What Does The Entourage Effect Feel Like? How CBD & THC Work Together
Terpenes Role In The Entourage Effect
Let's talk about hemp flower terpenes (terps) and the coveted "entourage effect". Many of you may have heard of the entourage effect, but let's take a step back and just examine terpenes in and of themselves. Terpenes are plant oils responsible for the amazing smells. Like the smell of lemons? Thank the terpene limonene. Love the smell of mangos? Then you are a fan of the terpene myrcene. Love that Christmas tree scent? Then you're a pinene appreciator.
What Does The Entourage Effect Feel Like?
Aromatherapy has been shown to effect mood, reduce stress and increase well being, simply by smelling certain terpenes. Those little jars of aromatherapy oil are just extracted terpenes and it's pretty amazing that a simple whiff can effect the body and brain chemistry of an individual, but it can!
So with that said, in terms of hemp nugs, the terpier the better! A loud hemp flower can practically start to give you calming effects, once the bag is opened. Couple that with the fact that terpenes also play off the cannabinoids in hemp and cannabis, creating the entourage effect and now you know why we are all about terps!
For us at Dreamland Organics we value terpene content over cannabinoid percentage. If we had to choose between a high CBD strain with low terpenes and a high terpene hemp strain with a relatively low CBD percentage, we would choose the latter.
It's a matter of taste, literally, but we are all about flavor in our hemp flower strains. Sure cannabinoids are necessary and provide much of the relief in hemp flower, but they are simply not the end all be all, as many would assume.
When we pheno hunt, we select based on bud structure and terpene profile and don't tend to worry too much about CBD percentage. We are concerned more with THC percentage, as we must maintain less than .3% THC to be federally compliant. If the terps are there, the bud structure is right and covered in trichomes, then we are pretty sure our hemp buds will pack enough of a CBD punch.
Let's look at some of our top hemp strains and determine the predominant terpenes contained within. Our "Green Dream" CBD strain is loaded with caryophyllene, which gives the papaya it's signature flavor and smell. This terpene is a mood regulator and Green Dream will definitely give you a noticeable mood enhancement. Great a stress and anxiety reducer, we recommend this hemp strain as a great day smoke.
Linalool is one of the main terpenes that give grapes their sweet fragrance and our "Immortal" hemp strain is loaded with this delicious terpene. Great for pain relief and as a sleep aid, Immortal smells like you just cracked open a jar of grape jam, not a bag of hemp. It's so fruity that you would be hard pressed to recognize it as hemp at all, based on smell alone.
Our Eden CBD strain has a funky floral aroma, loaded with trans-nerolidol, one of the terpenes present in jasmine, lemongrass and tea tree oil. This terpene has antifungal and antioxidant properties and we image smoking some Eden could benefit one in those areas, though we make no medical claims.
We could go on about hemp terpenes for hours, but for the sake of brevity, we will wrap our talk on terpenes and let you contemplate your next hemp flower choice, with a new insight on flavor. As you can see, it's much more than just aesthetics, there are actual benefits beyond the smell and flavor of our hemp buds. You really can't go wrong, so maybe a hemp flower sampler pack might be the way to go, for you to determine your favorite hemp flower terpenes?
Let's Talk Cannabinoids
Hemp and cannabis contain more than 120 different phytocannabinoids. These phytocannabinoids play on your endocannabinoid system, which works to keep your body in homeostasis, or balance.
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two of the more researched and well known phytocannabinoids. People take CBD and THC in many ways, and they can be consumed separately or together.
Recently however, some research suggests that taking them together — along with smaller organic compounds in cannabis, known as terpenes or terpenoids — is more effective than taking CBD or THC by themselves.
This is due to an interaction between phytocannabinoids and terpenes called “the entourage effect.”
WHAT IS THE ENTOURAGE EFFECT? WHAT DOES THE ENTOURAGE EFFECT FEEL LIKE?
Well, simply stated, it is the notion that all the compounds in cannabis and hemp work together, and when taken together, they produce an enhanced effect than when taken alone.
So, does that mean you should take CBD and THC together, or do they work just as well when taken separately? Good question, let's take a look.
WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY ABOUT COMBINING THC AND CBD?
Using phytocannabinoids and terpenes together may provide additional therapeutic benefits and stronger overall effects.
A number of conditions have been studied in conjunction with the entourage effect. A 2011 review of studiesTrusted Source in the British Journal of Pharmacology found that taking terpenes and phytocannabinoids together may be beneficial for:
- aches and pains
- anxiety and stress
- inflammation of joints and skin
- epilepsy or seizures
- cancer
- fungal infections
CBD may help reduce the high or paranoia of THC
Many people experience side effects like anxiety, hunger, and sedation after taking THC. Rat and human studies covered in the same 2011 review suggest that CBD may help reduce these side effects.
Phytochemicals such as terpenes and flavonoids could be beneficial to brain health
Research recently found that certain flavonoids and terpenes may provide neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Researchers proposed that these compounds could improve CBD’s therapeutic potential.
What ratio of THC to CBD is best?
While it seems THC and CBD work better together than alone, it’s important to remember that cannabis affects everyone differently and everyone’s needs for cannabis use are different.
A person with Crohn’s disease who uses cannabis-based medicine for nausea relief will probably have a different ideal ratio of THC to CBD than a MMA fighter who uses it for muscle pain. There’s no one dosage or ratio that works for everyone.
If you want to try taking CBD and THC, start by talking to your healthcare provider. They may be able to provide a recommendation, and can advise you of potential drug interactions if you’re taking any medications.
THC is psychoactive, and it may cause fatigue, dry mouth, slow reaction times, short-term memory loss, and anxiety in some people. CBD helps to mitigate these effects.
Another important thing to note is that marijuana is illegal on a federal level, but legal under some state laws. If you want to try a product that contains THC, check the laws where you live first. CBD is nationally ;legal and easy to buy online. Buy Organic CBD here.
How To Use CBD and THC
- Start with a low dose and increase if needed.
- For THC, try 5 milligrams (mg) or less if you’re a beginner or infrequent user.
- For CBD, try 5 to 15 mg.
- Experiment with timing to see what works for you. You may find that taking THC and CBD at the same time works best. Or, you may prefer using CBD after THC.
- Try different delivery methods. CBD and THC can be taken in a number of ways, including:
- capsules
- gummies
- food products
- tinctures
- topicals
- THC or CBD flower
IS CBD STILL BENEFICIAL WITHOUT THC?
Some people don’t want to take THC, but are interested in trying CBD. There’s still plenty of research that suggests CBD may be beneficial by itself.
If you want to try organic CBD but don’t want to take THC, look for a CBD isolate product rather than a full-spectrum CBD product. Full-spectrum CBD products contain a broad range of cannabinoids and may have up to 0.3 percent THC. That’s not enough to produce a high, but it could still show up on a drug test.
You could also try our organic CBG flower which has no detectable THC.
Final Thoughts
Cannabinoids and terpenes in hemp and cannabis are believed to interact with each other as well as the brain’s receptors. This interaction is what we call “the entourage effect.”
There’s much evidence that the entourage effect makes taking THC and CBD together more effective than by themselves.
If you are wondering what does the entourage effect feels like, just know it is a more complete effect. If you eat food, it will satisfy your hunger. But if you eat delicious food, it will satisfy you in a much deeper way. That's the best analogy I can think of. Bottom line, terpenes matter and cannabinoids play together better than alone.