You know what I love more than a CBD company? A CBD company that stands for something. Of course in the past I have reviewed countless companies with varying ethos' but this is the first time that I have connected with a company that endeavours to tackle the beast that is pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) with their products and to quote from their website, Delics was started 'as a diverse, inclusive and socially conscious way to tackle PMS. We want our CBD to be an affordable way to get through the day.' Which sounds pretty damn good to me (and Patricia, who is incredibly prone to triggering my PMS).
With that in mind, each of their products in formulated with the specific purpose of helping to support menstrual health and dealing with PMS. I was kindly gifted the mid-strength product in their oil range, the 1000mg Hot Shot CBD & Olive Oil. What's really interesting about this oil is that as the name suggests, it's olive oil based. The majority of CBD products currently on the market use hemp, MCT or coconut oil so I was intrigued as to why Delics champion using olive oil in their products.
Turns out, olive oil is an amazing natural remedy (as well as CBD and hemp in general) when it comes to menstrual health. Now obviously I'm not going to spout this sort of information without any evidence and when I started to research into the benefits of olive oil, I discovered a lot of research to support my aforementioned point. In one study by Onieva-Zafra et al. (2020) they found that individuals who followed a Mediterranean diet (which cites olive oil as the main fat source) had shorter, lighter menstrual cycles than individuals who did not follow a Mediterranean diet. This is supported by a study by Fernández-Martínez et al. (2018) who discovered in their study that there was aa lower proportion of women with primary dysmenorrhea (period cramps/pain) among those who always cooked with olive oil. I could cite more evidence but instead I've linked further studies in my bibliography below.
Olive oil also has strong anti-inflammatory properties which rival ibuprofen meaning that it can reduce menstrual pain as well as act as a preventative for future menstrual pain too (Aparicio-Soto, 2016). As a result, it makes it a much more appealing supplement for menstrual health in comparison with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen as it doesn't have any of the negative side effects such as stomach ulcers and internal bleeding (Lucas & Keast, 2011).
I think you get the point.
The CBD used by Delics is full spectrum so a lot of the natural plant is left within the product; each drop of this oil contains 2.5mg of CBD and it has an almost sweet taste to it. The olive oil does a great job at toning down the earthiness of the hemp. I did my usual routine of having a few drops first thing in the morning and again in the evening before I went to bed. I tended to have 4 drops each time, so by the end of the day I would usually have had approximately 20mg of CBD. However, Delics do suggest that if you need a boost then to have a bonus drop or two throughout the day which I did do if I was having a particularly hormonal day and in the run up to having my 'period' (despite having the coil and having no periods, I still do experience the PMS side of things - yay!)
To clarify PMS is pretty much the same each month for me. I have a day where everything makes me angry which is always followed by a day when I feel incredibly weepy and everything and anything makes me cry. Such joys. The great news is, is that I can categorically say that this oil made a huge difference to how I felt in the run up to my period, as well as throughout. My mood swings were less severe, I wasn't as quick to get angry and I felt that I had better control over regulating myself too. I also noticed a significant reduction in the duration of my usual period cramps as well as a reduction in their intensity too. Furthermore, I also found that this extended throughout the entirety of my cycle, my moods weren't so unpredictable, I slept better and overall just felt better within myself.
Delics 100mg Hot Shot CBD & Olive Oil is £44.99 for 10ml.
*This post contains PR samples/gifted items, for my PR disclaimer, click here.
References:
Aparicio-Soto, M., Sánchez-Hidalgo, M., Rosillo M., Castejón M., De La Lastra, A. (2016) Extra virgin olive oil: A key functional food for prevention of immune-inflammatory diseases. Food Funct. [Online] 7 (11), 4492–4505. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1039/c6fo01094f [Accessed 15 September 2021].
Fernández-Martínez, E., Onieva-Zafra, M., & Parra-Fernández, M. (2018). Lifestyle and prevalence of dysmenorrhea among Spanish female university students. PloS one. [Online] 13 (8), e0201894. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201894 [Accessed 15 September 2021].
Lucas, L., Russell, A., & Keast, R. (2011). Molecular mechanisms of inflammation. Anti-inflammatory benefits of virgin olive oil and the phenolic compound oleocanthal. Current pharmaceutical design. [Online] 17 8), 754–768. https://doi.org/10.2174/138161211795428911 [Accessed 15 September 2021].
Onieva-Zafra, M., Fernández-Martínez, E., Abreu-Sánchez, A., Iglesias-López, M., García-Padilla, F., Pedregal-González, M., & Parra-Fernández, M. (2020). Relationship between Diet, Menstrual Pain and other Menstrual Characteristics among Spanish Students. Nutrients. [Online] 12 (6), 1759. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061759 [Accessed 14 September 2021].
Bibliography:
Chan, A. (2013) To Relieve PMS, Look to Fatty Acids. [Online] Available from: https://www.livescience.com/35387-fatty-acids-relieve-pms.html [Accessed 16 September 2021].
Gambino, C., Accardi, G., Aiello, A., Candore, G., Dara-Guccione, G., Mirisola, M., Procopio, A., Taormina, G., & Caruso, C. (2018). Effect of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Table Olives on the Immune Inflammatory Responses: Potential Clinical Applications. Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets. [Online] 18 (1), 14–22. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2174/1871530317666171114113822 [Accessed 16 September 2021].
Rezaeyan, M., Khedri, P., Abdali, N. & Direkvand-Moghadam, A. (2015) The impact of extra virgin olive oil on primary dysmenorrhea in comparison to the ibuprofen. Der Pharmacia Lettre. [Online] 7 (11), 212-216. Available from: https://www.scholarsresearchlibrary.com/articles/the-impact-of-extra-virgin-olive-oil-on-primary-dysmenorrhea-in-comparison-to-the-ibuprofen.pdf [Accessed 16 September 2021].