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I Tried Pumpkin Spice CBD Oil to Treat My Chronic Pain—Here's What Happened

With temperatures dropping, leaves falling, and autumn in full swing, you're probably sniffing the aroma of pumpkin spice everywhere—from pumpkin spice lattes to candles, cough drops, lotions, and even pumpkin spice lube.

Now there's one more product featuring this warm and joyful seasonal flavor: CBD oil.

First, a primer on CBD: It's short for cannabidiol, the chemical compound from the cannabis plant. It won't get you high, but fans rave that CBD products can lower anxiety, clear up skin, and ease pain, among other wellness benefits.

That said, CBD products aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aside from one medication to treat seizures, the FDA "has not approved any other CBD products, and there is very limited available information about CBD, including about its effects on the body," according to a statement on the FDA website.

RELATED: Every Question You Have About CBD—Answered

I can speak about CBD from experience. I've used CBD-infused products like oils, roll-ons, and salves every day for about a year now to reduce inflammation and relieve pain flareups caused by Lyme disease. I've definitely noticed a positive difference in how it makes me feel. Whether it's a placebo effect or not, CBD works for me.

CBD oil can be ingested, but it tastes like hemp, which certainly isn't the most delicious flavor ever. So the idea of a pumpkin spice variety sounded much more appealing. When I heard about it, I had to test it out so I could report just how well it worked (or didn't work).

Giving pumpkin spice CBD a try

I tried Toast Spiked Pumpkin CBD Oil, which is a full-spectrum hemp product. What does “full-spectrum” mean? It contains all of the many cannabinoids found within the cannabis plant, not just CBD. It’s also vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free, so it’s basically a dream for folks with fun, complicated dietary and health restrictions, like me.

The ingredients are organic and super simple: full-spectrum hemp extract with cannabidiol, organic pumpkin seed oil, organic cinnamon oil, organic nutmeg oil, and organic ginger oil. You can taste each of those notes when you ingest it orally, and the flavor is exactly as spicy as it smells.

As a self-proclaimed CBD snob, I’ve tried tons of edibles and flavored oils in the past, but this one tastes the best. Do I sound like a cannabis connoisseur yet?

RELATED: 7 Surprising Ways People Are Using CBD Oil—and What Doctors Really Think About It

Did the oil work?

At 8.5 mg of CBD per full dropper, I didn’t notice a drastic difference in how I felt after taking a dose under the tongue. It did chill me out, though. My anxiety is basically always at lovely 6/10, and this probably lulled it down to a 4/10. Hey, any little bit helps.

As I mentioned above, the oil tastes great, even better than what I’d imagine a pumpkin spice latte would taste like. One of the perks of this product is that you don’t need to ingest it orally, although that’s the most common way to take CBD oil. It’s an extract, so you can add it to a batch of cookies or a loaf of pumpkin bread for an extra kick.

I’d totally infuse homemade treats with it in the future. If you’re feeling really wild, you can drop it into apple cider and coffee, or even into your pumpkin spiced latte. Double the pumpkin spice, double the fun, right?

RELATED: Is It Possible to Take Too Many Vitamins?

A salve is my personal favorite form of CBD, so the fact that this oil can be used topically is a huge selling point for me. To see how well it performed as a pain reliever, I massaged it onto my key trouble points (wrists, neck, shoulders, and knees). Not only did it subtly enhance the scent of any room I walked into, but it actually helped to relieve my chronic pain. I don’t think I’d swap it out for my go-to salves, but it did work.

My final thoughts? I hate to admit that I genuinely like this product—solely because of the trendy flavor. I tend to shy away from seasonal trends (#hipster), but pumpkin spice CBD oil is one I can get behind. Blame it on my love of cannabis and its magical healing qualities, but I’ll be using this festive fall oil long after the season officially ends.

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