What is the Entourage Effect and Hemp CBD?

What is the Entourage Effect with Hemp CBD?

By Debbie L.

Bay Mountain AG

Every plant is made up of compounds that each play a specific role, and these roles are impacted by the presence of other compounds that also naturally occur in the plant. The Hemp plant is no different. 

Many compounds naturally occur in hemp, including: cannabinoids (2 most known are CBD and THC, and others in smaller amounts like CBG, CBN), terpenes (a plant’s smell comes from its terpenes)and flavanoids(aka cannaflavins, the cell messengers and plant pigment).

Singularly (like individual athletes) these compounds are powerful, but when all the plant compounds work together (as a team), the sum of them working together has better results than the individual compounds alone.  This is known are the ‘Entourage Effect’.

In 2001 study, “Cannabis and Cannabis Extract: Greater than the sum of their parts”, researchers John McPartland and Ethan Russo found that an  extract rich in cannabinoids and terpenes had better results over an extract with single compound.

There are three types of tinctures: broad spectrum, full spectrum, and isolates.  Broad spectrum has all the natural hemp compounds in it, and customers using broad spectrum CBD can expect to benefit from the entourage effect of having them all work together.  Full spectrum CBD has all the THC removed.  (Hemp CBD products are naturally low in THC, and by law can contain less than .3 percent of THC. ) Isolates are individual elements filtered out of the hemp extract. 

Most industry experts prefer the entourage effect.  While broad spectrum and isolates have reduced or no entourage benefits, there are valid reasons someone might want to try one.  (Some people cannot tolerate THC; athletes who are drug tested and can’t risk a fake positive test from a small amount of THC, and some health practitioners prefer their patients use an isolate, a common pharmaceutical practice. 

Bay Mountain AG’s oils are full spectrum and customers will experience the benefits of the entourage effect. They are third party tested for purity, strength, and to ensure compliance with THC requirements.

See our website, BayMountainAG.com, for a complete list of our full spectrum premium CBD products.