Balms to ease pain

Judith Schreuder helps people in pain. Her homemade Dutch Farms Organics tinctures and balms are designed to reduce pain and other symptoms of medical issues ranging from epilepsy to PTSD. Her products are created using medicinal cannabis, but they don’t have psychoactive properties. Schreuder, a former nurse and Chico State psychology grad with a master’s in social work from Sacramento State, says her products are not cure-alls but they do provide desperately needed comfort to patients fed up with prescription drugs and traditional medicine. Call her at 774-5089 or log onto DutchFarmsOrganics.com to learn more.

What inspired you to start Dutch Farms Organics?

I really like helping children, the elderly and animals. I was a nurse, and kept hearing from patients whose prescriptions had failed them and cost tons of money. They’d gotten major relief by smoking cannabis, so I decided to create cannabis products that would help people but not get them high. I invented my tinctures and balms myself, with my husband tending the greenhouse. I use no chemicals or pesticides. Demand grew so big that I got licensed by the secretary of state of California. Most people buy my products from cannabis dispensaries, but if they buy from me and are low-income, I just charge what they can afford or give them for free.

How do you make your products?

I experimented with the cannabidiol (CBD) part of the plant, which has the medicinal benefits but does not get you stoned. I mix it with kosher, food-grade glycerin. Those are the only two ingredients, besides asking my higher guides to infuse them with love and healing. The spiritual aspect is huge. I have over a dozen tinctures and a balm for topical pain relief. They are all lab-tested for things like mold, mildews and pesticides.

How do people know which product to use?

First, they need a doctor’s medical marijuana recommendation. The indica-based tinctures relax you and work better at night. The sativa-based ones are best taken in the day, as they give you more energy.

I hear one of your products has helped with chemotherapy.

My “Peace” blended liquid has helped chemotherapy patients relieve their nausea or loss of appetite. They also feel more alert, as opposed to doped up from their doctor’s prescriptions.

Can you give me examples of those benefiting from your products?

Many hospice patients have relatives who say their loved ones can now die with dignity. I had a doctor with an epileptic daughter who said, “You have saved my daughter. She can now do her homework and is much more alert.” People have also stopped their pets’ epileptic seizures. Another client had a weak, 22-year-old cat that she says now runs around like a kitten. Many of these stories make me cry.

Where can people get your products?

They are sold in medical cannabis dispensaries throughout California. But those are illegal in Butte County, so I can deliver if they can’t travel to a dispensary.