Have you heard of the cannabinoid CBN yet? I first came across CBN while trying to find a sleep aid for my menopausal aunt (we are still looking for the best remedy if you have any suggestions) in a dispensary down in Denver. Most have heard of the calming effects of CBD a very common cannabinoid, but CBN is still gaining traction. Studies of CBN are showing a range of benefits that include: pain relief, anti-insomnia, Promotes growth of bone cells, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive, appetite-reducing, and more.

Of all of these benefits, its most pronounced seems to be its sedative properties making it an excellent choice for those in need of a sleep aid. It is non-psychoactive, so unlike other THC based sleeping aids, CBN will not have you waking up in the middle of the night stoned out of your mind. All of these great qualities, so why isn’t it everywhere? For one, I have personally noticed it comes at a very steep price. Just one dose can cost about $15-$25, that can get expensive if you need to use it often. According to this Leafly article, “most flowers contain only trace amounts of CBN. Where THC contents can hit a high water mark of over 30%, CBN rarely exceeds 1% in dried flower” which may be the reason it is so expensive.

CBN is popping up in dispensaries all over Colorado, and I’m sure all legal states. So I figured we needed to start testing these products out. First up? Mary’s Medicinals transdermal CBN patch. A transdermal patch is to be worn on a veinous area of the skin, like the inner wrist or top of feet. I tried this two nights in a row to test different doses, read more below.

Taken: 9:45pm after going to the gym

Product: Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal CBN patch

1.03mg CBD, 1.11mg THC, <1mg THCa, 11mg CBN, 0.06mg CBDa

Dose: ¼ Patch on Inner Wrist, Second try 1/2 Patch on tops of feet

Review: I’m going to start this review back at the dispensary, where I was somewhat shocked to see a $15 price tag on just one patch. My budtender told me that the patches are heavily dosed though and that one patch could be split into 4 pieces, making each dose around $3.75. This made the patch seem more reasonable and worth testing out. So I took it home and did just that, with scissors, I sliced it into four pretty equal pieces. The whole patch itself is smaller than a post-it note, so each quarter is tiny.

I also have to preface this portion of the review with the fact that I took an hour-long nap on the afternoon before testing, so that may have affected my sleep quality. But I also spent an hour and a half at the climbing gym trying to wear myself out after. Casey Jones, my co-host took a 1906 midnight edible (see his review here), so we took our respective sleep aides at the same time: 9:45 and got into bed to watch TV. Within 20 mins or so I looked over, and Casey Jones couldn’t keep his eyes open to watch the show. So I suggested we just turn it off and get sleeping, thinking mine would kick in any moment too.

Unfortunately, mine did not seem to kick in very fast, and I stayed up rolling around for pretty much the entire night. I did occasionally think, ”hm it might be kicking in I feel slightly euphoric right now” but never seemed to help me actually sleep. I woke up feeling groggy and disappointed.

So the second night I applied half a patch to the tops of my feet. I waited an hour before getting into bed this time. Within an hour, I felt slightly euphoric, but not high. I fell asleep right away, and except for some light tossing and turning a few times (I am not a great sleeper), I had a great nights sleep. I woke up feeling refreshed and happy. I think I still could go for a slightly higher dose, and maybe even the whole patch, but overall I consider this a great sleep aid if you are willing to pay the $15 price tag for a single dose. I definitely love that you don’t wake up in the middle of the night stoned like many indica sleep aids I’ve tried. So especially for those of you that are looking for a non-psychoactive sleep aid, this could be a product for you to try.