How to Harness the Power of the Entourage Effect
You’ve heard a lot about the benefits of cannabinoids like CBD and THC lately. But did you know that they’re hundreds of different compounds in cannabis that help provide the physical and psychoactive benefits you know and love? When these compounds work together in harmony, they deliver what’s known as the entourage effect.
What is the Entourage Effect?
When cannabis compounds like cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes all work together, they produce a synergistic phenomenon that science calls the entourage effect. In other words, cannabis is more than the sum of its individual parts. Now don’t get us wrong—isolated cannabis compounds can be valuable on their own. But when used together, they enhance the natural properties of one another and produce a powerful compounding effect that can totally elevate the experience.
The interaction of natural cannabis compounds delivers a stronger and more diverse effects than CBD or THC can alone. The entourage effect also helps explain why people experience different outcomes when using different cannabis products. With such a wide variety of naturally occurring cannabis compounds, it’s no wonder that researchers think there are endless potential synergies we can experience.
Let’s get a better understanding of just how awesome the entourage effect is and how you can benefit from it by taking a look at the two main groups of cannabis compounds and the roles they play in the entourage effect.
The Role of Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are a group of active compounds that offer a variety of therapeutic benefits by interacting with your endocannabinoid receptors. Science has identified over 100 different types of cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, but CBD and THC have gained the most fame. When you use cannabinoids together, they help unlock each other’s power, enhancing their potential to make you feel good.
One of the most remarkable examples of this phenomenon is CBD’s ability to curb some of the negative effects of THC. Because everyone experiences cannabis a bit differently, some people find that THC can make them anxious or overstimulated, especially in large doses. When CBD is brought along for the ride, it acts as a babysitter to curb the intensity, allowing people to enjoy the mood-boosting and pain-relieving potential of THC without the paranoia.
How does it work? Researchers think that CBD blocks some of the THC from binding with CB1 receptors, in turn mitigating the effects of too much THC.
Another impressive way to make the most of the entourage effect is cannabinoid ratios. The precise ratio of cannabinoids like THC and CBD can determine just how much one will buffer the other.
For example, 2:1 THC/CBD ratio is going to deliver very different results than a 10:1 ratio. This allows you to harness the power of the entourage effect to deliver the specific outcome that’s right for you.
The Role of Terpenes
Terpenes are the delicious smelling compounds found in most fruits, plants, and herbs, including cannabis. They’re responsible for the refreshing aroma of pine, the zesty kick of lemons, and the calming essence of lavender. Terpenes are found in the plant’s sticky resin glands and act on your brain by stimulating receptors in your olfactory system, producing a variety of psychological and physiological benefits.
One of the best examples of terpene’s role in the entourage effect is the influence of the terpene pinene. On its own, pinene helps produce focus and feelings of alertness. But when you enjoy pinene along with cannabinoids, an awesome synergy takes place that allows its full potential to take effect. A 2011 study reported that a-pinene helps decrease some of the short-term memory loss associated with large THC doses. This effect is valuable for those who want to use THC during the day but still need to maintain a clear head.
Harnessing the Power of the Entourage Effect
There are literally hundreds of ways the entourage effect can play out to help you achieve specific results from cannabis. If you’d like more information on how to harness the entourage effect to achieve your goals, we’d love to help, just visit one of our dispensaries. Our knowledgeable staff can assist by offering recommendations of products with the perfect combination of cannabinoids and terpenes for you!