By Erica and Karen

Suddenly, CBD is everywhere.

But why? We decided to find out. But we were confused. There are so many brands. What about false labelling? We don’t ingest stuff we don't understand. How should we jump in?

Luckily, we made a new friend—the brother of an old friend—who is in the business. He has a company called Miralon. He told us a lot about CBD, explained what his company was doing, and asked us to try his gel tablets and sports cream. We were skeptical. But we tried them anyway. Guess what? CBD seemed to work. Aches and pains were better, sleep was better too. So we decided to tell you about what we learned—about CBD, and about Miralon—so you can make your own judgment.

● What is CBD?

CBD is cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound found in hemp plants. Legal hemp in the United States is hemp that contains less than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the psychoactive part of weed. (You may have fond memories of THC--in brownies or tokes.)

● What is all the hoopla about?

CBD has properties that appear to have medicinal benefits. (We wish it could help with coronavirus but that does not seem to be one of its benefits.) There is a lot of excitement about what CBD can treat--including pain, anxiety and lack of sleep--without the potentially harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals. Though clinical data remains limited and CBD is not federally regulated or approved, a few studies appear to show that CBD is effective for arthritic and lower back pain, sleeplessness and anxiety—ailments that afflict lots of people in our cohort. We have not heard of any CBD side-effects—though we have heard, and it makes sense to us, that you should talk to your doctor if you are on other medications.

● Why is CBD everywhere?

If CBD is as effective, and as safe, as people claim, it is a big deal, and the market for CBD products will likely be robust. But right now CBD is not federally regulated, and you have to be careful to make sure whatever you buy actually contains CBD in the promised amount and advertised quality.

● Miralon and what we tried.

Here’s what we were told about Miralon:

• It was developed by a doctor at the NY Hospital for Special Surgery and some of his patients—retired NFL players suffering from chronic joint pain, reduced flexibility and arthritis.

• Scientists at the company developed a proprietary formula that includes CBD and Sebrium, a natural extract from a plant grown in South Africa, intended to increase the potency of the CBD.

• Miralon’s CBD is grown in the US and certified by the US Hemp Authority, an industry entity that certifies products that meet the self-regulatory standards set for CBD products. Miralon’s products are manufactured in an FDA registered and inspected facility. Miralon’s CBD is traceable from seed to package through QR codes.

• Miralon has more products in the works. Tinctures and a nighttime cream without menthol will be available shortly.

This all sounded like a serious effort to develop a real product, so we tried the cream on our arthritic aches and pains, and one of us tried the pills to see if they helped her to sleep better. The results were sufficiently encouraging that we decided to keep going, and to see if we could get a deal to offer to our readers. Miralon was receptive.

If you want to try Miralon’s products, have a look at its website. If you decide to buy, you can get a 20% discount over the pricing you will see on the website by using Lustre’s discount code, EBKW20, when you check out. Lustre will earn a commission on any sales using the discount.

Let us know if CBD works for you.