps.” She has taught her young son to call me “Grumpa.” And I can’t even argue the point. I can occasionally be a bit, um, irritable.

I’ve tried to be less grumpy. Meditation has helped but the calm and peace I feel seems to dissipate as soon as I turn on the news. Then, no one is safe from my wrath. Alcohol makes it worse. The only thing that has worked – and worked quickly – is playing with my dog, Ralphie. Then everything is right with the world. Until she pees on the dining room rug, which precipitates a full reset.

A couple of Senior-High’s Board suggested I try a tincture. I had tried one and actually did benefit; I stopped biting my wife’s head off for what I like to call “everything.” So I thought I’d try another one called Whole Plant Hemp CBD A Drops made by a company called Healer.

This particular brand, which recently became a Senior-High Partner, was kind enough to send me a sample of their CBD A drops. My wife (and boss) was very impressed with what she’d learned about Healer, and successfully passed the company’s Certification Program, which was described as being quite challenging. Healer takes their mission seriously. Its founder and medical director is Dr. Dustin Sulak, an “integrative medicine physician based in Maine, whose practice balances the principles of osteopathy, mind-body medicine and medical cannabis. Regarded as an expert on medical cannabis nationally, Dr. Sulak educates medical providers and patients on its clinical use, while continuing to explore the therapeutic potential of this ancient yet emerging medicine.” Having a doc involved made me feel a bit more confident.

Unlike other tinctures, Healer recommends their drops be refrigerated. I like the fact they’re vegan, gluten free, and non-GMO. And it’s CBDA (cannabidiolic acid), which is new to me. It’s different than CBD, the major non-psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. CBDA is the chemical that precedes CBD. But if, like me, science isn’t your strong suit, the thing to know is that CBDA is that it’s “thought to be a powerful treatment for nausea and anxiety. A 2013 study from scientists in Guelph, Canada, found that CBDA was a thousand times more powerful than CBD in binding to a specific serotonin receptor linked to anti-nausea and anti-anxiety effects when administered alongside low-doses of the traditional anti-nausea drug for chemotherapy patients, ondansetron (OND).” [1]

So a few weeks ago I started using the Healer tincture, putting about five drops under my tongue for a minute, as directed. The thing about tinctures is that you have to keep using it daily. One dose isn’t going to have much effect. And I gradually increased the number of drops over the following week. I noticed after a few days of use that I generally felt better. I was more patient, less moody and not as big a crab as normal. Unlike some other tinctures we’ve tried, the Healer Whole Plant Hemp CBDA Drops didn’t taste nearly as nasty.

BTW, for info on how much to take to get the best results, Healer offers a very cool FREE Step-by-Step Usage Guide^© 

So we’re fans of this product. Big fans. Order some on our CBD Products page (click the “General Wellness” tab) and you may find yourself feeling better.

[1] Analytical Cannabis

Still suffering from tendonitis and bursitis in his shoulder (actually, behind his shoulder), I my most-trusted budtender that while P&B really provided much-needed relief, I was curious if anything else might prove helpful. She suggested Living Tincture, a very new product also from Papa & Barkley. I mentioned I didn’t really want to get stoned and she assured me that this product would not do so. Sounds great, I thought, and forked over the money.

I’d never heard of THCa, so I did a bit of reading. The P&B website explained, that it’s like the cousin of THC: “non-intoxicating acid form of THC found in the cannabis plant when it’s raw. THC starts off as THCa, and only becomes THC when the plant is heated, burned, or vaporized, a process known as decarboxylation. Unlike THC, THCa doesn’t induce any intoxicating effects – you can even eat a cannabis flower fresh off the plant and not feel high.” I wondered how a tincture could address pain in a specific part of the body. But the website also said that it “lends itself to treating normal inflammation.” Fine, I’m in.

So I read the instructions and put .25 ml under my tongue and waited 20 seconds before swallowing. It didn’t taste too horrible, but it’s not something you’d want to coat a rib eye with for flavor. The numbers on the dropper were easy to read, which is helpful to those of us of a certain age without 20/20 vision.

I waited about an hour for something to happen and then just forgot about it and played guitar for a bit. I didn’t feel much of a difference in my shoulder – it still hurt/ But I did feel a bit happier and calmer. Maybe a bit more focused. A couple of hours later, I tried another .25 ml and, perhaps 45 minutes later, felt a sense of relief. Like a peaceful easy feeling (sorry, Eagles), like a bit of a weight had been lifted. I really didn’t expect that. My patience, which has been likened to that of Andy Rooney during an argument with Elvis Presley, seemed greatly improved. It was kind of like being stoned except I was definitely not stoned. I did feel more alert and focused, which is great for someone like me who doesn’t drink coffee but would benefit from a pick-me-up in the afternoon. I even felt a bit less crabby.

However, I did not feel any relief in my shoulder. This THCa could be a game-changer for a curmudgeon like me who’s occasionally irritable or, as my wife says, “Crabby as all get-out.” Now get off my lawn!

 

Marketed as a product aimed at “Targeted Topical Relief,” we first had reservations. Our tester has suffered with arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis and possibly a couple of other itises in his right shoulder. That what comes of playing tennis (hell of a serve!) for decades and getting older. He had tried steroid injections, over-the-counter pain pills, aspirin, Motrin, creams, and even had discussed surgery with one of his doctors (recovery period was MONTHS). Long time to go without being able to use your right shoulder when you’re right-handed). But then we sampled Papa & Barkeley 1:3 Releaf Balm (one part CBD to three parts THC). He just took a small scoop of this eucalyptus-scented balm that felt like soft wax and massaged it into his shoulder.

Within seconds (!), the shoulder pain began to subside. Unlike other OTC rubs, it didn’t feel icy or hot. It also smelled nice, a big improvement over other products that made him smell like he’d taken a six hour bath in Mentholatum or Campho phenique. After a few minutes, the shoulder began to feel like its old self. Muscles felt like they were loosening their death grip on his bones. Typing, playing guitar, sleeping and everything else became far more tolerable. He’s also tried it on his lower back and the back of his neck, both of which stiffen up and hurt after remaining stationary. And he experienced the same fantastic results, with pain ebbing nearly immediately after being massaged in.

By the way, the Releaf Balm can be applied under clothing without worry about affecting the garment. We haven’t noticed any stains at all, even after months of use. It is not greasy and is absorbed quickly by your body.

Back in the day, we bought joints from some kid in the high school locker room. Three joints for five bucks. What a deal! The bad news was that we had no clue what we were actually getting, and that was kind of scary. Friends would say things like, “Oh, his shit is laced with acid, you’re gonna freak out,” or “It’s mostly sticks and stems,” or worse, “It just oregano.” Five bucks for three wads of oregano wasn’t such a good deal. And we didn’t get high! In fact, Hendrix sounded worse on oregano.

Beyond not really knowing what we were smoking, we had no idea how much to toke to just get the giggles and not so much that we got paranoid, and time seemed to slow down. Thankfully, science has been applied and Dosist figured out how to get us a wee bit high but not so much that we saw The Meaning of Life.

Dosist offers little pens that you draw on. They operate on little batteries. When you’ve gotten a full hit, after about three seconds of inhaling, the little thing vibrates lightly for a second. What a great idea, and the perfect non-obtrusive way to inform you without alerting the rest of your family, the folks down the hall, or the entire neighborhood! We found that you need to draw fairly aggressively, or the pen may not buzz – and you’ll be getting more product that you anticipated. On our first test run after purchasing it at an Orange County dispensary, our tester who was a passenger in our car, inhaled lightly on her pen. And kept inhaling lightly. “It isn’t buzzing!” she exclaimed with disappointment. But she’d produced so much vape that our little car looked like the stunt double for Cheech and Chong’s “Up in Smoke.” When we hurriedly opened the windows, it must have looked to other cars like ours was on fire!

We’ve tried the Calm pen, and it works very well for us. It gave us a light, comfortable sense of relaxation. It took the edge off. We felt like taking a walk in the park would feel really nice after using this, not like climbing to our rooftop and screaming “Citizens of Earth! I am King of the Universe and this is My Wife, Queen Karen I of Rancho Mirage!” We like to take a few hits while watching TV before bed, which makes watching even “The Midwife” tolerable for the guys. At least for a while.

There’s no smoke emitted, just vapor, so you don’t have the haze and aroma. We were far less likely to cough or choke since the aroma and vape are very mild. It’s an exceptionally clean way to smoke. We can see this would be a great solution if we wanted to take a few hits while staying in a non-smoking hotel room or other locations that prohibit tobacco but allow vaping. When the owner runs out of vape, replacement pods are available.

For Senior-High, these pens were a good re-introduction for us to the fun of “smoking” a joint without the fear of wondering what was in it, how out of it we’d get, and worrying about things catching fire and stinking up the place – and our parents finding out.