Summary
Brian Keane hosts David Hartigan, co-founder of Hemp Heroes, for a Q&A session on CBD oil driven by listener questions submitted through Instagram. Keane is an enthusiastic advocate, describing CBD as the supplement he felt a duty to share publicly after experiencing dramatically improved sleep quality within five days of consistent use. He credits CBD with helping his recovery from an Arctic Circle run and stabilizing his mood alongside other stress management tools. Hartigan explains how Hemp Heroes originated from his work managing UFC and Bellator fighters who used CBD for recovery, and shares how his uncle's severe weightlifting injuries improved with CBD for pain and inflammation. The company is expanding to grow organic hemp locally in Ireland to ensure full supply chain control and higher product quality than what was commonly available on the market. The Q&A covers practical topics including drug testing for athletes and military personnel, the difference between hemp-derived CBD (non-psychoactive, under 0.3% THC) and marijuana, optimal dosing strategies, the endocannabinoid system, and why some people don't respond to lower-quality products. They discuss research supporting CBD for anxiety, citing a study where CBD helped reduce anxiety during public speaking. Keane notes it typically takes four to five days of consistent use before the effects become noticeable as CBD builds up in the system.
Key Points
- CBD typically takes 4-5 days of consistent use to build up in the system before effects are noticeable
- Sleep improvement was the most dramatic personal benefit, described as the best sleep in living memory
- CBD helped with mood stability and recovery from extreme endurance events like an Arctic Circle run
- Hemp Heroes originated from the MMA fighting world where fighters used CBD for recovery
- Product quality varies enormously; low-quality products are a common reason people report no effects
- Hemp-derived CBD is non-psychoactive with less than 0.3% THC and interacts with the body's endocannabinoid system
- Research supports CBD for anxiety, including studies on public speaking anxiety reduction
- The company is growing organic hemp in Ireland to control supply chain quality from seed to product
Key Moments
CBD dramatically improved sleep quality within five days
Brian Keane describes how CBD oil transformed his notoriously poor sleep into the best sleep he has had in living memory after just five days of consistent use.
"nighttime routines blocking out my blue light etc to the best sleep I've had in living memory and I messaged him after about a week and I'm like this stuff is fucking unreal. He's like yeah, I know so that's how we actually ended up connecting fully and setting up a"
CBD used to be in our food supply through hemp-fed cattle
Historically, cattle were fed on hemp, meaning humans got cannabinoids through their diet. This natural source was removed about 60-70 years ago, which is why supplementation may be needed.
"Yeah, so this is kind of something a lot of people ask us. So like if you think about it, CBD is something we don't actually get from our food anymore. So like if you were to go back maybe 60, 70 years ago, a lot of cattle actually would have been fed on hemp and then through that we would have actually got like the likes of cannabinoids and CBD probably in our diet. And because that's kind of been taken out over the last 70 years for like a number of different reasons."
Research shows CBD reduces anxiety during public speaking
Clinical research has demonstrated that CBD given before public speaking reduces anxiety and improves performance compared to placebo, supporting its use for social anxiety situations.
"Like most people will shit a brick. So I've been using it and like I found it amazing in terms of like calming nerves. You're not as shaky on the legs. So like personally, I could see that. And then they've done a lot of research on people who've done public speaking and they've given them CBD beforehand and then given them a placebo and they can see a massive increase."
