Meet Kiki & Alex, Euphora Founders
In 2015, I was diagnosed with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, a type of cancer that covered my arms, legs, and torso with angry red patches. I was working in the medical cannabis space at the time and knew about Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), a cannabis oil that people used to treat cancer. After taking it for 3 months, I was cancer free. Just like that. That experience changed my life.
I became passionate about plant medicine. I wanted to create formulas that actually worked for issues I was suffering from myself: headaches, pain, insomnia. Some people were telling me CBD didn’t work for them, others told me it worked wonders. I began to hone in on the importance of CBD quality and dosage. As I learned more about the plant, I realized that cannabis and hemp have a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and like many Chinese herbs, when used with others, the healing properties are fortified. We call this the Entourage Effect: when the herbs are combined together they create synergy and have more healing power as a whole.
The healing power of togetherness was not lost on me. When I had cancer, I was blessed to be given the RSO from a friend in the industry for free. Yes, I kicked the cancer in the butt for free. I wanted to give back and provide relief to the people who need it for free. But I need to eat, and so does Alex (she’s a big eater). We committed ourselves to providing products that work at reasonable prices. And I wouldn’t be here writing this if it weren’t for our repeat customers who tell us that their lives are better and that they are so grateful. But we are the grateful ones.
in love and gratitude,
Kiki
P.S. When I’m not working on creating the next Euphora formula, I’m advocating for the freedom to access plant medicine in my native Japan. Follow my journey @legalizejapan
I knew early in my professional life that how I earned a living (and what I spend my time doing) had to make the world a better place in one way or another. If I were to sell any thing, it would have to be something that improved the quality of life for the people buying it. It would have to be something that didn’t add more trash to the ocean or more toxic messaging to our senses of self-worth.
Early in 2019, I was experiencing cramps and PMS that would debilitate me for two days every month. Kiki began working closely with a Chinese herbalist to create two CBD formulas aimed towards alleviating my pain. After sharing Luna and Cura with community members, we were happy to discover that their relief benefits went above and beyond menstrual pains, and we knew that others could benefit from their use.
It’s a big responsibility to put something into the world with integrity.. and a big risk to rely on that thing to keep you fed and sheltered. Many aspects of business ownership have made me want to give up. But we started getting emails from people who tried our formulas, thanking us for their first night of sleep in a while, or freedom from chronic pain, or tranquility in their stressful days. This feedback has become a daily reminder of the value of facing the challenges of running a small business.
Working to support myself and provide plant-powered resources for my community gives me hope that we can live in the kind of world where goods and services are made to meet people’s needs, where we support one another and the habitat that supports us, where we nurture strong and resilient communities, where we grow and share love.
in love and solidarity,
Alex