The Entourage Effect refers to the benefit you get from ingesting multiple components of the whole cannabis plants instead of ingesting one component at a time (if that were possible). The term, which was first employed in a 1998 study conducted by Professor Mechoulam and his team of researchers, describes the far greater therapeutic effects achieved when using whole plant extracts over THC or CBD isolates and synthesised drugs (e.g. Marinol).
Nevertheless, and while many CBD companies claim the same effect when using hemp, research clearly shows that CBD-only products are far less effective than those that have been made from actual cannabis plants (so including THC). This is because products made with whole plant extracts ‘are far more effective at eliciting curative effects that synthetic or isolated CBD because of the way in which the plant’s natural constituents and compounds effortlessly work together.’ Full spectrum products, therefore, are those that include ALL the compounds found in cannabis because they give a far better therapeutic result than isolated cannabinoids or hemp plants (CBD only).
Full-spectrum CBD products do not include THC in levels high enough to make a person feel its effects (e.g. stoned), but neither is it high enough to give any therapeutic effects via THC. So while CBD product do include all of the substances found within hemp plants, they do not include THC. What is interesting is that ALL of the research conducted throughout most of the last 50-60 years and more, was carried out using cannabis seized during police raids – so what the authorities like to vilify as ‘street’ cannabis.
‘Street’ or illegally-grown cannabis is far better than that grown by Britain’s cannabis industry, and our government knows that. It was cannabis plants that included THC that was used for research – and still is used for the most part abroad – NOT hemp or CBD-rich plants! While there is no doubt that CBD has medicinal value, research shows that the inclusion of THC makes cannabis medicines far more effective (see above video). And that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone; after all that is the way nature created the plant.
Full spectrum cannabis products contain many hundreds of compounds and phytonutrients that work together to enhance therapeutic properties, thus making it far more effective than products made from isolates OR standardised pharmaceutical products. These products, which must include THC to be fully effective, are specifically grown to enhance a particular therapeutic effect, such as reducing pain or treating inflammation. By manipulating the levels of cannabinoids, growers are able to produce products that successfully treat a certain health or ailment.
Full spectrum products do not undergo as much processing as CBD isolates. The compounds in the plant are drawn out with a method known as CO2 extraction. In addition to CBD, there are more than 400 compounds in cannabis that are present in full spectrum products. Some of the main ones include: (1) Cannabigerol (CBG) – usually in quantities of under 3 percent; (b) Cannabichromene (CBC); Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).
Broad Spectrum Products:Â
These are CBD-only products that have all the compounds found in full-spectrum products but without any THC whatsoever, thus making it an excellent choice for athletes or anyone that cannot have any traces of THC for whatever reason. In this way, it is possible to pass a drug test (for example) and still benefit from the entourage effects of the hundreds of other cannabinoids and substances in the plant – albeit without THC (the main healer).
How Full-Spectrum Products Work:
Although THC and CBD are the main substances in cannabis and hemp plants, they work in harmony with the 400+ compounds within the plant to bring about therapeutic relief and healing. When cannabinoids are extracted from the whole plant, the extraction process draws out all of the plant fibres, terpenes, iron, calcium, essential fatty acids, protein, waxes, beta-Carotene, flavonoids, magnesium, chlorophyll, vitamins, (A, B, C, and E), and minor cannabinoids. It is this that creates such a powerful medicine. By working together synergistically, whole plant products are able to target multiple health needs throughout the body far more effectively.
In fact, recent research shows that whole plant extracts increase the plants therapeutic power, and as a result, optimizes relief and treatment of almost all pathological conditions, disease, disorders, and ailments (1). Â
References:
- Mechoulam, Professor (2018). Online interview: ‘Raphael Mechoulam and the History of Cannabis Research.’
