What Are Phoenix Tears?

Phoenix Tears are a name for a potent cannabis oil; they can also be referred to as a “whole-plant” cannabis extract. Obtaining this concentrated oil requires the use of a high-purity solvent (eg. pure light aliphatic naphtha or 99% isopropyl alcohol). Extracting with these solvents will allow for all the compounds from the plant to be pulled out, unlike other methods, which extract cannabinoids more selectively. Whole-plants extracts, therefore, are the most medically potent forms of cannabis in existence, and are used almost exclusively for the treatment of severe ailments.  

Rick Simpson is a medical cannabis advocate who brought attention to the benefits of Phoenix Tears, when he used them to cure his own skin cancer. Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is another name for Phoenix Tears that are made by him, or according to his exact specifications. He advertises the procedure for DIY Rick Simpson Oil, for free, on his website. Rick specifies that RSO must be made with indica strains (less than 10% sativa), in order to be the most medically active, and he claims that making the oils yourself is almost as easy as brewing a cup of coffee. Although, I will add, *extracting cannabis via highly flammable solvents is actually pretty dangerous, and a person should exercise extreme caution if doing so. 

Who is MediBloom?

MediBloom is a small Canadian family business that initially started out producing medicine for friends and family members suffering from these specific debilitating conditions: Lyme Disease, cancer, and sleep disorders. The company now produces medical tinctures on a larger scale, with specific products tailored to the aforementioned conditions, as well as a MediBloom “Charlotte,” for pediatric seizures.  

MediBloom was there at the inception of the Canadian MMAR program, supplying medical cannabis to those who could not obtain it themselves. The organization also continues to be at the forefront of research on Lyme, and MediBloom is currently the only company in Canada that can provide a cannabis treatment regimen specifically for individuals affected with Lyme Disease. 

What is MediBloom NIGHT?

As clearly instructed, MediBloom Night is a Phoenix Tear that is meant for night-time use only. This tincture is very high in THC and CBN, as these cannabinoids paired together are powerful sleep inducers. The product also contains the cannabinoids CBC and CBG, and the terpenes: myrcene, caryophyllene, limonene, and terpinolene. MediBloom has deemed this formulation to be the ultimate elixir to fight against insomnia. In addition to being an extremely effective sleep aid, MediBloom Night is also ideal for: chronic pain, neuralgia, nausea, inflammation, cancer, Lyme, stress, and enhancing sexual pleasure. 

My Personal Thoughts & Experiences

So, we are nearly two months into the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, and we have already witnessed: supply shortages, a moldy weed recall, reports of dry/improperly weighted product, and reports of poorly decarbed, and hence, inactive oils being sold. One further consequence of “legalization” is that the government has insisted on monopolizing the majority of cannabis sales, which impedes access to strictly medical products, like this one from MediBloom, for many patients in need. 

I have, very thankfully, never suffered from a medical condition severe enough to merit the use of Phoenix Tears. However, I became very aware that come October 17th, it was going to become quite difficult to obtain most of the medical cannabis products that I once had uncomplicated access to. MediBloom Night was one product that I knew I had to try, while I still had the chance, as high CBN extractions are still quite rare to come across. So, I purchased one small 3 ml bottle of this Phoenix Tear, at a price of around $60. 

At first I thought $60 was sort of expensive for such a teeny tiny bottle, although, a little goes a long way is almost an understatement for this particular product. For me personally, a single drop of oil was more than sufficient as an effective dose. The 3 ml bottle has a total of 120 drops, which means that a single effective dose of this powerful pain reliever and sleep aid, would cost me about 50 cents. Also, since I only use the Phoenix Tears occasionally, limited solely to severe moments of insomnia, I have not ever needed more than one drop as a dose. Although, a person using this product consistently for sleep would most likely need to increase their dosage over time, due to tolerance building.  

When placing one drop under my tongue, I will start to feel the effects of the medicine in about 20 minutes time. I have GI related issues, so the first effects I feel from the oil will actually be in my stomach. I can feel my digestion speed up, and if my stomach is not full enough, ravenous hunger will then hit me. It is a bad plan to ingest this product without having eaten a good meal within the last 30 minutes or so, as the sudden hunger will very much distract from your ability to fall peacefully asleep. After about 30 minutes, the only way to describe the feelings of high levels of THC and CBN in my bloodstream would be “comfortably numb.” It is like any sensations of physical pain or mental stress melt into the inky blackness of the oil in order to remove all sense of malaise. In not so much time, the comforting sensations lull you into an uninterrupted and virtually dreamless sleep.  

Difficulties sleeping affect nearly 40% of adults at some point in their lives; anyone who has ever experienced it, knows the deep frustration involved in lying awake or tossing and turning through an entire night. Current pharmaceuticals pills for sleep come with a lot of side effects; there is essentially an entire ledger of accounts of scary, funny, and extremely dangerous things people have done on Ambien, with zero recollection of it. I sincerely could not think of anything that would be more terrifying to ingest, than a substance that animates you like a sleeping zombie and allows you to do things without a single memory.

High CBN extractions show greater promise than pharmaceuticals as effective sleep aids, with no known side effects, other than slight grogginess or confusion. I believe CBN has the ability to revolutionize the sleep aid industry, and that one day, cannabis research will evolve enough to able to provide safe relief and good rest for millions of individuals. 

Sources:

herbaldispatch.com/cannabis-lyme

farmvictoria.com/medibloom