On this Epilepsy Awareness Day, we are honoring the legacy of a young girl named Charlotte Figi who passed away last year at only 13-years old. You may or may not know about her, but the movement for relief-through-Cannabidiol (CBD) was kicked off with her story. A young girl that battled a form of epilepsy named “Dravet Syndrome” which can not be controlled with medication. The story then involves the Stanley Brothers in Colorado who heard about Charlottes story and were compelled to help in any way they could. They crossbred a high-CBD strain of hemp and every since Charlotte began using CBD for relief, there was a drastic reduction of seizures. A child who doctors said would not make it past 8-years old thrived and found relief with CBD in her case. So for her case and many others like it, we honor you today and the plant medicine that has helped. As always, be sure to do your research and find what helps you or your loved one best.
Cannabidiol (CBD)—a component of the Cannabis plant—has been propped up to helped a variety of ailments, including being a treatment of epilepsy. Epidiolex is the only prescription form of CBD available, and it was approved by the FDA in 2018 for treatment of seizures in two hard-to-treat forms epilepsy—Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrom. As such, many people have opted to treat their epilepsy with their own CBD tinctures made from high-quality hemp and have found relief through those ways.
On this day we also honor a young boy named Sam Vogelstein, who’s story is similar. Parents would do anything for their children and in Sam’s case, suffering from epilepsy since 4-years old, they found that Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) could be useful. Although very similar to CBD-only tinctures, RSO is a full spectrum oil that is extracted from a plant that is rich in terpenes and cannabinoids (which includes THC). RSO legality is dependent on your state-laws, so as always make sure to do your research and do what you feel is best for the situation.