What is the Entourage Effect?
The synergistic effects of combining various chemical compounds found in cannabis to create unique effects and benefits has been coined “The Entourage Effect”. Most commonly, it refers to the interaction between THC/CBD and other cannabinoids or terpenes. There are many other compounds the plant produces in lesser abundance that seem to play a supporting role in the overall effects of a particular strain.
Simply put, when we smoke or vaporize cannabis, our bodies take in hundreds of botanical compounds. Each one arrives with unique effects and benefits, and their behavior may change in the presence of other compounds.
How Does the Entourage Effect Work?
We know that cannabinoids and terpenes can both produce certain effects on their own. But what about mixing different cannabinoids together, or combining cannabinoids with terpenes?
As it turns out, this isn’t a straightforward equation of 1 + 1 = 2. That is to say, combining THC with CBD doesn’t simply add the effects of CBD and THC together. Rather, THC and CBD interact with each other (and other cannabinoids like THCV, CBN and CBG) and terpenes to produce the synergistic effect known as the entourage effect.
Due to decades of prohibition and stigma against cannabis, research into the entourage effect is only just beginning. As such, we know very little about which cannabinoids and terpenes pair best together. That said, some ground-breaking studies have provided insight into how the entourage effect works.
The Entourage Effect with Cannabinoids
One study looked at the effectiveness of THC in reducing cancer-related pain versus THC and CBD combined, and found that the THC:CBD combination showed a more promising efficacy profile than the THC extract alone. These results are intriguing, as they provide further evidence of an entourage effect from combining different cannabinoids together.
Besides potentially amplifying THC’s analgesic properties, CBD produces another interesting cannabinoid entourage effect: it has been shown to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC. The mechanism for how this works is complex, but it is thought that CBD interacts indirectly with the body’s CB1 receptors (part of the ECS) in a way that negatively affects the ability of THC to bind to these receptors.
These are just a couple examples of the entourage effect from combining cannabinoids. It’s important to remember, though, that most cannabis strains have been selectively bred to optimize THC or CBD content. As a result, little is known about the other 118+ cannabinoids – so you can imagine the numerous other potential cannabinoid entourage effects that may exist, but have yet to been studied.
The Entourage Effect with Terpenes
No discussion of the entourage effect would be complete without mentioning Dr. Ethan Russo’s seminal research paper, Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid‐terpenoid entourage effects. Dr. Russo’s paper features a compelling summary of studies that have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids and terpenes, providing an overview of some of the best known (and most researched) chemical compounds in cannabis.
Since every terpene is unique in its chemical composition, each one offers something different in terms of effects. Most cannabis strains contain a variety of terpenes, making it nearly impossible to ascertain which cannabinoid-terpene pairings elicit a terpene entourage effect.
With that in mind, research into terpenes provides some clues. For example, Dr. Russo contends that “data would support the hypothesis that myrcene is a prominent sedative terpenoid in cannabis, and combined with THC, may produce the ‘couchlock’ phenomenon of certain chemotypes.”
If THC + myrcene = couchlock, what other terpene entourage effects are possible?
As research into the entourage effect is still in its infancy, only time will tell. But it’s entirely possible that in the future, instead of classifying strains by physical characteristics we will instead think of cannabis in terms of their chemotype (chemical profile) – a much more accurate predictor of the strain’s effects.