Brian and Joann Stephens are the founders of Terra Holistics, their Las Vegas-based CBD company. Terra Holistics has approached CBD in a way that has been welcomed warmly by Las Vegans and the nation. Current offerings include healing creams, tinctures, all-natural lip balms, foot balms, pet tinctures, and all-natural pet balms.
Brian and the Terra Holistics team believe that animals are people too, and consider animal testing an unnecessary evil. Instead, they choose to test on friends and family. That’s no joke. Over the years Brian and Team have been creating holistic blends for those close to them who needed help with various skin and pain ailments.
Furthermore, all Terran Holistics products are 100% natural, made from all organic ingredients, free of anything synthetic or artificial.
Terra Holistics is committed to its customers and goes as far as to share how Hemp-based wellness works on their website. After reading this interview browse over an learn more about your body’s natural endocannabinoid system and how using hemp derivatives can benefit your overall health.
Without further ado, 10 Questions with Brian Stephens of Terra Holistics.
What’s the greatest CBD misconception? What do most people get wrong?
That it will get you high or that it simply does nothing at all. While THC is well known for its psychotropic effects, the health benefits of CBD are just beginning to be introduced to the public. Think of it as the new “antioxidant”. When antioxidants first started showing up in various foods and supplements years ago, no one had any idea what they were or what they did. That is now where CBD is now. Over the coming years, what CBD is and isn’t will all shakedown and the full range of benefits will be understood as well as how to apply them.
What would you tell someone beginning the use of CBD for the first time?
Like with starting any new health regime, go slow. With tinctures or anything ingestible, start with a lower dose of around 15mg to 20mg, twice a day. Then increase the dosage as needed or desired. Some of our clients are fine taking our 1000mg tincture, which offers a 34mg dose, while others require higher dosages. The general rule is 1mg of CBD per 10 pounds of body weight, but again it also depends on the individual and their particular needs. If someone is taking CBD to address a particular health issue, then a higher dose could very well be in order.
We’ve read that CBD can help with anxiety, what are some other benefits of CBD?
With CBD having been studied since the 1930s, there are years of documented studies and published articles on the medical benefits of CBD. Some of the things that CBD has shown to aid in are pain management, digestive disorders, neurological disorders, and skin conditions, just to name a few. When combined with other beneficial ingredients such as Manuka Honey, the holistic synergy between the two natural ingredients has shown to exhibit great antibacterial properties.
What’s your take on merchants being unwilling to process sales, Amazon’s ban, and the so-called “crackdown” on CBD? Where do you stand?
Unfortunately, it’s all about politics. Until recently, the FDA was putting pressure on banks and the credit card processors (through their federal channels) and they had no choice but to comply or face their wrath. A lot has changed now the Square stepped out into the light, openly processing transactions for CBD companies.
As far as Amazon, not sure what’s up there. They don’t allow CBD Creams, but they sell Hemp Cream with some claiming to be like 30,000mg. Of what, if it doesn’t contain CBD? And that amount… ludicrous. A lot of hypocrisy there. Seems like Amazon is openly letting people get ripped off. The way that it is presented straight out infers that the products contain CBD.
While most federal efforts to this point have been overreaching when it comes to CBD, we do need some sort of federal guidelines in place, especially when it comes to testing. It has been the wild west in that aspect, leading to what I just mentioned about Amazon. It’s just as bad in the rest of the market too. A lot of companies are putting 1000mg of CBD on the label when in truth the product contains about 10mg. Clear testing and reporting will put an end to that nonsense.
What’s the actual difference between CBD and THC?
While they are the most well know, CBD and THC are only two of the over 100 cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. THC is best known for the “high” that is experienced when smoked or eaten. CBD Does not produce this type of euphoria. This is a good time to note the difference between the plants that produce these compounds. The Marijuana plant is high in THC and is grown for that specific purpose of producing high THC levels to produce the best or consistent “high”. The Hemp plant, however, is best for CBD cultivation as it is high in CBD, but very low in THC content. This is very important when you start talking about what is an isn’t legal with CBD, as currently CBD legally may only be extracted from industrial hemp plants.
How did you and Joann come to creating a CBD company?
Joann and I have always taken a very holistic approach to our own health. We don’t take any unnecessary medications or supplements and don’t use chemical-based topical pain relievers or beauty products. For years, Joann had been creating different holistic blends of oils and creams for ourselves and family, when we were introduced to CBD and its wide range of benefits. It was the perfect, missing internet for Joann’s blends. After much research, development, and testing, we incorporated the CBD into all of our products, and Terra Holistics was born!
What makes Terra Holistics unique? With so much competition why should I buy your products?
At Terra Holistics we believe that a truly beneficial product doesn’t stop at just delivering CBD to your body. There are plenty of companies that do just that. Their label says CBD and some sort of oil…that’s it. Our approach is to ensure that not only are we using the highest quality all-natural ingredients to effectively deliver the CBD, but to also feed the body and enhance the benefits of the CBD in working directly with your bodies built-in Endocannabinoid System, to begin to realign the body and bring it back to a place of true homeostasis.
Is CBD safe for sensitive clientele such as pregnant women, the elderly, or even children?
In general, for children and the elderly, CBD is a safe and effective therapy for some of the conditions that I mentioned earlier. We have quite a few clients that are 55+, including my 88-year-old mother. We give the CBD tincture to our niece and also have a client that has been giving our CBD Tincture to his daughter to help with their seizures.
As far as pregnant women, I would have to defer to personal choice. While I’m not a doctor, I cannot say definitively say what would or wouldn’t be safe for expecting mothers. I will say, and Joann agrees, if it were our choice, we would first look to using CBD as a solution to any health need such as help with sleeping, anxiety, or pain management, as opposed to using any drug for these types of things.
What is yours and Joann’s favorite Terra Holistics product and why?
For me, I would have to say our Healing Creams. I’m 55 and workout regularly, and at this age, the body tends to resist. Using our cream, I get instant relief from the pain and it speeds up recovery by reducing inflammation. Joann is torn between the tinctures and the lip balms. She relies on the tincture to maintain a healthy sleep pattern, and the lip balms are just amazing at keeping lips healthy and moisturized without having to constantly reapply.
Now that you’ve launched, where do you see the brand going, and what can we expect from Terra Holistics?
Currently, we are focused on making sure that our customers have access to the CBD that they need. We are offering 20% off of all products and free shipping to help those that don’t have access to CBD or are experiencing financial problems. As Las Vegas begins to re-open amid this COVID situation, we will be rekindling our relationships and supporting our current retail partners, ensuring that they too are able to meet their customer’s needs. We will also continue to expand our Social Media presence and run local media campaigns in Las Vegas to increase our brand awareness and get the word out about Terra Holistics’ amazing products and tell the story about a company that is doing it right!!
Images courtesy of Terra Holistics.
