Barleans

If you are wondering what CBD oil and Einkorn have in common, the answer is nothing at all other than they are both related to things I recently received in the New Hope Blogger Box, and also they are both part of the latest and greatest in the natural foods and supplements trends. I mentioned the CBD oil in a previous post but even then I was still a tad confused on why exactly it seemed to be such a hot supplement lately. Today I read an article from Delicious Living that explained the supplement in far more detail than I had previously found in my earlier research. The whole article is worth the read, but I thought I’d pull out the key parts that answered my questions best, and hope they answer any you may have as well.

CBD is short for cannabidiol and is an extract of the hemp portion of a Cannabis sativa plant. This is the same plant where THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, is found and indeed the CBD and THC do similar functions in the body. THC has a psychoactive component though that CBD does not have, therefore you cannot get high from CBD oil. Both CBD and THC work on the body’s innate endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system governs specific areas of your physiology, such as hunger, pain, stress and pleasure. On a molecular level, the endocannabinoid system works like a lock and key with receptors. The receptors are the lock, the cannabinoids are the keys. The benefits of pain and stress relief make CBD a potentially powerful medicine indeed, even without the pleasurable high.

Benefits: A type of CBD seems to benefit people suffering from childhood-onset epilepsy disorder. A panel of FDA experts in April unanimously declared a pharmaceutical-grade CBD should be approved to treat certain rare types of epilepsy. The FDA is expected to grant its approval later this year. A 2015 review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 79 studies published since 1975. Researchers found various cannabinoids—THC, CBD and others—were useful medicine. They were most effective treating chronic pain and muscle spasticity; nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy; and weight gain associated with HIV, sleep disorders and Tourette syndrome. THC and CBD were also found to improve sleep and reduce anxiety.

So that is what I learned from the Delicious Living article by Todd Runestad and some of it was directly taken from it, and other bits were quite modified. The bold is all me. Please read the whole article if you are interested in learning more because there is actually a lot he covers that I left out.

Einkorn flour is an ancient wheat, meaning it hasn’t been genetically modified to produce higher amounts of gluten like other wheat flours that are used today. For those who are sensitive to gluten, this might be a digestible alternative, although it still contains gluten and is not to be eaten by celiacs, nor during a period of time when you want to completely abstain from wheat and gluten in order to stop the body’s negative reactions. Once you begin healing your digestive system from the intolerances, you might find that Einkorn is safe to eat, even if you had been found to be gluten intolerant before the healing process. It is kind of like spelt flour, which is a low gluten flour and easier on the digestive system, though it still contains gluten and is still a wheat. Jovial Foods has an informative page on Einkorn that you should check out if you are considering whether or not to start adding wheat back into your diet. Also, if you are a current wheat eater, switching to Einkorn could provide some overall nutritional benefits as well, such as easier digestibility, more protein and less starch . Another reason to visit Jovial Foods’ website is because they have great recipes with Einkorn flour or gluten free flour, and most of their recipes have directions for either one. I made these Einkorn cinnamon scones and not only were they incredibly delicious, they were also quite easy to make. I did not have the cream that it called for, but I was able to substitute with Elmhurst’s cashew milk that had come in the blogger box, and it worked perfectly.

I also made these peasant breads with the recipe I use to make gluten free peasant breads, and they turned out well also. The left one shows the top, while the right one shows the bottom.

Now that gluten awareness seems to have moved a bit into digestive health awareness with probiotics leading the way in healing and overall wellness, I believe we’ll see more and more products using Einkorn flour and berries as a way to ease back into eating gluten, and just as a healthier alternative to the highly processed and hybridized wheat flours that we use today. I hope that is the case anyway, because I for one am ready to start seeing fresh Einkorn bread in grocery stores and restaurants, and farmers switching to ancient grain Einkorn instead of the hybridized wheat that has taken over.

Best health to you and yours through the changing seasons, and be sure to listen closely to your body when trying new supplements or reintroducing foods to your diet after a time of abstaining from them. When reintroducing a food that was previously a sensitivity, be careful and go slowly, staying aware that symptoms may be different than before. Good luck and please subscribe for weekly posts about herbs, natural health, and green beauty, and please share with anyone who might benefit from this article.