LeeAnn Liebenberg
Lee-Ann Liebenberg is one of South Africa’s most recognisable faces, a Miss South Africa finalist and sought-after international model who has graced the pages of top international magazines like Cosmopolitan, FHM and Sports Illustrated, to name just a few. Health and vitality have always been part of her fresh-faced appeal and, as an extension of that, she is now launching a new health and wellness brand called DR+SWISS into the South African market.
The active ingredient in DR+SWISS products is CBD (cannabidiol), a natural ingredient derived from the cannabis plant, which is used as a nutritional supplement to promote physical, emotional and social wellbeing.
Sadly, Lee-Ann found out about the benefits of CBD during a particularly difficult period in her life.
“It was while my Dad was being treated for Rheumatoid arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that I heard about CBD and its amazing properties,” she says. “It was heart-breaking to see him battling with the effects of both the illness and the treatment, and I heard that CBD could possibly alleviate some of these effects. I decided to research it extensively and discovered that it could be used not only to relieve pain and inflammation, but to support general health and homeostasis as well.”
Lee-Ann’s Dad sadly passed away in 2018, but the relief he was able to obtain from CBD prompted her and her husband, businessman Nicky van der Walt, to consider developing a range of CBD products for the South African market. The challenge, of course, was to find a provider with sound credentials and established credibility, especially one that could guarantee the origins, quality and efficacy of its CBD oils.
“We couldn’t find a local producer that ticked all the boxes for us, so when we set out to develop the DR+SWISS range, we turned to the largest medical cannabis and CBD producer in Europe. It’s a company with more than 15 years of experience in producing a premium range of CBD oils of both exceptional quality and purity.”
These fresh, aromatic oils are completely free of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical responsible for most of psychological effects of cannabis, which makes it 100% safe to use, even for children. DR+SWISS is, in fact, the only CBD brand in South Africa that can proudly claim to deliver the purest and broadest range of products specifically designed to cater for the whole family, starting with a 3% (300mg) concentration and increasing to a concentration of 30% (3 000mg). And the DR+SWISS formula is not only ISO compliant, users can be assured of seed-to-shelf traceability.
The raw cannabis used to produce the CBD oils used in the range is sourced from selectively harvested crops in Holland, Spain, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, and are extracted using the very latest Swiss supercritical extraction technology to ensure utmost purity. DR+SWISS products also undergo rigorous lab testing at industry leader, Fundación CANNA, to guarantee the highest levels of purity and active ingredient accuracy.
“Recent research by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has shown that genetics may account for as little as 10-15% of our health outcomes,” says Liebenberg, “which makes it clear that external and environmental factors have a greater role to play in determining our wellbeing than many believe. The good news is that this gives us the opportunity to take greater control over our health. Integrating a holistic health paradigm into our way of life – considering how we deal with stress and respond to the first signs of illness to what we eat and how we manage our daily routines – will therefore help us to achieve a greater level of wellness throughout our lives.
“CBD oil helped my Dad during his illness and my aim is to bring its health and healing properties to the people of South Africa.”
DR+SWISS is available exclusively online at www.drswiss.co.za, with products ranging from R599 in price.
