Have you ever heard of the entourage effect? It comes from the combination of multiple cannabinoids. If you know CBD and its products, then this term should be pretty familiar. Although, we will talk about it anyway. So, what are we going to discuss here? What is the entourage effect, its origin, benefits, and more?
In addition, we will also discuss how CBD and THC take part in this boosted effect. Even as a beginner, you will understand everything about this effect and its importance. Let’s get into it real quick.
Table of Contents
The Origins of the Entourage Effect
Before anything else, you should know about its origin. Where does the entourage effect come from? It comes from the combination of multiple cannabinoids. That raises the question, what is a cannabinoid? It is a set of identical elements we get from cannabis strains. Instead of calling cannabis plants, we directly mention them as either hemp or marijuana. They are the two basic cannabis types.
As we were talking about cannabinoids, there are quite a lot of them. So, most cannabis products are actually known as CBD products. More than 100 types of cannabinoids are available. CBD and THC are two of the known cannabinoids. But, there are more. CBG, CBC, CBN, and many other names are worth the mention.
Let us explain a bit about the CBD spectrum to clarify the definition. There are 3 CBD profiles. Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate CBD. Each one of them has a distinct connection with the entourage effect. Full-spectrum CBD contains multiple cannabinoids along with THC. Having THC makes a huge difference. It has the most effective result on our health. Thus, the full spectrum provides the highest entourage effect.
Then, there is a broad spectrum. It also contains cannabinoids like CBD, CBG, CBC, CBN, and more. But, it doesn’t have THC. So, it is a little less effective but quite moderate. At last, we have the isolate CBD spectrum. It doesn’t have any cannabinoids except CBD. And it is also known as pure CBD form. It has more than 99% CBD and some other elements. It has no entourage effect. Because there is no other cannabinoid to assist its effects, let’s see how these cannabinoids work together.
What Does The Research Say About Entourage Effects?
Research has clearly shown that THC is another cannabinoid that can work with CBD. Surprisingly, it has an even deeper effect than CBD. As a reminder, there are more than 100 types of cannabinoids. Each of them has unique features and effects.
So, researchers believe that other cannabinoids can have more effects when mixed with CBD and THC. They can enhance or alter the effects. This is what we call the entourage effect. This simple thing can have a major influence on all CBD products. It will increase the benefits of CBD even more. Certainly, there are new possibilities. It will be possible that the use of CBD products will be even better.
How Does It Work?
We mentioned what the entourage effect is and how effective it can be. Now, you need to know how it really works. Besides cannabinoids, terpene is also pretty good for that. You need to remember that it is still under development. So, all the effects are still not perfect or confirmed.
Among so cannabinoids, only a few are ready for commercial development. CBG, CBC, CBN and a few others. While CBD gets us physical improvement, these elements add extra pain relief to it. Moreover, some elements work to get rid of certain diseases.
The process is the same for terpene as well. There are a lot of variants to it. Each one gives a close effect. Myrcene, Bisabolol, Borneol, and Limonene are some of the popular names. In most cases, they reduce inflammation and several pains. Moreover, they also give different flavor types. But, you can get even more effects depending on the element type.
Cannabinoids And The Entourage Effect
The entourage effect of cannabinoids started from THC. While CBD improves health conditions, THC gives pain and mental relief. Mixing them together gives you higher health benefits. You may not get such effects from regular products with a single cannabinoid.
In addition, THC, CBD, CBN, CBC, and CBG are the ingredients you can use. THC gives you psychoactive effects to reduce anxiety, depression, and similar mental issues. CBD helps to reduce inflammation and pain.
CBN helps with pain, muscle, and sleep improvement. CBC works against different types of diseases. It reduces fungal and bacterial infections. In addition, it also helps to control cancer. CBG is a highly powerful element to prevent bacterial and fungal infections.
Terpenes And The Entourage Effect
We mentioned, different types of terpenes also provide entourage effects. Myrcene, Limonene, Linalool, and similar terpenes are on the line. In most cases, terpene entourage effects are not deep effects. Rather, they provide supportive effects like flavor, better absorption, minor pain relief, and so on.
Myrcene and Limonene give extra flavor. But, Linalool gives a better aroma than flavor. Bisabolol provides a more effective antibacterial effect. As for Borneol, it gives a decent pain reduction.
How CBD and THC Work Together
So, we will talk about how these elements work together. You may not believe it. But, the entourage effect is a natural phenomenon. Usually, you will not see an element boost another element naturally, especially when they are in the same category. But, cannabinoids work together and boost each other.
That’s why this effect is special. Full and broad-spectrum CBD are there because of the entourage effect. Surprisingly, it also determines your CBD dosage. If you have severe health issues, then isolate CBD will not be enough. You need a broad or full spectrum to cure such issues. Only full and broad spectrums provide an entourage effect. If you don’t know how to sort out the dosage, then check on how to determine the best CBD dosage for you.
Now we will mention the relation between CBD and THC.
How CBD Helps THC: We know that the entourage effect means one cannabinoid boosts another cannabinoid. It is as if they can interact with each other and synchronize their effects. The real reason behind this effect is their similar activities. All the cannabinoids use the same receptors and work on similar effects. Like, affecting the brain and manipulating its works. The results are pulling out anxiety, depression, and similar things.
Even more, it also reduces inflammation and boosts our health function. So, when CBD puts a lower effect on these functions, THC puts more effects on them. So, CBD helps THC by reducing the effect from the minor sections. Eventually, THC performs better than usual. In addition, CBD also helps to reduce the THC effects. As you should know, THC has several side effects. Studies show that CBD can reduce those side effects. Thus, CBD gives THC an overall balance.
How THC Helps CBD: We have just mentioned how CBD helps THC. It is vice versa. So, THC also helps CBD in the same manner. THC provides a psychoactive effect. You know that, right? CBD also provides similar effects. If you think about pain reduction, THC highly affects our neural communication and gives pain relief. So, CBD doesn’t have to get deeper into the effect. THC does it and helps CBD provide an enhanced effect on it. It goes the same for anxiety relief or other mental issues.
Endocannabinoid System & Entourage Effect Relationship
The Endocannabinoid system is still under development. Its mystery is yet to be discovered. So, we can’t define the exact relation between the endocannabinoid system and the entourage effect. Although, it is progressing day by day. So, we do have ideas about it.
Endocannabinoid works with 3 major parts. Endocannabinoid, endocannabinoid receptor, and enzymes. It is a biological signaling system using cannabinoids. As we are saying, endocannabinoids are the same as cannabinoids, but they come from the physical body. Our body creates them as per need.
The receptors maintain the nervous system connection and all the endocannabinoid actions. As for Enzymes, they break down the cannabinoids and prepare them for any action. This system has a direct connection with the entourage effect. Every action needs to break down several cannabinoid-like elements. That depends on the system we have mentioned.
So, the entourage effect and endocannabinoid system depend on each other. More research is going on, so you will get updated information in the upcoming days. We are yet to analyze the system completely. Its discovery can lead us to control more elements and get more effects at the same time.
What Ratio Of THC To CBD Is Best?
It is hard to give an exact ratio. Because the overall effect depends on the patient’s condition, usually, you can’t use THC more than 0.3%. It has to be sure, So no matter which product you go for, THC is always lower than that. As for CBD, every CBD product has to maintain at least a 98% ratio. So, you get the idea. For a perfect dosage, you should take advice from an expert and consult your condition.
Is CBD Still Beneficial Without THC?
Yes, CBD is beneficial even without THC. You can check CBD’s health benefits to have a clear idea of it. THC gives a psychoactive effect, but it is not the most important thing. CBD provides neural improvement and physical enhancements. We feel less pressure, anxiety, or depression. It gives us relaxation. Moreover, it also works on our immune system and reduces harmful elements. In addition, CBD highly reduces inflammation. So, we feel more active. Thus, it is more than capable of providing its own benefits.
Final Thoughts
The entourage effect is a phenomenon in medical science. We have got it from cannabinoids. But, the result is so surprising that scientists believe it can open up a new path in future medicine development. We don’t see an element sync with other elements and boost its effect. But, every cannabinoid does that. If we can unlock the mystery behind such effects, every medicine we have can become something new.
