This review is a triumph for more reasons than one, but I'll start at the beginning. I was sent two samples by PRC: one for myself, and one I could give away in order to get the experience of someone who is not a member of our forum.
The person I got to try the product is someone I've known my whole life. She was my doubles partner many times in the late 1970's playing racquetball. Back then, you either played racquetball or handball. Alternately you could sit at the juice bar and watch thru the huge glass window.
Achy joints were soothed with a quart bottle of DMSO we kept stashed in the trunk of our mustard yellow 74 Maverick. My partner was 27 years older than me, and had the firm belief that anything cannabis related was for junkies, and just as evil and dangerous as heroin. Presently she is 84 and has rheumatoid arthritis, with most of the pain in the wrist and elbow on her dominant, previously racquet swinging arm side. When it flares in the wrist, she wears a splint for support. In case you haven't already gathered, I'm talking about my dear mom.
Once I wore her down, and convinced her that a healing plant was not the devil, I went over the non-intoxicating elements listed on the label. "First, you have the star of the show, CBD. Smell the lavender oil -is it not delightful? What do we have here, your old friend DMSO. You used it, and trusted it in the past. In addition to its inherant pain relieving properties, its solvent properties allow the balm to penetrate the skin with efficiency. There is also organic beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter and virgin coconut oil. Safe, and known to everyone. Let's remove that splint and gently massage the product into the wrist and elbow joints. While we're at it, let's get the knuckle joints. I know right where the pain loves to linger."
At this point, I directed her to the time on the clock. How long will it take to feel a change, and how will this manifest? If you are familiar with RA, it causes pain, swelling, stiffness of the joints; at its worst it can cause loss of function. An octenagerian who insists on mowing her own lawn and shoveling her own walks, shunning any pain meds but pregabalin, could surely use a helping hand.
I've rambled a bit so where are we on the clock? Eight minutes in, and the inflammation and redness is starting to dissipate. She tells me the pressure from the swelling is beginning to subside, and the steady thrum thrum thrum ache that seems in sync with her heartbeat has lessened substantially. It's not completely gone, but definitely in improvement over what it was prior. She seems to recognize a little more easing of movement in the joints. I think this is a success. She seems happy about it.
So I ask her, is this a gateway drug....will you be robbing any banks? She says no, and I believe her. After all, if you can't trust your mom, who can you trust?
