Some of us use marijuana for recreation. Others use it to treat or ease various ailments. Then some individuals merely use marijuana periodically to relax their senses when everyday activities and tasks get too stressful.
Regardless of why one chooses cannabis, the ambient effect notion has profoundly altered our general understanding of the historical marijuana plant.
The claimed synergistic effects of the green drug have been hotly debated both online and offline.
The effects of marijuana are best felt if meditating or entertaining with marijuana products containing the whole spectrum of active compounds produced by marijuana plants, rather than isolated marijuana concentrates like THC and CBD Crystals, among others?
Or have we now realized that the ancient herb offered by Mother Nature is naturally inclined to help us with a wide range of physical, mental, and spiritual challenges and concerns?
Join us for an exciting trip to discover the potential benefits of entire marijuana plant-based medicinals, as well as vital insights into the future of green marijuana medicine.
The Entourage Effect: More than just a Buzzword
The entourage effect states that the unique combination of marijuana components creates and experiences a different physical and physiological influence when marijuana is consumed. This theory also shows that mixing marijuana’s active components have a far more significant impact than a single ingredient.
The entourage effect is a prominent term in the emerging cannabis market.
It is so extensively debated that a simple Google search returns over 7 million web pages about the entourage effect.
So, what’s the big deal? Could it be that the entourage effect is still a hypothesis that has to be validated?
Surprisingly (or not), the question is no longer whether the entourage effect exists. Although the state requires additional research to be scientifically credible, thousands of data points strongly support the entourage effect notion.
After the tremendous waves of ecstasy caused by the CBD craze, THC is again back in the game as more scientists are into hearing “a THC solo.”
With so many sources promoting opposing theories and trends connected to the entourage effect, it appears that the truth regarding the benefits of whole plant-based medicinals is getting more challenging to discern.
Marijuana and the Entourage Effect: Learning the Basics
Before we address the latest marijuana news, the entourage effect, and whole plant-based medicinals, let us first share some background information on the entourage effect idea.
Cannabis plants, either hemp or marijuana, are known to carry hundreds of chemical compounds. Included in this list are active cannabinoids like THC and CBD and terpenes like Myrcene, Pinene, Limonene, Caryophyllene, and a few. Generally, all Cannabis Sativa L. species (including marijuana and hemp variations) produce various chemical components.
To be lawful, industrial hemp plants must not have more than a certain amount of THC. Commercial cannabis growers focus on developing cannabis strains with high THC, CBD, or a combination of the two.
Above all, the chemical compounds produced by cannabis plants do connect with the mind and body. It is not just the amount of CBD in a high CBD strain (like Cali Kush, which has 20% CBD and only 1% THC) that makes up for specific benefits of the green prescription.
Not only do these chemicals work on the endogenous cannabinoid system by concurrently activating and blocking distinct cannabinoid receptors, but they also bring unique benefits to the various cannabis strains.
Even though over 100 different active cannabinoids have been identified, THC and CBD have attracted the most significant attention from cannabis researchers and consumers.
A few years ago, terpenes were similarly primarily ignored by the public and knew little about their significance in determining the effects of various cannabis strains. Terpenes are naturally occurring compounds present in many plants, including trees, fruits, herbs, and spices.
To understand the entourage effect, one must first understand how each active cannabinoid and terpene offers a unique biochemical impact on the body and mind.
A group of scientists coined the term “entourage effect” in 1998. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, a renowned Israeli biochemist, was one of these scientists. Prof. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam has impacted cannabis study and has been nominated for a Nobel Prize.
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam is not just one of the world’s leading researchers studying the biology and chemistry of the most misunderstood plant. Also, the guy whose postdoctoral students discovered the body’s natural cannabinoids anandamide and 2-AG, as well as the ECS (endogenous cannabinoid system).
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=fu6FhJIyTEc
Video by: ilkeryoldas – The Scientist (2015) Medical Marijuana: Studying For a Higher Purpose – Prof. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam
Source: youtube.com
With his extensive research on terpene and cannabinoid interactions, Russo’s paper entitled Taming THC: Potential Cannabis Synergy and Phytocannabinoid-Terpenoid Entourage Effects brought significant popularization of the entourage effect phenomenon.
Cannabis and the Green Medicine of the Future
What’s the most outstanding solution for cannabis consumer products? While this question is still shrouded in obscurity, a faint light points to a resounding NO. But a big, gorgeous YES shines in the background.
Our current and future understanding of the ancient cannabis plant differ on the benefits of whole plant medicinals.
In short, scientists predict that modern, specifically tailored cannabinoid formulations will be significantly more effective and consistent than traditional entire cannabis plant-based solutions. Moreover, some major participants in the marijuana market predict that tailored cannabinoid compositions will soon account for a considerable portion of adult cannabis consumption.
Precisely what does this mean for full-spectrum cannabis products like full-spectrum CBD Oil? You must investigate the effects of specific terpenes and cannabinoids on receptor cells in-depth to enable medical marijuana users to cope with their concerns swiftly, reliably, and effectively.
Whole Cannabis Plant-Based Products vs. Tailored Cannabinoid Formulations
Experts in cellular cannabis pharmacology agree that different mixtures of cannabinoids and terpenes result in “quantitatively distinct” cellular reactions. CBD somewhat inhibits THC potency, while other chemicals amplify the effect of another (which is the case with Myrcene Terpene being related to possibly increasing the sedative effects of cannabis).
However, full-spectrum cannabis products (meaning complete cannabis plant-based products manufactured by extracting as many active cannabinoids and terpenes as possible) cause a “chemical chaos” effect. It is because such products act on many endogenous cannabis receptors simultaneously.
The entourage effect may be unnecessary or undesirable in many cases, even when using whole cannabis plant-based products.
The development of custom cannabis formulations that contain multiple carefully selected active components based on the patient’s condition gives medical marijuana users new hope for better days, especially when other cannabinoids may have the opposite effect.
Finally, another disadvantage of whole plant-based medicines is their inconsistency.
Each cannabis plant, even if it is from the same cannabis strain, will have a slightly distinct combination of chemicals. A 2018 Nature article found that the cannabinoid concentration of legal cannabis products in Washington State varied significantly, not only between brands but even between testing labs!
But before you jump to the conclusion that whole cannabis plant-based medicinals are obsolete, let us point you in another direction. There is always another side to the coin. Medicating with cannabis may not be limited to creating custom cannabinoid and terpene compositions available only at dispensaries. As our knowledge of customizing cannabis formulations grows, so will the methods for making DIY cannabinoid and terpene products.
Several years after the West Coast cannabis gurus, they created THCa Crystalline (a cannabis concentrate crowned the purest form of hash because it contains 99.9% pure THC). Some expected that the average marijuana user could enjoy a DIY version of this potent concentrate, using simple as a rosin press device.
Furthermore, genomic sequencing provides for a more in-depth understanding of cannabis and the human genome. It means that we will pick a cannabis strain based on the symptoms we want to treat one day, all thanks to a simple genetic test.
Growing Cannabis and Making the Most from the Entourage Effect
Many types of cannabis lovers are interested in maximizing the entourage effect. Cannabis growers, without question, are among the most supportive and ready to benefit from the entourage effect.
With practice, one develops a unique, difficult-to-describe relationship with cannabis plants. You are growing your cannabis, whether outdoors, inside, or in a greenhouse, which provides plenty of plant material to experiment with.
Such as those eager to pick the lovely, fragrant cannabis flowers and start producing their customized weed medicines.
Using high CBD cannabis strains like Auto Critical CBD or CB Cheese will result in a CBD tincture while using high THC cannabis strains like Gelato and Gorilla Glue will result in a THC tincture.
Other DIY full-spectrum cannabis items include weed, honey. Cannabis could flavor foods and beverages by adding fresh or dried flowers, cannabutter, or decarbed cannabis concentrates. When cooking with cannabis and using whole-plant cannabis preparations, always check the boiling point of the active ingredients. If you overcook marijuana flowers, you will lose many of the essential chemical components.
Finally, it is critical to store your whole-plant cannabis-based goods properly. Excessive light, heat, and oxidation can potentially harm active chemicals.
This brief but delicious list of whole cannabis plant-based items you can manufacture right at home is our tiny at-depart present to you. These are some of our team’s favorite suggestions, so we hope to infect you with positive canna vibes.
#1. Cannabis capsules (we loved using Auto Critical CBD for its ideal THC to CBD ratio!)
#2. Cannabis-infused with THC (make sure you give a batch of 70 percent Indica-dominant Blueberry strain-infused canna-gummies if ultimate relaxation sounds like a brilliant idea to you).
#3. Therapeutic THCa diamonds (if you’re patient and diligent enough, your THCa diamonds could be dab-able, and with the re-introduced terp sauce, you can prepare for a fly high away from stress and pain triumph for the senses).
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=_3ict5sNZhI
Video by: PLANT-BASED NEWS – THE POWER OF PLANT-BASED MEDICINE – Dr. Klaper & Dr. Hadj
Source: youtube.com
Cannabis, the Entourage Effect & Whole Plant-Based Medicinals: The Wrap-Up
Others choose to believe in it passionately and wholeheartedly despite whether it is still considered a thesis. We choose to refer to the entourage effect as a phenomenon that is slowly but surely paving the way for future green medicine.
Green medicine is a revolution, a new way of thinking about health beyond physical factors. Health is a sum of emotional, energetic, environmental, physical, spiritual, and psychic aspects of human experience.
Ultimately, we shouldn’t be worried about whether whole cannabis plant-based medicinals can outperform individually tailored cannabinoid and terpene formulations because the ECS has “minimal uptake in med school curricula,” according to cannabis experts Dr. Russo. The best thing we can do until we learn more about the endogenous cannabinoid system and the entourage effect is to trust Mother Nature and spend more time having fun and learning about cannabis rather than going to extremes.
