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Foria is one of the most exciting companies within the cannabis industry. If you have not heard of their new product Foria Relief, and you are a woman, I would encourage you to keep reading. This past week Foria launched Foria Relief, a cocoa butter-based vaginal cannabis suppository designed to ease menstrual cramps in women. According to Brittany Confer, the Director of Communications for the company “Relief has been carefully crafted and is intended to maximize the muscle relaxing and pain relieving properties of cannabis without inducing a psychotropic ‘high’. What’s nice about Relief is how it can create a full body sensation of relaxation without delivering the ‘head high’.”
What’s interesting to note about the launch of this product and Foria as a company is that it is the only company in the industry seeming to be laser focused on women’s sexual health through the use of non-psychoactive medicinal products. They have successfully navigated a divergent path of both pleasure and pain. Their flagship product Foria Pleasure increases sexual pleasure through the use of a THC infused lubricant spray, whereas Foria Relief focuses on diminishing pain generally associated with menstruation, and other related sexual health issues for women.
Foria as a company started in California about two years ago with the idea to create a sexual enhancement product for women as an aide to overall health and wellness. Co-founder Mathew Gerson, a veteran of the sex industry and founder of Sir Richard’s Condoms, noted at the time that there were around 26 FDA-approved drugs on the market for increasing male sexual pleasure, but approximately zero available for women. Excited to start a new venture, he began researching how he might enable women to find the same sexual satisfaction through a product formulated with all natural ingredients. During a conversation about CBD health benefits, he stumbled upon cannabis and recalled its historical use by women as a sexual health aid in ancient cultures. Foria Pleasure was born, and the sexual lubricant spray hit the market sparking ladies libidos across the state of California and shortly there after Colorado.
The company traversed the line from pleasure to the diminishment of pain organically a little over a year ago. A well-known Beverly Hills urologist, Dr. Jennifer Berman, began to notice multiple patients within her medical practice discussing Foria Pleasure. The first patient to bring it up was a 75 year old woman who told Dr. Berman she was not only enjoying sex for the first time in years, but was noticeably feeling pain free. Remarkably, more and more patients came in talking about Foria Pleasure discussing how the product not only increased sexual pleasure but also decreased pain associated with other sexual health issues, including PMS and endometriosis. The trend became so prominent that Dr. Berman contacted Foria to discuss women’s sexual health and how the product could further service a population of women who desire sexual pleasure, however needed access to a more effective pain reliever. Foria Relief was conceived through these initial conversations and rapid iterations of research and development began.
Foria Relief is inserted vaginally and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The medicine contains CBD as well as THC, yet patients will not feel a ‘head high’. Although the product contains the psychoactive cannabinoid THC, the patient will feel a generalized relaxation across the body rather than feeling stoned. Brittany says about Relief “The suppository does not give you a head high, although it contains psychoactive properties, so normal daily activities are not interrupted. Depending on the person, it can give a full body sensation; it makes the body and mind relax, a little giggly and generally more at ease. I often describe my personal experience with Relief similar to a three-way cross between Xanax, a muscle relaxer and a pain pill - except no pharmaceuticals are involved! The body high is subtle, but noticeable - not like smoking cannabis. Foria Relief helps to soothe painful period cramps as well as a host of other pelvic pain-related issues for people who haven’t been able to find relief elsewhere.”
Speaking from personal experience, Foria Relief provided me with better pain relief than any other cannabis product I have tried to date. Given that I am working within the cannabis industry, it is not a stretch to say I have tried many different products. On the day I tried Foria Relief, I was experiencing noticeable back pain. After inserting the suppository I felt very relaxed within 30 minutes and my back spasm was undetectable within the hour. Additionally, during my cycle I almost always experience at least one migraine. At the onset of a recent migraine I took my second dose of Foria Relief. To my surprise, the migraine went away completely in about an hour and the feeling of full body relaxation lasted for upwards of 6 hours. Although everyone reacts differently to cannabis, my experience was that it is the first medication that fully addresses the type of pain I experience, giving me both relief and a feeling of happy relaxation; all without the feeling of a head high. In other words, I could go about my business and even stay focused at work. It is also important to note that I am incredibly sensitive to the effect of THC and at a whopping 60mg per dose, I was not only functional but feeling great.
ORGANIC OR SYNTHETIC CBD - WHICH IS BEST?
Foria Relief is sold for $44 (4-pk) and $22 (2-pk). Patients receive a small instruction booklet inside of a reusable tin where each suppository contains 60mg of THC and 10mg of CBD. According to Confer, “We encourage patients to experiment to find the correct dosage that works for their individual body. We say that one suppository is one dose and that you should consider using the first suppository on the first day of cramping even if bleeding has not yet occurred. Relief is usually absorbed in 15-20 minutes and the effects can be felt for up to 4-5 hours. One to two suppositories may be sufficient on the two worst days of your cycle. Typically, research shows that women have extreme pain for only two of days during their period cycle.”
To buy Foria Relief you can purchase from their online cannabis collective within their Foria site and/or at various dispensary locations across California. You must obtain a state-issued medical marijuana recommendation in order to purchase in California. If you do not yet have your doctor’s recommendation, Foria offers services via HelloMD enabling you to be medically reviewed by a doctor without leaving your computer chair. Relief will be coming to Colorado in the next few months and will likely be available in both medical and recreational marijuana markets.
If you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient.
