Reap & Sow: A Modern Apothecary For The Sustainably Conscious Shopper

Even the most sustainably-conscious shoppers would have a hard time avoiding single-use plastics, icky chemicals, and corporately-owned “greenwashed” products at places like Whole Foods and Erewhon markets.

Then there are the places that don’t even pretend to boast any loyalty to natural living, like, say CVS. That’s why Reap & Sow in South Oceanside is so exciting. It’s like a CVS without any of the bad sh—t. No mylar balloons here, no Maybelline makeup, and definitely no big pharma drugs.   

Instead of ibuprofen or a pharmacy in the back-filling Xanax prescriptions, Cyan Trujillo offers her customers relief from a highly-curated selection of CBD products. Her regular CBD customers range from people with MS and Parkinson’s to the average stress case (and even some chilled-out dogs, horses, and pigs).

In fact, this badass woman entrepreneur’s approach to health and wellness is the antithesis to big pharma. After her mother passed away after a life filled with chronic illness, Cyan came to the realization that most doctors are merely treating symptoms, not curing underlying issues or educating patients on the most up to date preventative care. This was the catalyst to her opening Reap & Sow three and a half years ago. It’s why you won’t find deodorant made with aluminum in her shop and why the make-up she carries is colored with fruits and vegetables. It’s also why she loves CBD — albeit, a love that comes with some caveats.

 Cyan feels a duty to her customers to make sure what she’s offering is the best of the best — especially since the cannabinoid industry is still so new, a proverbial wild wild west of the wellness industry. And after her dog had a scary, adverse reaction to a cannabinoid product, she’s especially wary of some of the newer CBD brands who come a knockin’. Now she tests each product before giving it the Reap & Sow seal of approval and the honored place on her shelves. The problem, she says, is the variances from brand to brand and even product to product. “I really want to emphasize that serving size does not equal dose. Currently, there’s a disparity in the marketing of phytocannabinoid products. Label and measurement inconsistencies and non-standardized phraseology can sometimes be confusing to the consumer.” So, her hope is that a self-regulating CBD association will standardize the nomenclature for the industry in order to assist consumers in their selection of an appropriate CBD dietary supplement. But, as Cyan explained, standardization can be a slippery slope.

 For instance, in France, essential oils can be prescribed by doctors (brb, moving to France), which gets rid of the guesswork, and makes it safe and effective. But that means if you live in France, you can’t just place a Young Living or Doterra order and diffuse your living room with lavender — it means you can only get oils through a pharmacy, which limits access to a natural alternative to conventional medicines. So, what does CBD in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry (and only the pharmaceutical industry) look like? Slippery. Cyan notes, “It’s of the utmost importance that we maintain unregulated access to hemp-derived CBD and phytocannabinoids as a dietary supplement in order to keep them accessible, affordable, and un-monopolized by 'big pharma'."

Needless to say, if you want to have an informed, inquisitive and engaging conversation around the cannabinoid industry, visit Reap & Sow to get the low down from Cyan herself — she knows her stuff. And while you’re at it, let your guard down and shop with abandon because she’s gone to great lengths to make sure every product in her shop is safe, natural and won’t harm you — or the planet. A true, natural market.

Visit Reap & Sow at 1830 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054