The term “entourage effect” refers to the synergy that can be achieved when many chemicals work together rather than separately. The synergistic impact is known as the entourage effect. Everyone is familiar with CBD and THC, but hemp contains a lot more than just those two cannabinoids. Try our winter berry strain and full melt bubble hash canada.
Two basketball teams are competing against each other. Team red has just one player who does all of the shooting, stealing, defending, and rebounding, while team blue has all five players working together to accomplish various tasks. Which team would win? Obviously, team blue will triumph.
The entourage effect is a phenomenon in which various substances interact to achieve an outcome that would be unattainable for any one of them singly. This “accompanying” effect is the sum of the effects that chemicals can have on one another in a relationship.
The cannabis plant contains over 400 distinct chemicals, each of which has an individual effect on us. More than 100 cannabinoids, 200 terpenes, numerous flavonoids, and several phenolic compounds are present. Some of these chemicals are inactive; some are active but helpful to us; and others are psychoactive and potentially hazardous, such as THC!
When taken separately, some chemicals have a greater impact than others. However, in regard to one another, the effect of one chemical may be strong while that of another can be weak. As a result, when combined with another compound, one substance might become more powerful. (or less powerful.) Occasionally, an inactive component can even become active when combined with other compounds!
The entourage effect, as the name implies, is the result of many chemicals acting in sync. Consider a pianist performing on a piano. While his music may be truly stunning on its own, when he’s accompanied by a singer, things get even better. However, if the vocalist is poor and screams too loudly, the pianist would be better off playing alone. As a result of this phenomenon, the entourage effect does not always lead to a greater experience. However, I believe we all agree that listening to an orchestra in tune played by professionals, with a choir or an opera singer performing live , delivers the perfect music experience.
Not All Hemp Extracts Are Equal
Because two firms make CBD oil, it does not imply the quality is comparable. The CBD oils from different companies are not the same. It’s crucial to note that numerous elements influence how CBD extracts are created.
The genetics of the hemp plant, the extraction technique, and the criteria used, as well as the purification procedure, are all crucial elements of the production process. The first two aspects listed may be rather beneficial. Nonetheless, if the purification process fails to retain important cannabinoids and lighter compounds like terpenes and flavonoids, it makes little difference.
Purchasing from a reputable company with extensive knowledge and experience in hemp extraction is crucial to getting a safe but effective product.
Research on the Entourage Effect
In 1998, researchers Raphael Mechoulam and Shimon Ben-Shabat discovered the entourage effect. They discovered that inactive components aided the body’s natural endocannabinoids (naturally produced chemicals) in their therapeutic activities: 2-AG and anandamide. THC and CBD function similarly to these compounds.
Ethan Russo and John McPartland published the paper, “Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts: Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts,” in 2001. This study supported the “entourage effect” hypothesis. Their study found that “secondary compounds in cannabis may boost THC’s beneficial effects” and “may alleviate THC-induced anxiety, cholinergic deficits, and immunosuppression.”
Researchers also stated that “cannabis terpenoids and flavonoids may also increase cerebral blood flow, enhance cortical activity, kill respiratory pathogens, and provide anti-inflammatory activity.”
Researchers discovered in a 2011 meta-analysis, called “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects,” that ingesting terpenes and cannabinoids at the same time may be beneficial.:
- Cancer
- Pain
- Anxiety
- Epilepsy
- Inflammation
- Fungal infection
In a 2015 research, CBD isolate vs full-spectrum extracts were compared. In the study, mice who received full-spectrum treatments showed significantly greater relief than those who took only CBD isolate. Furthermore, while full-spectrum CBD did not lose effectiveness when administered in higher doses, CBD isolate did.
Terpene Entourage Effect
The role of terpenes in the Entourage effect is crucial! What are terpenes, and how do they work? They’re the fundamental components of fragrances. There are thousands of different kinds, and their interactions create the distinct odor of plants.
Terpenes and cannabinoids are both present in the cannabis plant’s trichomes, the resin glands. They’re also related since they’re produced from the same precursor, Geranyl pyrophosphate.
Why, then, did GW Pharmaceuticals add a wide range of terpenes to Epidiolex? In the EU, where isolated CBD is the only cannabinoid component authorized, Epidiolex is the registered cannabinoid medicine. Why would they incorporate terpenes into the CBD isolate if not for the entourage effect?