Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to CBD and pain relief.
Apetropics One Chews is a cannabidiol (CBD) product that’s used for pain relief and mental clarity. The brand claims that using the supplement is “like flipping the ‘ON’ switch to your brain for improved focus" and that the supplement provides "relief."
But is CBD actually effective for pain relief or are these just marketing claims? Do Apetropics One Chews contain other research-backed pain relief ingredients? Does the supplement contain any questionable additive ingredients? And can this supplement cause side effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Apetropics One Chews to give our take on whether or not they're likely to relieve pain.
We'll review clinical studies on CBD for pain relief, discuss the risk of side effects, and highlight some questionable media claims that Apetropics has removed from their website since we called them out.
Does CBD Relieve Pain?
Many consumers use CBD for pain relief, and there have been clinical studies testing its effectiveness.
A medical review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences analyzed data from tens of animal and human studies on CBD for pain.
The study authors concluded that “CBD is a well-tolerated and safe natural compound exerting [pain-relieving] effects in various animal models of pain, as well as clinical studies.”
However, the researchers noted a lack of long-term clinical trials on CBD for chronic pain.
As we referenced in our review of Pure Kana CBD Gummies, there’s also a lack of clarity on the effective dosing range of CBD for pain.
Some clinical trials cited in the above-linked medical review included doses below the amount in Apetropics One Chews, but some used doses much higher.
A survey of real patients who use CBD for chronic pain, published in the Journal of Pain Research, reported that 59% of patients using CBD for chronic pain find that the treatment is effective.
Based on the available research, we consider CBD to be potentially effective for pain relief. We hope to see more long-term studies on CBD for chronic pain in the future, but the early research is promising.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Apetropics One Chews are shown above.
CBD is included at a dose of 25 milligrams (mg) per serving, which should be within the effective range.
Lion’s mane mushroom extract is an active ingredient shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in a test tube study, but we can’t identify any clinical trials with human participants showing it to have analgesic (pain relieving) effects.
Cordyceps mushroom extract was shown in a 2018 medical review to have potential pain relieving effects, but again these effects don’t appear to have been proven in a clinical trial with human participants.
Black pepper extract is typically included in supplement formulations to increase the effects and absorption of other active ingredients, as we documented in our review of Golden Revive (another pain relief supplement containing this ingredient).
Unfortunately, while there are some potentially effective ingredients in this formulation, there are also some additive ingredients we recommend avoiding.
Cane sugar is an ingredient that may be worth avoiding for individuals experiencing pain, because it’s been shown to increase inflammatory processes in the body according to a meta-study published in the Nutrients journal.
Artificial colors have medically-documented toxicity and carcinogenicity concerns, and no nutritive value, so we recommend avoiding them entirely.
Citric acid is a preservative shown to cause “significant inflammatory reactions” in a series of medical case reports published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Natural flavors is a broad categorical ingredient that fails to describe the specific chemical compounds used as flavoring agents.
Overall, we consider this supplement to be potentially effective for pain relief given its research-backed active ingredients.
We don't currently recommend Apetropics One Chews due to the numerous questionable additive ingredients.
Questionable Media Claims
Update: Apetropics has removed this section of their product page since we initially called it out in this article.
The product page for Apetropics One Chews on the Apetropics website previously had a banner stating that the product is “Trusted By Experts” with various logos of major media institutions.
However, we couldn't find any evidence of experts at any of these companies recommending Apetropics One Chews.
We searched the USA Today website on Google for any mention of the brand Apetropics, and nothing appeared. Our search also returned no results for the Fox News website.
We consider this to be a red flag about the ethics of the brand, but we're glad to see that this section has since been removed.
Do Apetropics One Chews Cause Side Effects?
Apetropics One Chews don’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to determine whether or not they may cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredients.
CBD is very well-studied and unlikely to cause side effects when used at a safe dose like the dose in Apetropics One Chews. This supplement is free of tetrohydrocannabidiol (THC), so it should be non-psychoactive.
The mushroom ingredients are included at relatively low doses and both have clinical research backing so we don’t consider those likely to cause side effects.
The only ingredients we consider to be a side effect concern are citric acid and artificial colorants.
Artificial colorants have been shown in clinical research to cause hyperactivity and neurotoxicity in some cases.
Overall, we do not consider this supplement likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy individuals, although it contains inactive ingredients that may cause side effects in a small percentage of consumers.
Our Clean Anti-Inflammatory Picks
MBG Omega-3 Potency+ is our top omega-3 supplement pick.
"Many favorable effects of Omega-3 are believed to result from their anti-inflammatory properties," according to a 2023 medical review.
Cornbread CBD Lotion is our top CBD lotion pick, because it also contains menthol, which was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to reduce pain scores.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is clinically shown to be effectively absorbed through the skin, and CBD caused "significant improvements in pain" when applied topically in a 2020 clinical trial.
Cinnamon was shown to reduce inflammatory markers in a 2020 clinical trial. The study authors concluded that “Cinnamon could be regarded as a safe supplement to relieve pain.”
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized cinnamon supplement, which is third-party tested for purity and potency and costs only $15 at a subscription price.
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.
Apetropics Chews Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Apetropics One Chews in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective CBD dose
- Lion's mane and cordyceps mushroom may relieve pain
- Brand removed questionable media claim on product page
- Seems unlikely to cause side effects
- THC-free
Cons:
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Contains cane sugar
- Contains artificial color
- Contains citric acid
- Contains natural flavors
