What is the cannabis entourage effect and is it fact or fiction?

The term “entourage effect” is often used in cannabis news articles and does not mean a group of people who love weed or are cannabis enthusiasts. The term is used to describe the synergy between combining different chemical combinations in cannabis.

The entourage effect is about the interaction between THC / CBD and other terpenes and cannabinoids.

The basic concepts

Cannabinoids interact with the body’s own endocannabinoid system (ECS): a system made up of chemical parts called endocannabinoids and receptors in the body. These endocannabinoids and receptors help regulate various body functions such as appetite, sleep, and pain.

THC is intoxicating; This is the cannabinoid that causes a “high” that many users experience after ingesting or inhaling cannabis. But CBD isn’t intoxicating, which explains why it’s growing in popularity in the medical world. Many patients want to use cannabis for medicinal purposes but do not want to feel high.

The question now is, do THC and CBD offer a wider range of therapeutic uses? In some cases, they have worked well together and you are about to discover why this is at the core of the entourage effect.

One of the things cannabis enthusiasts find exciting about weed is how fragrant it is; the aroma that rushes your face and warms you when you open a cannabis container is just bliss. Do you know what is responsible for the scent? Its terpenes !! Good ol ‘terpenes.

Terpenes are the aromatic, flavorful compounds found in cannabis and other plants and spices, fruits and herbs. From a touch of pepper to lavender to pine terpenes, they offer an abundance of flavors and aromas like no other compound will.

In cannabis plants, terpenes grow in the plant’s resinous glands (these are called trichomes). The terpenes use their scents to protect the cannabis plant from predators, as most cannabis plants cannot process the scent and taste of the plant.

Terpenes also embody therapeutic properties, which explains why users feel calm and almost sleepy after consuming cannabis. An excellent example of this are the pinenterpenes found in pine trees: They reduce inflammation. The linalool terpenes found in lavender also provide anti-anxiety effects, and these are just examples of the therapeutic value of terpenes.

This is how the entourage effect works

We know that terpenes and cannabinoids have special effects on the human body, but what happens when you mix different cannabinoids or combine terpenes and cannabinoids?

As simple as the question sounds, the answer is not that simple, meaning that the combination of CBD and THC does not mix the effects of both compounds. Instead, CBD and THC can interact with each other and with other cannabinoids and terpenes to create a synergy known as the entourage effect.

Some people wonder which blend of terpenes and cannabinoids is best for treating certain health conditions. Cannabis got off to a much slower start as it was stigmatized by societies for many years, resulting in bans. These years of stigma delayed research into the effects of entourage.

As a result, not much is known about cannabinoids and terpenes, which make a good pair and produce great results. Recently, some groundbreaking studies provide insight into the effects of entourage on cannabinoids and terpenes. We’ll look at both chemicals separately.

Entourage effects with terpenes

Dr. Ethan Russo presented a groundbreaking research paper titled Taming THC: Potential Cannabis Synergy and Phytocannabinoid Terpenoid Entourage Effects.

His paper is critical to understanding the entourage effect, and the abstracts of his studies showed the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids and terpenes.

Each terpene is different in its chemical makeup, with each of them offering something different. Some cannabis strains also contain different terpenes, which makes it difficult to know which cannabinoid-terpene mixture is causing an entourage effect.

Dr. Russo also argues, for example, that the data show that myrcene is the main sedating terpenoid in cannabis and, when combined with THC, creates some form of the entourage effect. So if THC, when mixed with myrcene, has some potential for an entourage effect, one can only wonder what other types of combinations are possible.

Entourage effects with cannabis

A study of the effectiveness of THC in reducing cancer-related pain compared to combining CBD and THC discovered something interesting. The results show that the combination of THC and CBD showed good effectiveness, in contrast to THC which was used in isolation.

The results are exciting and promising because they provide additional evidence of how the entourage effect can combine different cannabinoids.

Aside from enhancing the analgesic properties of THC, CBD also creates another very fun cannabinoid entourage effect. The results show in how it reduces the psychoactive effects of THC.

The process of how it works is also complex, as CBD indirectly interacts with your body’s CB1 receptors, in a way that also affects the ability of THC to bind to receptors.

It is also important to remember some examples of the entourage effect when combining cannabinoid. But most of the selectively bred cannabis strains are made to optimize THC and CBD levels. So very little is known about the other cannabinoid (there are more than 118 cannabinoids). Which means there is much more potential for cannabinoids and terpenes research if research continues on a large scale.

Bottom line

Most noticeable about the entourage effect is that it reinforces the idea that cannabis has many potentials. In the future, and as we learn more about the cannabis plant, we will know if it offers additional and impressive benefits for users and people in general.

We discovered the value of CBD and THC separately, but now the world is eager to know, “Is there much more to discover with a combination of CBD and THC?” People want more and this is evident from the enormous interest in cannabis. The question asked will determine the scope of future research and testing that will enhance the positive impact of the entourage effect.

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