The entourage effect of the two main cannabinoids THC and CBD
Eastern medicine is basically known for a more holistic approach where Western medicine tends to zoom in on a single identifiable 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 fairly good example of the contrasts between Western and traditional medicine. There are now products offered that are labeled as isolates or whole plant extracts. Champions of Western medicine theories would suggest isolates because they contain just tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or merely cannabidiol (CBD) or less common individual phytocannabinoids! While THC offers a relatively wide variety of health-related properties, it is basically responsible for the “high” effect users get when they partake of cannabis. CBD is non-psychotropic. THC and CBD are certainly the most abundant, well-known and well-studied cannabinoids and both have shown pain-relieving benefits in humans. However, they aren’t the only compounds in cannabis that actually supply positive effects on health. In the cannabis plant, there are actually hundreds of plant compounds made up of phytocannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Research shows that these compounds can work together and bring about superior improvements in pain relief that each would produce independently. The synergy of CBD, THC and the complete cannabis plant is referred to as the entourage effect. THC and CBD work differently together than when separate, helping to lessen side effects and bring greater efficacy. The most well-studied compounds that are found in the marijuana plant that support the proposal of the entourage effect are THC and CBD, which have been known to work differently together than when they are not together. Research shows that CBD works to counteract some of the “high” feeling, anxiety and elevated heart rate that is brought to pass by THC. The result is that higher doses of THC can be utilized in the treatment of pain due to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and much more.