Pura Gold’s topical pain balm is crafted from a proprietary blend of essential oils, butters and waxes that are touted for their pain relieving, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties. Also works great as a massage oil.

Yes, there’s a new type of topical ointment on the market, and it’s infused with the cannabidiol (CBD) from the hemp plant. Manufacturers claim it can help alleviate acute pain and muscle soreness. CBD is similar to THC, except it’s non-psychoactive, meaning some researchers view it as the golden child of medicinal use.

Science has confirmed that cannabis is an effective pain reliever, reinforced in a massive new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. But there’s a big difference between ingesting cannabis or its individual chemicals orally and absorbing it through your skin. Here, the lowdown on this new crop (no pun intended) of pain relievers.

What exactly is a CBD-infused topical cream?
The ointment is made from infusing high-quality cannabis flowers in some kind of quality oil—coconut or olive typically—which extracts the active compounds, either CBD, THC, or both depending on the type of hemp used. This oil is then blended with other therapeutic herbs, like arnica or lemongrass essential oils, that are well-known pain relievers.