The Newest Health Craze: CBD Infused Tea in The Hudson Valley
Yes, you read the headline right. CBD is now in tea, the second most widely consumed beverage in the world.
HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y. — CBD, also known as cannabinoid, has become the newest health craze that everyone is talking about. It is the buzzy wellness product that went from being sold at a few stores to being everywhere. It can be found in food, supplements, creams, oils and more. Although talk of CBD continues to grow, you might not be aware of what it is and why CBD is the new “it” item. So what is it exactly?
Cannabinoid is a chemical compound that comes from the hemp part of the cannabis sativa plant. But unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the primary psychoactive element in marijuana), CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it does not make someone “high” in the way marijuana would. On LiveScience.com, Dr. Atkinson, co-director of the Center for Medical Cannabis Research, said, “There is a great deal of interest in the possible therapeutic effects of CBD, but there is very little evidence of efficacy,” which is why there aren’t enough points to support whether or not CBD is beneficial. Although scientific research is lacking, there is ample anecdotal evidence behind the benefits of CBD.
Miriam Novalle, founder of T Salon and High Tea Company, can speak to the success of CBD. Novalle has been a creator in the tea community for over 25 years, making over 600 different tea blends. She has been dubbed as the “tea guru” by the New York Times for her skills as a perfumer and tea making success. T Salon came first, but High Tea Company was born after Novalle witnessed how much CBD had helped her sister cope with the side effects of chemotherapy while battling ovarian cancer. Watching CBD ease her sister’s inflammation, arthritis, feelings of nausea and general pain, Novalle was determined to create a line of cannabinoid infused tea blends that could enter the holistic market of future cancer treatments.
As a “serial entrepreneur with no boundaries” Novalle contemplated which of her tea lines would make sense to be mixed with hemp buds. She found that her wellness line (purification, immunity, detox, etc.) was the perfect match.
Out of 640 blends of tea, Novalle chose 11 for her cannabinoid infused line. She explained that “all of them have a reason and a purpose.” Novalle said, “The ingredients of my tea are mind blowing. To me it is all about what it can do for the body.” She mentioned that she has friends whose parents have Parkinson’s Disease and after having a cup of her CBD infused tea their body starts to chill out and stop shaking.
Novalle said that from her 11 blends, “Goodnight Irene sells the most because a lot of people have sleeping issues.” She believes that “we have to go back to the powerful things that kept us when we were first born, the natural substances that we were given,” which is why her teas are full of organic elements that strengthen the body. In addition to the organic hemp phyto cannabinoid, Goodnight Irene contains honeybush, ginger, rosehip, ginkgo, lavender and peppermint.
As of July, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has banned all CBD infused food and drink products. After the Food and Drug Administration deemed using CBD as an additive in food and drinks unlawful, city health inspectors will be issuing fines ranging from $250 to $600 starting Oct. 1.
Although Novalle is aware of the ban she said, “This is a big animal now. When you got millions of people already taking it and billions of dollars invested in it, it’s a little too late to try and hold the horse back.”
The ban does not take away from the benefits people have been experiencing from CBD: pain relief, reducing anxiety and depression, alleviating cancer related symptoms and more. Novalle’s CBD infused products (iced tea, tea bags and cold brew) are meant to alleviate the everyday stress of life and make pain more bearable.
The CBD industry is booming and now that Novalle has brought High Tea Company to the Hudson Valley, we can experience what all the buzz is about.
