learn
learn
THE ENTOURAGE EFFECT
Many in the cannabis community talk about the entourage effect , but what is it exactly and is there proof that such a thing exists ? Chris Bond explains .
Those acquainted with dispensaries and other legal cannabis outlets have likely encountered the term “ entourage effect .” It shows up as a marketing buzz phrase on products like edibles , oils , and smokable forms of cannabis . The entourage effect is described differently by different people , but it is essentially the synergy of cannabis ’ s more than five hundred compounds . In other words , the entourage effect is THC , CBD , terpenes , and flavonoids working together to create different effects and other desired outcomes based on the ratios of these different compounds . It is a “ greater than the sum of its parts ” claim . Many believe it ; some don ’ t .
WHAT IS IN CANNABIS ?
In 2014 , CNN ’ s chief medical correspondent , Dr . Sanjay Gupta , interviewed Dr . Raphael Mechoulam , a highly accomplished Israeli researcher who spent most of his professional life studying the different compounds that make up cannabis . ( Mechoulam also published a paper describing the entourage effect in 1999 and is credited with coining the now well-used phrase .) “ There are more than 480 natural components found within the cannabis plant , of which 66 have been classified as ‘ cannabinoids ,’” Gupta reported in the article he wrote following this interview . “ Mechoulam , along with many others , said he believes all these components of the cannabis plant likely exert some therapeutic effect , more than any single compound alone .” The cannabinoids Gupta listed in his article include delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ), cannabidiol ( CBD ), cannabigerol ( CBG ), cannabichromene ( CBC ), cannabinol ( CBN ), cannabinodiol ( CBDL ), cannabicyclol ( CBL ), cannabielsoin ( CBE ), and cannabitriol ( CBT ). Gupta also listed other constituents of the cannabis plant , including “ nitrogenous compounds ( 27 known ), amino acids ( 18 ), proteins ( three ), glycoproteins ( six ), enzymes ( two ), sugars and related compounds ( 34 ), hydrocarbons ( 50 ), simple alcohols ( seven ), aldehydes ( 13 ), ketones ( 13 ), simple acids ( 21 ), fatty acids ( 22 ), simple esters ( 12 ), lactones ( one ), steroids ( 11 ), terpenes ( 120 ), non-cannabinoid phenols ( 25 ), flavonoids ( 21 ), vitamins ( one ), pigments ( two ), and other elements ( nine ).” by Chris Bond
WHY THE CONTROVERSY ?
University and government researchers claim that there is , at best , only anecdotal evidence for the existence of the entourage effect . According to an April 2017 article in Scientific American , many researchers don ’ t discount
62 grow . heal . learn . enjoy . myhydrolife . com