Cannabis oil firm has kept my son alive

When Bev Harrow’s son Geordie was 11, she gave him cannabidiol (CBD) for the first time.

Struggling with complex regional pain syndrome, cyclical vomiting syndrome, hypermobility and lifethreatening allergies, he was on many medications that did not work.

After a while, Geordie swapped all his prescription medication for CBD goods.

From their home in north-east Fife, Bev started making balms containing essential oils and CBD to help manage his conditions.

She said: “He was on a Paralympic archery pathway and training a lot outside. If he gets stung by a wasp it’s instant anaphylaxis, so it was always a concern.

“I came up with my Buzz Off balm, which confuses insects’ receptors and stops them from biting.

“Then I thought, ‘How can I create something for his pain?’ That’s when Recover came along, then Ninja and then Relax.”

After a year of making balms for Geordie, Bev launched Herbal Health in 2019 and started selling her products online.

The business was ticking along, but when Bev’s parents were in end-of-life care over lockdown, her priority became keeping them together to the end.

She recalled: “Just after my mum passed I was sitting at the side of the bed, holding her hand, thinking to myself ‘What do I do now?’

“I had this app which makes your phone ring like a till when you get an order. At that time, we were getting one or two a day.

“My phone did the cash register sound eight times in a row – and from that day it never stopped.”

Herbal Health now offers balms, sprays and bath oils with CBD, as well as balms for pets.

All products are hand poured by Bev, while sister Debi, friend Kate and partner Murray help with other parts of the business.

Since Geordie was young, Bev has shared his journey with CBD products in Facebook groups.

Through social media, Herbal Health now receives more than 30 orders a day.

But, despite business now booming, Bev said: “The biggest fear for me would be going viral. We wouldn’t be able to cope with 100 orders a day.

“We’ve had offers to scale it up and get into shops, but I don’t want to lose our personal touch.

“I didn’t create the company to make money, I did it to get the word out about CBD and to be able to help other people in the same situations as Geordie.

“Even if somebody said ‘I’ll give you £5 million to walk away’, I won’t.”

Geordie is now 18 and doing an HND in software engineering, hoping to enter third year of a degree at Abertay University.

Bev said: “The company is a blessing because my son is alive and without CBD he wouldn’t be.

“Ultimately, this will be Geordie’s company and what a wonderful circle that will be.”

DEVOTION: Bev Harrow started making CBD balms to help Geordie with his conditions.