ABCs of CBD by Shira Adler

Shira Alder is a mom, a blogger, the founder of Shira Synergy, an author- the list could go on forever. Her main passion in life is to promote holistic methods for wellness and parenting. She calls herself a “CBD expert, educator, activist, and entrepreneur”. In her book The ABCs of CBD not only does she talk about CBD, she also tells us about THC, hemp, the plant itself, and pretty much anything you would need to know on the subject. The foreword is written by Dr. Lynn Parodneck, a physician in New York who focuses exclusively on medical marijuana. Dr. Parodneck states this book “is chock a block with information.”

Shira’s main goal in this book is to help explain to a wide audience “why pot is not what we were taught” in a way that anyone can understand. She does so by showing us historical facts, cultural trends, laws, and some of the science behind it. Towards the end (and a few places in between) she even explains her own personal feelings on the subject. This book is not intended for any one specific audience, it is for the people who are “canna-curious” as Shira calls it. Dr. Junella Chin praises the book by writing “Shira Adler has written a must-read primer for anyone considering CBD…as a mother and a medical cannabis physician, I believe this book is a gold mine.”

Shira starts off the book with a short overview of what CBD is. She goes over commonly asked questions, and lists some basic and technical facts. She also introduces cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid receptor system- which is a bunch of receptors in your body made specifically for cannabinoids that run through your central nervous system affecting things like pain, mood, memory, and much more. She goes on to talk about the way pop culture and the media view CBD. How the media will help soon change the global perspective. Her next big subject is the history of the marijuana plant. On pages 26–45 she has a timeline showing many of the important and different ways it was used dating from 8,000 BCE all the way to December of 2018. The timeline covers things as big as different laws getting passed, but also a wide range of historical information. It even shows that in 1533 King Henry VIII would fine farmers for not growing hemp because it has so many amazing industrial uses. America’s opioid epidemic is also something she touches on. She talks about how opioids are being misused all over the country and explains how CBD would be able to help fight this addiction in so many different ways. She also talks about the legality of CBD, and how the federal government considers even CBD-when extracted from a marijuana flower- to be a Schedule 1 drug. She gives advice on how to give it to your kids, and how to have conversations with them about marijuana and CBD. Shira finishes the book with a short excerpt about how she wrote this book because she wants “to make a difference- in human lives — and for our planet.” (p.191)

This CBD guide is a very organized, helpful, fun, and easy to read book. The chapters are broken up very nicely. She uses bullet points making lists easier to read. They are a few paragraphs or sentences in this book that are filled with crazy scientific words, but she always comes in right behind it with an explantation that is easy to understand. Shira writes the book as if she is personally talking to you. She makes jokes and refers to her personal life throughout the book allowing her readers to start feeling a connection. Shira also made sure that she has the sources to back up her information, and makes all of the information easily accessible. She even cites a few shows from Netflix (who doesn’t like to do research through watching tv). Multiple doctors and many other CBD enthusiasts wrote testimonials praising Shira for this book.

There is a lot to learn about the marijuana plant and it can all get so confusing. Just learning the different characteristics the two can be very complex, let alone knowing all of the different variations of both THC and CBD. She gave the chance for people with absolutely zero knowledge on the subject to be able to learn without getting confused. This book is honestly so amazing anyone to read, any age range- with a parents permission of course. I have recommended it to my friends and family who want to begin the learning adventure. If you are curious about CBD and how it can help you, or even want to further your knowledge on cannabinoids and everything surrounding them, this is the book for you. If her goal was to help make a difference in people’s lives, this has definitely made an amazing start.

References

Adler, S (2018) The ABCs of CBD. Valposa Books