What is The Entourage Effect?

The entourage effect is the theory that all the compounds available in cannabis work together and when taken together the cannabis compounds create a better effect than when the individual cannabis compounds are taken separately.

The Research on the Entourage Effect

It was once thought that combining cannabinoids and terpenes together would enhance the medicinal benefits of cannabis. There are quite a few studies that support this version of the entourage effect such as the 2011 study completed by the British Journal of Pharmacology that has shown that taking terpenes with cannabinoids may be beneficial for health issues such as anxiety, cancer, epilepsy, inflammation, and many more health issues. Recent studies, however, do not support the entourage effect occurring between the cannabinoids and the terpenes. These studies are showing that the entourage effect occurs only between the various cannabinoids, particularly the cannabinoids that are found in trace amounts (1,2.).

With contradicting information about the entourage effect, the only thing we know for sure is that the entourage effect exists however we do not understand how the entourage effect works and additional research is absolutely necessary for providing solid evidence to support the entourage effect theory.

Sources:

1. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.00359/full

2. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/can.2019.0099