2019 CBD Expo East
Zygote Nation was there! . . . At the 2019 CBD Expo East on Nov. 15-16, 2019, at the Hilton Orlando in Orlando, Fla.
This was a great event. Not only did I meet interesting vendors of hemp products, I also had the opportunity to take in excellent presentations by entrepreneurs, researchers, and scientists discussing all things hemp. That exposure provided me with solid background information for future articles on hemp.
Here is my list of the expo’s notable vendors and products:
Tillman’s Tranquils
Photo by Michael Sirak
Tillmans Tranquils of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, makes mints with hemp extract that are the best-tasting mints of this kind I’ve stumbled upon. At the time of the show, the company offered peppermint CBD Mints, which featured CBD isolate, but was working to expand its line by bringing cinnamon mints to market. The latter would be the first to incorporate a full-spectrum extract, meaning they would not only contain CBD but also other substances from the hemp plant that research has shown are beneficial to the body. Tillmans Tranquils had a large jar of the pre-release cinnamon mints to sample. I tried one and it was quite good. In fact, I found both the peppermint and cinnamon mints extremely pleasant and enjoyable—they contain peppermint oil and cinnamon extract, respectively. Neither had an overbearing flavor nor tasted too sweet. Plus, there is "a pan coating" on each mint to protect the hemp extract from heat, light, and humidity, notes the website.Subsequent to the show, the company did release the cinnamon mints as well as a full-spectrum version of the peppermint mints. Tillmans Tranquils sells the full-spectrum mints in small packages containing 10 mints. Each mint contains 10 milligrams of hemp extract and has one gram of sugar. The company continues to sell the CBD-isolate version of the peppermint mints, too. They come 20 mints per package. Each of these mints has five milligrams of CBD, which the company calls a “microdose,” and contain one gram of sugar. The company also markets oils with full-spectrum extract in two flavors (lemon and tangerine), gummies with CBD isolate, pre-rolled hemp cigarettes, and hemp flower.
Photo by Michael Sirak
Photo by Michael Sirak
Healed
Photo by Michael Sirak
Healed of Norcross, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta, markets raw, cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juice blends infused with organic CBD flower. There are eight blends, each available in two sizes: eight fluid ounces and 16 fl. oz. Each recipe features "a combination of easily digested fruits and vegetables," states the company's website. Since the blends are not pasteurized, they retain the juices' beneficial enzymes, along with minerals and vitamins, it states. The eight blends are: Be Happy, to help alleviate depression and promote a happier mood; Be Healed, to support overall health and well-being; Calm Me, to help reduce anxiety; Just Dance, to help alleviate pain; No Swell, to help reduce inflammation; Rise and Shine, to support sound sleeping; Up, Up, and Away (with protein), to provide an extra boost of energy; and Woosaw, to help lessen stress. I sampled Woosaw at the show and it was delicious. No doubt that it tasted nicely fresh. That blend contains spinach, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, turmeric, dark chocolate, and the CBD flower, according to the product labeling. Healed makes the juices daily, and it offers local pick-up or free next-day delivery for those in the Atlanta area, states the website. It also ships nation-wide. The juices have a shelf life of seven days or less when properly refrigerated, according to the website. To prevent the presence of harmful bacteria, Healed follows a strict cleaning, washing, and sterilization process prior to juicing, it states.
Photo by Michael Sirak
Ancient Essentials
Photo by Michael Sirak
Ancient Essentials of Winterville, North Carolina, caught my eye for offering a transdermal patch that releases full-spectrum hemp extract into the body to alleviate muscle aches and joint and back pain. Back in 2018, when I first started looking for topical hemp products like this, they contained only CBD isolate. That's not a bad thing, per se, but having a full-spectrum extract is supposedly better since the hemp plant's additional compounds, like terpenes and less-abundant cannabinoids, are said to amplify the benefit of the CBD in reducing anxiety and lessening inflammation in the body. I am starting to see more companies embrace this "whole-plant" approach with their topicals. Kudos to Ancient Essentials for being one of them. The company sells the patches in a two-pack. Each patch has 15 milligrams of CBD, according to the packaging. Ancient Essentials' topical product line-up also includes a hand-and-body lotion, healing salve, and muscle-and-joint-relief topical roll-on. They all contain full-spectrum extract, too. For internal use, the company sells an oil with full-spectrum hemp extract in a base of medium-chain-triglyceride oil. There are three flavors (Peppermint, Vanilla, and Wild Berry) available, each with options for different CBD concentrations. The company says it uses organic natural flavorings in the oils. In fact, due to that and the fact that it applies "a proprietary crafting process," the company boasts, "we are confident that you will not find a better tasting CBD oil out there." The company uses hand-harvested, organic industrial hemp that it grows in nutrient-rich peat soil in greenhouses in North Carolina, according to the website. These facilities provide "a diligently controlled contaminant-free environment" for cultivating the hemp, it states. Ancient Essentials markets a hemp oil for equines and one for pets (cats and dogs), too. An Ancient Essentials representative told Zygote Nation that the company is in the process of attaining U.S. Department of Agriculture organic certification of its products.
Photo by Michael Sirak
