Cannabidiol (CBD) has become the rock star of the holistic wellness world due to its heralded health benefits, so it was a natural progression for House of Nutrition & Wellness (5824 Sixth Ave., Kenosha) to add CBD to its offerings of vitamins, supplements, essential oils, natural foods and personal care items.
Mark Wistar has owned House of Nutrition since 2014. He began carrying CBD about two years ago upon recommendation from a friend who was using Endoca brand CBD oil to help treat skin cancer. “He wanted me to carry it,” Wistar recalls. “I told him I’d get it in, but the laws were a little confusing back then. I heard rumors of health stores being raided and fined [for carrying CBD].”
Wisconsin retailers were further confused in April 2018, when then-Attorney General Brad Schimel issued a Department of Justice memo deeming CBD illegal. His announcement resulted in some stores pulling CBD products from their shelves. After immediate backlash from businesses and agricultural leaders, Schimel finally relented and rolled back his stance. Industrial hemp extracts like CBD were later removed from the Controlled Substances Act when the 2018 federal farm bill was signed into law.
Wisconsin was a leading hemp producer prior to World War II; however, Wistar notes that Wisconsin now follows rather than leads today’s cannabis resurgence. “Wisconsin used to lead with progressive legislation on different things, but now Illinois has taken the lead. They were the first to go smoke-free in public places, and now Illinois has taken the lead again with legalizing marijuana. They’re paving a path to get their budgets back in the black, and Wisconsin will see that, but now we’re going to be following,” he observes.
Hemp Rescue
House of Nutrition sells CBD as a health care supplement. Because they specialize in natural health products, Wistar says they can recommend other herbs that might complement CBD to best address customers’ symptoms. Their private brand is Hemp Rescue, made by a Green Bay, Wis., company that sources hemp from a farm in Longmont, Colo.
Luke Schlag, a representative for Hemp Rescue, emphasizes his company monitors the quality at every single step. They make five different strengths of tinctures, along with body creams and salves. It’s also full-plant/full-spectrum. “It contains cannabinoids found in the entire plant. Some companies use extracts derived from only stalks and stems, which have fewer cannabinoids and other compounds,” Schlag says. Hemp Rescue also has just two ingredients: hemp oil and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil.
House of Nutrition manager Kalli Hauter—who is also studying Oriental medicine at the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine—notes that CBD oil (or tincture) is a preferable delivery method to capsules or gummies. “When taken sublingually [under the tongue], it’s absorbed through the system faster. With capsules or gummies, everybody digests at different rates, so some people might not feel the full dose.” She also helps guide customers on how CBD helps balance the body’s endocannabinoid system, which regulates sleep, appetite, mood and other processes.
House of Nutrition also carries CBD tinctures and products by Charlotte’s Web, Endoca, Hemp Select (made by Wisconsin-based Terry Naturally supplements), Irwin Naturals CBD line and Hemplucid, another whole-plant CBD oil.
Please note that any health claims in this article are intended for informational purposes only and are not to be taken as substitutes for medical advice. Consult with a health care professional before starting any treatment. For more information, visit thenutritionhouse.com and hemprescuecbd.com.