Thank you for being part of something genuinely important. You are one of a small group of women invited to participate in the inaugural Sovereign ECS pilot study — a carefully designed programme exploring the role of natural, broad-spectrum phytocannabinoid suppositories in supporting hormonal balance, emotional wellbeing, and whole-body comfort during one of the most significant natural transitions a woman's body can experience.
This is not a pharmaceutical trial. There are no synthetic hormones. No side effects to manage. No dependency to worry about. What we are doing is far simpler — and, we believe, far more powerful: we are giving your body the natural tools it already understands.
Through the natural activation of your endocannabinoid system, Sovereign ECS suppositories are designed to support your body's own ability to regulate mood, sleep, pain sensitivity, and hormonal signalling during this natural transition. We are not trying to override your biology. We are working with it — supporting the system that was always designed to bring you back to balance.
Every woman's experience of perimenopause and menopause is different. This study will help us understand how natural phytocannabinoid support changes that experience — and for whom it works best.
Perimenopause and menopause mark one of the most significant natural transitions a woman's body experiences. Estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate and decline — and this shift ripples through almost every system in the body.
Because these hormones regulate so much — from sleep and mood to temperature, cognition, and pain sensitivity — their decline can trigger a cascade of changes that feel disorienting and hard to explain to others.
This is not a malfunction. It is a natural transition. But it is one that the conventional medical system has often managed poorly — offering only synthetic hormone replacement or symptom suppression, rather than supporting the body's own regulatory capacity.
Disrupted sleep. Mood changes. Hot flushes. Joint discomfort. Brain fog. Reduced libido. Fatigue. These are not separate problems — they are the downstream effects of a single hormonal shift acting on an interconnected regulatory system. Supporting that system, rather than treating each symptom in isolation, is what changes the quality of the experience.
Inside every human body is a biological network that most women — and most doctors — have never been told about. It is called the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. It was only discovered in the early 1990s, and because of the political stigma surrounding cannabis at the time, mainstream medicine largely set it aside. That decision left an extraordinary regulatory system almost entirely out of conventional healthcare — until now.
Receptors are found throughout the brain, nervous system, immune tissue, reproductive organs, skin, and gut. Its primary function is homeostasis — the constant, natural work of keeping your body in balance across almost every physiological system.
Think of the ECS as a communication network. It uses chemical messengers called endocannabinoids — molecules your body produces naturally — to send signals between cells. These signals tell your body when to calm inflammation, when to ease pain, when to shift into sleep, when to regulate temperature, and hundreds of other things.
The two primary endocannabinoids your body makes are anandamide — sometimes called the bliss molecule — and 2-AG. These are produced on demand, exactly when and where they are needed, to keep your systems in balance.
These molecules bind to two types of receptors: CB1 receptors, which are concentrated in the brain, nervous system, uterus, and ovaries, and CB2 receptors, which are concentrated in immune tissue, skin, and the gut. When endocannabinoids bind to these receptors, they transmit the regulatory signal the body needs.
Estrogen stimulates the production of anandamide and upregulates CB1 receptor expression. As estrogen declines during perimenopause, endocannabinoid tone drops with it. The body's own regulatory network becomes less responsive — less able to manage the very symptoms that define this transition.
This is why so many menopausal symptoms cluster together. They share a common root: a regulatory system that is under-supported at the moment it is needed most.
Phytocannabinoids — cannabinoids derived from the hemp plant — are structurally similar to the endocannabinoids your body makes naturally. This is not coincidence. The hemp plant and the human endocannabinoid system co-evolved over millions of years, and the plant compounds fit the same receptor sites as the body's own molecules.
When phytocannabinoids enter the body, they bind to CB1 and CB2 receptors and activate the same regulatory pathways that anandamide and 2-AG would — essentially stepping in for the body's own molecules when endocannabinoid tone is low. This is called molecular mimicry, and it is the pharmacological foundation of how broad-spectrum hemp extract supports the ECS.
Critically, different phytocannabinoids bind to different receptor sites and activate different signalling pathways. CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC, CBDa, and the other cannabinoids in the Sovereign ECS formulation each play a distinct role — together activating a much broader range of regulatory pathways than any single compound could achieve alone. This synergistic effect is known as the entourage effect, and it is why broad-spectrum formulations work differently — and more completely — than CBD isolate.
If the ECS is the body's master regulatory network, there is a logical question that follows: what happens when it does not have enough of its own molecules to run properly? The answer to that question may explain far more about the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause than most women have ever been told.
Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CED) is a theoretical framework, first proposed by Dr Ethan Russo, suggesting that a chronically under-functioning ECS — one that is not producing enough endocannabinoids to maintain homeostasis — may be the underlying root cause of a wide range of conditions that conventional medicine has struggled to explain or treat effectively.
What causes endocannabinoid deficiency? A number of factors deplete the body's ability to produce and maintain adequate endocannabinoid tone — including chronic stress, poor sleep, dietary deficiency in essential fatty acids, ageing, and critically for the women in this study, estrogen decline.
Because estrogen directly stimulates anandamide production and CB1 receptor sensitivity, the hormonal shift of perimenopause does not just change hormone levels — it simultaneously reduces the body's capacity to regulate itself through its own endocannabinoid system. The regulatory network weakens at precisely the moment it is needed most.
This is not a minor background effect. It is, in many cases, the mechanism behind the entire symptom picture: the disrupted sleep, the mood instability, the hot flushes, the joint discomfort, the cognitive fog, the fatigue. If endocannabinoid deficiency is the root, then supporting the ECS is not managing symptoms — it is addressing the underlying condition.
Conditions associated with endocannabinoid deficiency in the research literature include disrupted sleep, chronic pain, mood disorders, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and dysregulated immune response — a list that will be familiar to most women navigating the hormonal transition.
This overlap is not coincidental. It reflects a shared biological root: a regulatory system running below the threshold it needs to maintain balance across multiple physiological systems simultaneously.
When the ECS is well-supported — when endocannabinoid tone is restored — research suggests it can meaningfully influence the full range of physiological functions that define the menopause experience:
Sovereign ECS suppositories contain a natural, broad-spectrum phytocannabinoid complex derived from hemp — including CBG, CBN, CBDa, CBL, and additional minor cannabinoids working together through the entourage effect.
Unlike CBD isolate products, which contain only a single compound, the Sovereign ECS formulation is designed to interact with both CB1 receptors (brain, nervous system, and reproductive tissue) and CB2 receptors (immune tissue, skin, and gastrointestinal tract) simultaneously. CBD isolate does not bind directly to either receptor. It requires a full cannabinoid complex to activate the ECS properly.
The suppository format provides direct natural absorption through the rectal mucosa, bypassing first-pass liver metabolism and delivering phytocannabinoids directly to the pelvic region — where CB1 and CB2 receptors are densely expressed in the uterus, ovaries, and surrounding tissue. Rectal administration also avoids any disruption to the vaginal microbiome, preserving the delicate bacterial balance that is already under pressure during the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause.
THC-free, non-psychoactive, and entirely free of synthetic hormones. No detectable THC. Safe for women who cannot or choose not to use hormone replacement therapy.
Every ingredient in the Sovereign ECS suppository has been chosen with purpose. The base carries the phytocannabinoids efficiently to the mucosal tissue. The cannabinoid complex does the work. Nothing else is added.
The primary suppository base. Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature and melts precisely at body temperature, releasing the phytocannabinoid complex directly at the rectal mucosa for immediate local absorption. It is naturally emollient, well-tolerated by sensitive tissue, and has been used as a pharmaceutical suppository base for over a century.
A secondary carrier that enhances cannabinoid solubility and absorption. Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are highly compatible with lipophilic cannabinoid molecules — helping them cross mucosal membranes efficiently. It also carries natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that are well suited to the pelvic mucosal environment. Cold-pressed, virgin, organically sourced.
Medium-chain triglyceride oil serves as a highly efficient carrier for lipophilic cannabinoid molecules. MCTs are rapidly absorbed through mucosal tissue and enhance the bioavailability of the phytocannabinoid complex, helping the active compounds cross the rectal mucosa efficiently and reach the surrounding pelvic tissue where they are needed.
The active ingredient. A full broad-spectrum hemp extract containing CBD, CBG, CBN, CBC, CBDa, CBGa, CBDV, and additional minor cannabinoids working together through the entourage effect. Derived entirely from hemp, with no detectable THC. This is the compound that activates the endocannabinoid system and drives the therapeutic intent of the formulation.
Every batch is independently tested by an accredited laboratory. The cannabinoid profile below is taken directly from the Certificate of Analysis for the batch used in this pilot study.
Most people assume cannabinoids means CBD or THC — because those are the two the world talks about. But neither is well suited to supporting hormonal balance. CBD on its own is a single compound, and the endocannabinoid system was designed to respond to many compounds working together — using CBD alone is a little like pressing one key on a piano. THC produces effects, but it is psychoactive and tends to overwhelm the system rather than support it — which over time can actually reduce the body's own sensitivity. Sovereign ECS uses neither in isolation. Instead it delivers a full broad-spectrum complex of naturally occurring cannabinoids from hemp, working together the way the body was designed to receive them — with no detectable THC and no psychoactive effect.
These two questionnaires are the foundation of the pilot study. Your honest responses — before, during, and after use — are what make the data meaningful. Each takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
Complete this before you take your first suppository. This is your personal baseline — recording how you feel across all eight measured areas before the study begins.
It is completed once only. Without this baseline, the follow-up data has no point of comparison — so please complete it first.
Complete this at the end of each week for four consecutive weeks — beginning after your first week of use. The same questionnaire is used each time.
Weeks 3 and 4 continue after your suppository supply ends. This allows us to understand whether the natural effects are sustained once active use has finished.
Tip: Set a recurring reminder on your phone for the same time each evening — 30 minutes before sleep is ideal. Consistency in timing makes the data more meaningful and takes the guesswork out of the routine.
These suppositories are designed for gentle, shallow rectal insertion — they do not need to be inserted deeply. With clean hands, gently insert the suppository just inside the rectal opening. The natural mucosal tissue at this level absorbs the phytocannabinoids directly and efficiently.
Insert before sleep and allow your body to do the rest naturally. A simple phone reminder 30 minutes before sleep takes the guesswork out of the routine.
We are interested in how you feel — naturally and honestly — across a range of areas that matter to women during perimenopause and menopause. The questionnaires are designed to capture meaningful, real-world changes.
Every batch of Sovereign ECS suppositories is independently tested by an accredited laboratory. The cannabinoid profile and full ingredient transparency are presented in the ingredients section above, alongside the formulation they relate to.
If you are currently taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), prescribed medications, or have any ongoing medical conditions, please reach out to Barry Bonner directly before participating. Do not discontinue any prescribed medication without appropriate guidance. If you experience any unexpected reactions, discontinue use and contact Barry immediately.
Barry Bonner · barry@bonnerbiotech.com · +1 415 515 1665
"I spent 25 years inside the pharmaceutical and conventional medical system — working at the highest levels on autoimmune disease and cancer treatment. In 2017, I had a stroke. That event changed everything.
In the years that followed, I turned to science that had been closed off to our profession for decades — not because it lacked merit, but because of the regulatory and political environment surrounding the plant it came from. What I found was extraordinary.
Sovereign ECS was born from that research — and from conversations with women who had tried everything the conventional system offered and were still searching for something that felt natural, sustainable, and aligned with how their bodies actually work.
This pilot study is the beginning of something important. Thank you for being part of it."
We are grateful for your participation and your trust. Please reach out at any time if you have questions or concerns — there are no wrong questions.