Cannabis is becoming widely recognized as a safe and viable treatment for a range of illnesses, including chronic pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and others. Generally, research over the past 70 years has focused on the benefits of THC. More recently CBD and to a lesser degree other cannabinoids like CBN, CBG, CBC, THC-A, and THC-V have begun to appear on the market. Research on these cannabinoids is in its infancy and none of these have adequate data behind them to be useable in adult human beings.
Still, we have ample experience that whole cannabis behaves differently from synthetic THC available as an FDA-approved pharmaceutical called Dronabinol. This could be simply because the synthetic THC is structurally different from plant-derived THC, but has also lent credence to the idea of the Entourage Effect (more properly called the Entourage Hypothesis).
According to the concept of the entourage effect, each of the compounds in the cannabis plant works together with the other compounds to create an effect in the user that is greater than each of the compounds alone. Continue reading from our Massachusetts medical marijuana doctor to learn more about how the entourage effect might work and what it means for medical marijuana patients.
Understanding Cannabis’s Entourage Effect
The theory behind the entourage effect says that combining the compounds in the cannabis plant creates an outcome that is different than the effect of a single compound consumed by itself. Essentially, the entourage effect claims that the components in both types of cannabis plants, marijuana and hemp, are greater than the sum of their parts. The compounds act synergistically to draw additional effects out of each component present in the plant.
The entourage effect has led many experts in the cannabis industry to advocate for a holistic, whole-plant approach regarding cannabis products. Instead of isolating one ingredient or compound in the cannabis plant for the patient to use, proponents of the entourage effect recommend using several components that can interact with each other in the patient’s body to create the effect that is most beneficial to their health and well-being.
The cannabis plant is comprised of more than 480 natural components, only about 140 of which are cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are the compounds unique to the cannabis plant and include the popular compounds tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabielsoin (CBE).
There is a wide variety of other compounds present in the cannabis plant that could play a role in the effect that marijuana has on a user. Terpenoids, for example, are the compound that give each strain of its marijuana its individual flavor and smell. There are about 120 different terpenes present in the cannabis plants, each of which might interact with the other compounds present in the plant. Other compounds include lactones, steroids, flavonoids, and other elements.
What the Cannabis Entourage Effect Can Mean for You
A recent study that reviewed the evidence for the entourage effect concluded that the concept remains reasonable and that there is some evidence to support this idea, but that it was in no way proven. So, more research to come.
In the meantime, as we focus on treatments with the most health benefits of cannabis possible for you and your health, it’s important to pay remember to aim for whole-plant products. These products are often called “full spectrum”, which means the product contains most of the compounds found in the cannabis plant, including an array of cannabinoids, terpenes, vitamins, fatty acids, proteins, and more. These products are most likely to help users deal with many common ailments, including inflammation, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.
Consult a Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Doctor
The experts at InhaleMD would like to help patients understand the entourage effect and how it can affect their use of medical marijuana products. If you would like to learn more about how you can utilize the entourage effect to make the most of your own medical marijuana use, get in touch with the Massachusetts medical marijuana doctors at InhaleMD as soon as possible. Call (617) 477-8886 today.