A face injury led to a pro boxer to start up a new business selling what he calls a "miracle product".
Supreme CBD has "taken off massively" since Anthony Fowler, a Commonwealth Games gold medal boxer, started it three years ago. The 31-year-old from Toxteth said: "It's actually more rewarding than my boxing. When I fight, I feel amazing, I feel like I've won the fight, I've achieved something. But with the CBD, it's different for me because I'm healing people, I'm helping people."
He caught on to the benefits of products made of chemicals extracted from cannabis when he first tried cannabidiol (CBD oil) while being paid to promote a product. Anthony said: "I wasn't a big believer at the start. I thought it was just a bit of hype. I'm always very skeptical."
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Anothony had whacked the side of his jaw "really hard", leaving him chewing food to the left of his mouth because it was so sore he could barely open it. Anthony told the ECHO: "I tried the oil and within 10 minutes my jaw felt better. I could eat normally.
"People have used hemp for thousands of years, and it's such an amazing product because it really, really helps so many people."
Using money from his career as a boxer, Anthony bought supplies in bulk at wholesale price so he can sell it to customers. Now the Supreme CBD brand is promoted by public figures like model and bodybuilder Jodie Marsh, X Factor finalist Jake Quickenden, and two-time Olympic gold medal taekwondo champion, Jade Jones.
Shaun Walsh, from Huyton, who survived pancreatic cancer and raises awareness of its symptoms, also touts the benefits of CBD oil. He credits it with helping him recover after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy for the 'silent killer'.
Cannabis products are legal as long as it contains no THC, which is a controlled substance in the UK. THC gives a 'high' feeling from consuming cannabis, and it is the chemical in the drug that can cause or exacerbate psychosis.
The only difference between legal and illegal forms of cannabis is the chemical makeup of the former is regulated, with producers required to ensure consistency across batches. Other than this, legal cannabis products like CBD oil work the same way, interacting with receptors in the body's endocannabinoid system.
Some receptors in the brain are involved in emotional processing, while others affect how pain is experienced. This means the products can be used to treat a wide range of conditions from anxiety to epilepsy to chronic pain. Anthony said: "It's a miracle product, but you've got to try it to believe it. It's been so successful because it works."
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