THE “ENTOURAGE EFFECT”

The bioactive compounds of plants can be divided into three main categories: Terpens and terpenoids, with around 25.000 types; alkaloids, with about 12.000 types and phenolic compounds with approximately 800 types. As we said before, the cannabis plant is thought to have more than 500 compounds of which cannabinoids make up just around a hundred. So, what else is there in it that might be participating in the biological effects? Well, at the moment, two kinds of substances are being considered as having a role in what has been called “the entourage effect”, to describe the enhancement efficacy that is, improving the overall therapeutic effectiveness of the cannabinoids. These substances are the terpens and terpenoids, which give the plants they are in the flavor and fragrance or aroma. They are essential oils, volatile compounds that have been designated by the FDA as GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe, they are potent and affect animal and human behavior when inhaled in very low concentrations, they are relaxant, anxiolytic, sedative, antimicrobial and antioxidants, and produce synergy with the analgesic and anti inflammatory effects of the cannabinnoids through the implementation of neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine, Nor adrenaline and GABA, and can interact also with the cannabinoid receptors acting either as modulators of the intoxicating effect of the psychotropic cananbinoid THC as is the case with the terpene beta-Caryophyllene,found in basil, black pepper, cinnamon leaves, and because of this effect, the therapeutic index of THC is increased; but also augmenting the psychoactive effect like with Myrcene, the most abundant terpene in the cannabis plant and found also in wild thyme, eucalyptus, citreous fruits, hops oil lemon grass and other plants. Other terpens include Pinene, Limonene, Linalool and many others that are all the subject of intense investigation. The other kind of compounds present in the Cannabis are the Flavonoids, which are a very well known nutrients group with 6.000 families identified of which 20 are present in the Cannabis. Some of these flavonoids are Quercetin, Cannflavin A, and Cannflavin B, this one found only in cannabis, beta-sitosterol, vipexin, and others. As we all know, flavonids are known for their antioxidant properties and for their vivid color. In a recent study by members of my Society, SEIC, it has been shown how the antitumor effect of THC in all three types of breast cancer, was bigger when an extract of the plant was used compared to just the THC molecule alone. The National Academy of Sciences, titled its 2017 report The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research, and admitted that the report was made based only on studies conducted with FDA approved pharmaceuticals and among its final recommendations it stated that patients were not using the Cannabis in that way , but in many other forms of presentations, like oils, edibles and other concentrates, and thus concluded that this issue should be addressed in the near future. What we call now as “Full spectrum” oil is thus, the oil that has been minimally processed after its extraction and contains all the cannabinoids and as many terpenes and flavonoids as the extraction process has allowed for. This is also the reason why we should all ask to see the laboratory analytical test of the cannabis oil that we want to use, so that we can see all the information of the cannabinoids and terpens content.

Copyright Dr. Cedro