The cannabis plant contains over 120 phytocannabinoids and a whopping 500+ terpenes that all seemingly have effects, not just on the body, but on each other. This synergistic effect that they have on each other has been dubbed the entourage effect.
With so many using CBD for themselves while also giving it to their dogs, cats, and other pets for help with everything from reducing anxiety to supporting overall health, it is well worth learning about the ins and outs of the entourage effect. By doing so, you can make CBD products work better for you and your pets.
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How Cannabis Cannabinoids And Terpenes Work Together
To understand how cannabinoids and terpenes work together to create the entourage effect, we need to look at a regulatory system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Composed of cell receptors and neurotransmitters that target them, telling the cell which balancing action to carry out, the ECS is vital to health and survival. For example, the ECS can help calm inflammation when the immune system is overburdened and produces too many inflammatory agents.
Some of the systems ECS has a vital role in supporting include:
- Learning and memory
- Emotional processing
- Sleep
- Temperature control
- Pain control
- Inflammatory and immune responses
- Eating and appetite
Cannabinoids and terpenes influence each others’ effects on the ECS and other important receptors, such as serotonin receptors, in several ways.
The Entourage Effect: Example 1
One of the main ways phytocompounds influence each other by binding to receptors before another compound can. This can block the cannabinoid or terpene completely, allowing it to go off in search of unbound receptors. As well, they can cause a partial blockage, preventing another phytocompound from fully binding to the receptor.
Furthermore, cannabinoids and terpenes are both agonists and antagonists at different receptors. An agonist will activate receptors and can block other compounds from binding due to them by taking up binding spots.
An antagonist goes further, however. Not only can it take away a binding spot from another cannabinoid, but it can prevent the receptor from being activated even when there are binding spots available.
The Entourage Effect: Example 2
Compounds in cannabis, notably the terpenes, have been found to influence the blood-brain barrier by reducing resistance and restoring permeability. This helps cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) to more easily pass through, resulting in lower dosages and greater range and potency of effects.
For example, cannabinoids don’t need to pass the blood-brain barrier to unlock their analgesic properties, but they largely do if we want their antinociceptive effects on top. Antinociceptives are substances that block pain signals at various stages along the pain pathway, while analgesics alter the perception of pain.
The Entourage Effect Controversy
While research has found evidence of the cannabis compounds working together, a 2020 review has pushed back against the idea that the entourage effect is always a good thing.
The authors of the review note that there is a large discrepancy between the limited research on whether the entourage effect reliably delivers beneficial outcomes and CBD manufacturers who wholeheartedly embrace it, especially when marketing their products.
Due to there being so many compounds, many of which appear in just traces yet still seemingly have an influence, it’s incredibly difficult to determine which cannabinoids and terpenes work best together and at what ratio.
With that many compounds, the number of combinations we can make is astronomical, and that’s not even taking into account having the compounds appear in different amounts (concentrations).
However, it does appear that cannabinoid isolates often produce uneven effects. For example, THC isolates are more prone to causing paranoia, because there are no other cannabinoids to buffer THC’s ability to overstimulate CB1 receptors.
While isolates that just contain CBD require higher than normal dosages and have limited effects compared to full spectrum CBD products.
Which CBD Product Has The Best Entourage Effect?
When searching for the most complete entourage effect, full spectrum CBD products tend to be the best, as they contain all the cannabinoids and terpenes the cannabis plant has to offer.
Promoting A Positive Entourage Effect
While we learned that the entourage effect is a real phenomenon, we also learned we shouldn’t always equate it with positive benefits.
However, with a little experimentation, you can go far in ensuring it’s always delivering its best. And you can do that by mixing and matching cannabis products together.
Unless you or your pet has a sensitivity to THC — most don’t — full spectrum CBD is the best CBD product to start with. And even after, it still provides a great base.
When it comes to humans, the next logical step is adding a THC isolate or a full spectrum THC product into the mix. Because while THC is pretty much solely responsible for giving marijuana plants their ability to cause a high, it’s very therapeutic.
The cannabinoids, in particular, CBD, work well to block THC from overstimulating too many receptors, dulling or eliminating the high, but the more THC you add to your CBD, the more the effects will resemble marijuana’s effects.
If you want to avoid that high or want to improve CBD full spectrum effects for your pet, a CBD isolate works great. CBG and CBN products are becoming popular and may serve as an excellent addition,
but caution is advised. Because while CBG and CBN are not psychoactive in the same sense as THC, i.e., it doesn’t cause a euphoric high, they are more psychoactive than CBD due to them activating receptors in the brain.
Anecdotally, many say CBG feels like a caffeine rush and makes them feel more sociable, while CBN promotes greater relaxation and sedation.
Key Takeaway
When looking for the greatest entourage effect, full spectrum CBD is the go-to. However, using other cannabis products in tandem is a great way to tailor the entourage effect to your needs. So don’t be afraid to experiment, just make sure you’re doing your research first.
