The ABCs of CBD

Oct 7, 2021 | iHemp Hour

Shira Adler

Shining a Light on Healing with Hemp: A Conversation with Shira Adler on iHemp Hour

In this episode of iHemp Hour, we sit down with author, formulator, and spiritual care innovator Shira Adler to explore how one plant can help heal people, communities, and the planet.

Shira is best known as the author of The ABCs of CBD and the founder of ShiraSynergy, a line of CBD-infused aromatherapy products. She’s also a cantor, non-denominational interfaith minister, certified past life regressionist, voice-over artist, business founder, and mom — all of which feed into her deep, holistic view of wellness.

At the heart of her work is a simple but powerful mission:

“I’m here to help heal humanity and remind people that we are stewards of each other and our planet — and that we can do some of the best work of our lives by working through this plant species.” – Shira Adler

Below is a recap of the conversation, the ideas she shared, and why her work matters to the hemp and cannabis community.

(Watch the full iHemp Hour episode with Shira Adler in the video embedded below.)

Reuniting Cannabis & Hemp: One Species, One Story

Early in the conversation, Shira reminds us of something too often forgotten in law and marketing:

Cannabis and hemp are the same plant species.

Regulators, marketers, and even parts of our own industry have spent years pulling them apart — separate rules, separate narratives, separate stigma. Shira’s goal is to bring that story back together and create what she calls “eco synergy”:

  • Bridging communication, understanding, and education

  • Connecting innovation with responsibility

  • Building an ecosystem instead of isolated silos

Her work sits at the intersection of plant wisdom, modern science, and spiritual care. Whether she’s counseling families, formulating products, or building a cannabis CRO (contract research organization), her aim is the same:

Do better, for more people, with one remarkable plant.

The ABCs of CBD: A Human-First Guide to a Complex Plant

Shira’s book, The ABCs of CBD, has quietly become a go-to resource in the industry, often called an “industry bible” by readers. She’s already gone through three major updates — and another revision is on the way — because the:

  • Science keeps evolving

  • Legal landscape keeps shifting

  • Public understanding of cannabinoids keeps deepening

The book is designed for everyone: patients, parents, policymakers, and curious newcomers. It blends:

  • World history of cannabis and hemp (from ancient medicine to modern prohibition and beyond)

  • Plain-language science on the endocannabinoid system

  • Cultural and spiritual context

  • Practical guidance on talking to your kids, your doctor, and your community

The format is intentionally easy to read — short paragraphs, clear sections, meaningful quotes — because as Shira says, “Information only matters if people can actually digest it.”

CBD Meets Aromatherapy: A Modern Form of “Plant Alchemy”

One of the most intriguing parts of the interview is Shira’s deep dive into her CBD-infused aromatherapy sprays — a product line she started developing years before CBD was mainstream.

She calls her passion “modern alchemy”:

Merging ancient plant wisdom with modern science.

How Aromatherapy Fits Into Cannabis

From a scientific and energetic perspective, Shira sees aromatherapy and cannabis as two sides of the same botanical coin:

  • On the cannabis/hemp side, we talk about terpenes.

  • On the holistic wellness side, we talk about essential oils.

They’re both plant essences. They both influence mood, perception, and physiology. And in Shira’s view, they’re meant to “dance together”.

Her CBD sprays are:

  • Aromatic “aura” sprays, not oral tinctures

  • Designed to be misted around the face, then deeply inhaled

  • Crafted with complex essential oil blends (4–5 oils per bottle)

  • Lightly “boosted” with CBD, which lands on the skin and in the mucosal lining of the nose

The CBD component is micro-dosed and is not presented as a drug. Instead, the focus is on synergy:

  • Essential oils/terpenes drive the mood and energetic shift

  • CBD enhances and supports the overall effect, similar to an entourage effect

The Five Core Sprays: Clear, Center, Nurture, Inspire, Smile

Each spray is tied to a different energetic and emotional need:

  • Clear – Like “wiping schmutz off a dirty window.” Great after heavy energy, crowded events, or when you just feel “off.”

  • Center – The “antidote for the headless chicken moment.” Helps people feel grounded and aligned in their gut.

  • Nurture – A “yummy hug” in a bottle, as one autistic teen described it. Works on heart-centered emotional depletion.

  • Inspire – Opens up the throat and third-eye chakras, supporting focus, creativity, communication, and even rest, depending on how it’s used.

  • Smile – Originally formulated with neurodiverse kids in mind. It has become a mood-uplifting, stabilizing blend used by people of all ages.

Shira is careful not to make medical claims, but she does share powerful stories of how these products have been experienced — from an overstimulated child pausing to smile at his mother, to veterans and students using the sprays to help navigate stress and focus.

For her, success is simple:

“Do you use it? Is it easy? Do you feel different in a good way? Yes? Then that’s my goal.”

Beyond Products: Building a Cannabis CRO to Grow the Industry Up

Perhaps the biggest “reveal” in this episode is Shira’s emerging work on the research and infrastructure side of the hemp/cannabis world.

She’s helping launch a new company built around a CRO model — a Contract Research Organization — adapted for cannabis and hemp.

Why a CRO for Cannabis and Hemp?

In pharma and biotech, CROs are the engine behind the scenes:

  • They create, optimize, and scale enzymes, proteins, and other biological reagents

  • They design and run research projects

  • They provide quality control, standardization, and data

Most pharmaceutical companies don’t build all this in-house — they outsource to CROs.

Shira believes hemp and cannabis should have had this from day one. Without it, we end up with:

  • Inconsistent products

  • Limited standardization

  • Fragmented research

  • Overstretched brands trying to be manufacturers, scientists, and marketers all at once

Introducing Crocus: Cannabis Research Organization Cultivating Universal Synergy

The new CRO venture is called Crocus, named after the resilient flower that pushes up first in spring, and also associated with saffron — “simple but powerful,” as Shira puts it.

Crocus aims to:

  • Focus on enzymatic processes — the “nano-machines” that drive life and industry

  • Support agritech, bioplastics, biofuels, biocrete, nutraceuticals, and pharma

  • Help US-based companies avoid sending materials overseas for key processing steps

  • Offer a shared research resource for brands, processors, and growers who can’t build full labs themselves

In short, the goal is to:

Tie the industry together at the scientific level, so everyone can build better, more reliable products.

It’s a natural extension of Shira’s mission: combining ancient plant wisdom, cutting-edge science, and real-world applications that serve both people and planet.

Pink Moccasins: Centering Women’s Stories in Cannabis & Hemp

Alongside her science and product work, Shira is also crafting another book: Pink Moccasins.

Each chapter highlights:

  • A different woman in the cannabis or hemp space

  • The literal and symbolic shoes she stands in

  • How she “walks her journey” in this evolving industry

The premise is simple and powerful:

“You can’t walk in another woman’s shoes, but you can absolutely admire them.”

It’s a reminder that beyond policy, science, and products, this is fundamentally a people business — built on stories, resilience, humor, and connection.

Why Conversations Like This Matter

For those of us working to build a responsible, sustainable hemp industry, Shira’s perspective hits several key themes:

  • Unifying the plant – Recognizing cannabis and hemp as one species with shared roots and shared potential.

  • Honoring both science and spirit – The endocannabinoid system, enzymes, and mass spectrometers matter — and so do mood, memory, and meaning.

  • Raising the bar – Through research, CROs, and better standards, we can move beyond “garage experiments” and into a truly mature, trusted industry.

  • Centering stewardship – Of people, of plants, of the planet, and of each other.

At iHemp Michigan, our mission is to advocate for wellness for people and the planet through hemp. Conversations like this help us see what’s possible when we think bigger than a single product or single regulation — and remember the human stories at the center of it all.

Watch the Full Episode

This summary only scratches the surface of our hour with Shira Adler. In the full video, you’ll also hear:

  • More about her personal journey as a single mom, author, and “fempreneur”

  • How her family background in neuroscience and poetry shaped her path

  • Her thoughts on PTSD, anxiety, and the emotional toll of modern life

  • A fun hemp-based garlicky cheese hemp seed spread recipe from the iHemp Hour kitchen

  • Updates from the Michigan hemp and cannabis community, including events, expos, and testing news

👉 Watch the complete iHemp Hour episode featuring Shira Adler below and subscribe to stay connected with future shows, events, and advocacy updates.