The WH Guide To CBD

The new “it” drug is all over your social feed and showing up in mineral water, bath bombs and lotion. Devotees swear by its health benefits, but does it live up to the hype?

- Ashley Ross

While training for a triathlon back in 2009, Kristen Brooks flew over her handlebars. For years afterwards, she couldn’t run or hike without neck or back pain. Cortisone shots and acupuncture didn’t provide relief, so when the now 41-year-old’s best friend said she was going to try a topical cream containing cannabidiol – CBD, a compound found in marijuana – to ease her own aches, Brooks figured: Why not join her? Within two months, her discomfort was gone. “It felt like witchcraft,” she says.

Magic it’s not. But CBD has some seemingly powerful mojo. Unlike THC – the psychoactive component in a classic joint or dagga cookie – it won’t get you high. Yet it may help regulate mood and chronic pain and reduce inflammation.