The entourage effect of cannabinoids in cannabis
Eastern medicine is basically known for a more holistic approach where Western medicine tends to zero in on one particular molecule that is used for treating a disease or symptom.
Taking something in its entirety for medicinal purposes often offers a pretty good deal of benefits. The cannabis sativa plant is a good example of the contrasts between Western and traditional medicine. There are now products provided that are labeled as isolates or whole plant extracts, however advocates of Western medicine theories would recommend isolates because they contain merely tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or strictly cannabidiol (CBD) or less official individual phytocannabinoids. While THC offers a good amount of health-related properties, it is responsible for the “high” effect users receive when they consume cannabis. CBD is non-psychotropic. THC and CBD are the most abundant, well-known and well-studied cannabinoids and we have shown pain-relieving benefits in humans. However, they aren’t the only compounds in cannabis that provide positive effects on health. In the cannabis plant, there are hundreds of plant compounds made up of phytocannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Research indicates that these compounds are able to work together and offer superior improvements in pain relief that each one would produce independently. The synergy of CBD, THC and the whole cannabis plant is actually referred to as the entourage effect. THC and CBD have to work differently together than when separate, helping to lessen side effects and boost efficacy entirely. The most well-studied compounds discovered in the marijuana plant that support the whole idea of the entourage effect happen to be THC and CBD, which have been found to work differently together than when they are separate. Research concludes that CBD works to counteract some of the “high” feeling, anxiety and elevated heart rate that is caused by THC. The result is that higher doses of THC can be used in the treatment of pain due to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and even more.