Thanks to their efficacy and subsequent popularity, THC and CBD have pushed their way to the forefront of mainstream cannabis. These two cannabinoids are now hailed as the two main drivers behind many of marijuana’s therapeutic and intoxicating effects. But in reality, there are many many more component compounds in cannabis that shouldn’t simply be ignored. Are THC and CBD getting some help or are they doing it all themselves?
More Than Just CBD
The cannabis plant contains many more chemical compounds than just THC and CBD. From therapeutic cannabinoids to tasty terpenes and colorful flavonoids, marijuana’s many individual compounds all have a role to play.
THC and CBD have been hogging the spotlight, but there are actually well over 100 different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. While many of them only exist in trace amounts, several of these cannabinoids have been found to have therapeutic properties as well. Moreover, recent research indicates that terpenes, the compounds responsible for giving cannabis its notorious aroma, may also have therapeutic effects of their own.
To break cannabis down to just THC and CBD is to oversimplify things. It’s important to remember that there are many different compounds in the cannabis plant that could potentially be contributing to its multitude of effects.
The Entourage Effect
The entourage effect is a theory stating that the many compounds in cannabis all work together in synergy to produce the psychoactive, therapeutic, and mind-altering effects of cannabis. Based on research from 1998 stating that endocannabinoids can work together to produce specific effects, the theory has been expanded to include the cannabinoids (phytocannabinoids) contained in cannabis as well.
Cannabis compounds like cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, are all believed to contribute to the overall effects produced by cannabis. Since some terpenes and flavonoids are believed to have therapeutic potential of their own, this would explain, at least in part, why the entourage effect works.
This phenomenon would also explain why different cannabis strains can have such wildly different effects, and why THC and CBD produce such different effects when consumed together rather than on their own.
Full-Spectrum vs Broad-Spectrum vs Isolate
The entourage effect has led some people to speculate that products made with full-spectrum whole-plant extracts are superior to those made with isolated cannabinoids, but is this really true?
Full-spectrum extracts contain the “full spectrum” of cannabis compounds – meaning every single compound that existed in the plant the extract comes from. Broad-spectrum extracts contain many of those compounds, but not quite all of them. And as their name suggests, isolates feature only isolated cannabinoids like CBD or THC, and nothing else.
Many people feel that whole-plant extracts are more effective than isolates. Others feel that isolates work just as well. Much more research needs to be done into how the many component chemical compounds in cannabis work, together or apart. Double-blind clinical studies, the gold standard in medicine, have never been conducted to explore the entourage effect or the supposed efficacy of full-spectrum products.
Nevertheless, the theory is supported by tons of anecdotal information from countless everyday people who swear by it. Ultimately, it’s up to you to explore and experiment in order to find the cannabis product that is just right for you. Just remember to do so responsibly.