Conversations with an Artist: Xula

Xula Founders Karinna Primelles and Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey
We are a majority plant-based diet, skin care and personal care household. Anything we put in or on our body must meet our non-chemical and environmentally friendly criteria. It is with this same care that we curate our apothecary items in the shop. We were thrilled to be introduced to Xula's line of Hemp CBD self care, born out of a desire to create plant-based products focused on menopause, menstruation, daily calm, sleep and muscle fatigue issues. CBD is short for cannabidiol, a phytocannabinoid found in the hemp plant. CBD is not psychoactive; it doesn’t get people high. Xula's uniquely crafted formulas combine the highest quality organic hemp CBD with ethically sourced herbs, consciously chosen to create an energetically balanced blend. As they say, "Feel Yourself." Read more from founder, Karina Primelles.

8 Questions

Describe the moment you realized being a maker fed your soul.
It was a moment of clarity and purpose. It wasn't right when I started this project but rather when I retrospectively realized that what was driving me was to be able to create products that are in service of others. It is this moment that gave me the very much needed determination to bring this project into fruition.

Xula Herbal Tinctures for Womens Wellness

What themes do you pursue in your art/craft?
We pursue health and wellness, through a special focus on supporting bodies with wombs. That said, Mennlay and I also aim to amplify and celebrate the cultures we personally relate to and are a part of; these being mainly Latinx, black, and queer communities.

Xula Plant Based Herbs Hemp for Female Self Care

Tell us about what influences the direction for your line of products.
When it comes to our products, science and herbal traditions very much inform our direction and are part of our foundation. And, as said previously, we are also greatly inspired by the vision we have of using our brand as a platform for bodies and cultures that generally are not as visible in the US wellness space. 

Xula Ancient Herbal Wisdom Hemp CBD Wellness and Self Care

How has your collection approach developed over time?
This is such a hard question as I feel that there are so many levels and areas of focus, each with its own unique approach. That said, I believe in always being open to change and improvement, and since we are so new, I see the development of our current collection, branding, and operation as one in which we focus on learning from both mistakes and things we get right.

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
Definitely CBD :). 

Do you collect anything?
Plants.

What’s the most inspiring thing you’ve seen, read, watched or listened to recently?
My Octopus Teacher. 

What advice would you give to your younger self about your maker journey?
Intuition is real and that having a vision really helps get things going. 

Xula Latinx and BIPOC brand of Hemp CBD
Bonus Question:
What role has music played in moving you in your art and during COVID, if that applies. 
Music is central to both Mennlay and I. I think that especially during COVID, being able to use music as a source of focus, release, and connection has been central for my mental health. 

A Primer on Xula

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is well known at this point. In brief, CBD is a part of the cannabis plant that won't get you high (vs THC which does have a psychoactive effect). The full-spectrum CBD in Xula products comes from their own farm in Southern Oregon where they utilize both organic and regenerative practices. The hemp is hand-harvested and trimmed using an 18hr slow drying process to ensure terpene preservation. All hemp extracts in Xula products have been third party lab tested for safety and purity to ensure every product is consistent in quality and content.  

Xula also adds other parts of the cannabis plant (again, the stuff that won't get you high) to their formulas, like CBN (cannabinol) and CBG (cannabigerol). These hemp compounds create an entourage effect. Essentially, this entourage effect is the theory that hemp compounds (cannabinoids) are more effective when they're consumed in tandem. When other cannabinoids (like CBG, CBD, or CBN), terpenoids, and flavonoids are combined in an herbal blend, it is believed that all of their effects are increased; increasing efficacy and effectiveness. 

As herbalists, Xula also add the ancient wisdom of herbs to balance underlying physiological patterns at the root of symptomatic expressions of female concerns such as PMS and menopause as well as every body needs for daily calm, good sleep and muscle fatigue. These are craft batch creations, not “kitchen sink” creations (where any herbs “good for” a specific symptom are thrown in).  Xula consciously chooses each herb in the formulas to create an energetically balanced blend.

Together all of this better supports your body and we're here for that. As Xula says, Feel Yourself. 

Feeling the feels,

~ Bonnie & Jeffrey

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hello@poetandthebench.com | 415.569.4383 | 11 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941

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