{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-tags-template-js","path":"/tag/entourage/","result":{"data":{"allArticle":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_2025-markdown","title":"What is the Entourage Effect?","slug":"what-is-the-entourage-effect","content":"While medical researchers have identified more than [480 components in\r\ncannabis](http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/health/gupta-marijuana-entourage/),\r\nincluding 66 compounds unique to the plant, scientists have yet to\r\ndetermine exactly how these chemical components work together to produce\r\ndifferent reactions. One concept, termed the \"entourage effect,\"\r\ntheorizes that some cannabis compounds, which have no effect in\r\nisolation, affect the human body only when combined with other\r\ncomponents.\r\n\r\n**Synergy vs. the Entourage Effect**\r\n\r\nBefore the entourage effect gained prominence in medical circles, many\r\nresearchers discussed [the effect of\r\nsynergy](http://www.totalhealthmagazine.com/Herbal-Medicine/Beyond-Synergy%E2%80%94the-Entourage-Effect-in-Nutrition-Herbalism.html)\r\nin herbal medicines and dietary supplements. For components within an\r\nherbal medicine to achieve synergy, the effects of two or more\r\ncomponents must become magnified when combined. Synergisms also explain\r\nwhy vitamins in isolation are less beneficial than eating fruits and\r\nvegetables that contain a wide variety of vitamins and antioxidants.\r\n\r\nThe entourage effect is a related, but different, concept. For the\r\nentourage effect to occur, isolated components must have no noticeable\r\nbenefit in curing the condition under examination. However, when\r\ncombined with other components that also have no discernible benefit,\r\nthere must be a palpable advantage to using the composite.\r\n\r\nResearchers believe that the entourage effect explains why cannabis can\r\nbe so effective when treating certain conditions while synthetic\r\nformulations of only THC or CBD medications may only achieve limited\r\nsuccess in some patients. Evidence suggests that although certain\r\ncannabinoids may appear to be inert, they may produce tangible benefits\r\nwhen mixed with other compounds.\r\n\r\n**How the Entourage Effect Impacts Medication Formulation**\r\n\r\nWhen patients reported that cannabis consumption eased the weight loss\r\ncaused by AIDS or the adverse affects of chemotherapy, medical\r\nresearchers analyzed the plant to determine what caused these benefits.\r\nResearch credited the cannabinoid THC for these benefits, so\r\npharmaceutical companies isolated the THC to create drugs to address\r\nAIDs and chemotherapy symptoms. However, patients who used these\r\n[THC-only\r\ndrugs](http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/01/medicinal-cannabis)\r\nreported greater psychotropic side effects when compared to ingesting\r\ncannabis.\r\n\r\nFurther research into cannabis uncovered that the cannabinoid CBD,\r\nblended with other cannabinoids, reduced the hallucinatory effects of\r\nTHC. Therefore, THC-only drugs eliminated the benefit of the rest of the\r\ncannabinoids. The Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam named this observed\r\nphenomenon the entourage effect.\r\n\r\nPharmaceutical companies used the concept of the entourage effect to\r\nreformulate their THC-only medications to include an equal measurement\r\nof CBD. The resulting formulations achieved a greater therapeutic\r\nbenefit while reducing the adverse reactions of THC-only medications.\r\n\r\nThe entourage effect also impacts the work of scientists who want to\r\n[breed certain strains of\r\ncannabis](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v525/n7570_supp/full/525S6a.html)\r\nto treat specific health problems. Breeding these cannabis strains to\r\nincrease specific cannabinoids that may treat common ailments may result\r\nin new plants that can better treat patients with fewer side effects.\r\nHowever, such new strains also may create an imbalance within the\r\ndifferent cannabis compounds that eliminate known benefits.\r\n\r\n**Whole Plant Medicinal Use: Barriers and Origins**\r\n\r\nFor people who have observed or experienced the entourage effect in\r\ncannabis, it may be difficult to understand why some doctors hesitate to\r\nrecommend botanical cannabis use and prefer medications with only THC or\r\nCBD cannabinoids. Many medical professionals prefer to prescribe a\r\nsingle compound used to treat a specific problem, disease or ailment\r\nbecause Western medical philosophy endorses this type of\r\nisolated-treatment medicine. While this approach may unintentionally\r\neliminate the entourage effect of cannabis, doctors support this\r\nphilosophy because it also serves to minimize adverse side effects.\r\n\r\nHowever, to effectively use botanical cannabis, some researchers argue\r\nthat doctors should reject the idea of creating a single potent drug to\r\ntreat an isolated problem. Instead, these researchers believe that\r\ndoctors should return to a philosophy of treating multiple possible\r\nproblems with a low dosage of a single, wide-range medication. These\r\nscientists, including noted cannabis researcher Vincenzo Di Marzo, also\r\nbelieve that [some cancers and other diseases may come from an imbalance\r\nof some natural\r\nsystems](http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/01/medicinal-cannabis)\r\nwithin the human body.\r\n\r\nThis concept of poly-pharmacology remains in practice in traditional\r\nChinese medicine. Instead of using a single herb to treat a specific\r\nproblem, practitioners prescribe a combination of herbs called herbal\r\nformulas. The combinations of these herbs, some of which may have no\r\ndiscernible benefit on their own, are well-known to have many benefits\r\nfrom numerous past studies. Experts carefully combine the herbs to\r\ncreate the necessary treatment for a combination of related health\r\nproblems.\r\n\r\n**Known Instances of the Entourage Effect in Cannabis**\r\n\r\nWhile the effect of CBD on THC is the most notable illustration of the\r\nentourage effect, research also indicates that [cannabinoids and\r\nterpenes may also\r\ncombine](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01238.x/pdf)\r\nto achieve greater therapeutic advantages. Studies indicate that certain\r\nterpenes may impact the blood-brain barrier, which may explain why\r\ncertain cannabinoids have greater efficacy when they do not operate in\r\nisolation.\r\n\r\nIn the whole-plant cannabis versus synthetic-cannabis medication debate,\r\nall researchers agree that the entourage effect is still not a concept\r\nthat they fully understand. Further research into exactly how THC, CBD\r\nand other important cannabis compounds work will allow scientists to\r\nmake better recommendations for how to use cannabis compounds to treat\r\nvarious diseases and ailments. With nearly 500 different cannabis\r\ncomponents to explore, the field of whole-plant and\r\nsynthetic-cannabinoid medications is wide open for new and exciting\r\ndevelopments.\r\n\r\n[Photo Credit](https://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/2074121298/in/photolist-4ahq13-9cgKf-79zW3r-d4VuPJ-AtFDzK-pqhzaG-998tw4-4LhphD-ixJ3oL-5uLDAd-X8tR1-4adqtr-4ads8H-8swLhf-X47Pc-95LerV-6axMb-8sLuuq-8VBLCx-9Ge2nu-fuRSHd-4mKc6X-zj9M1S-4NvAzX-8VUnfd-7Z7dwD-7STQ1K-jHXBe-9Atkcr-5KVEaV-5EyWGV-79zXev-q7W8Qp-586np6-4aZTX7-qdfpkk-ooKL5j-9jpQKH-5uGh1x-RAuCj-63aMz3-586mZz-586mP2-rcmPQL-oH1n1i-r3uTa3-mL5Enn-7ZejvR-Agbbn9-AgaUTT)\r\n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/png;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.5267175572519085,"src":"/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/ee604/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.png","srcSet":"/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/69585/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.png 200w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/497c6/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.png 400w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/ee604/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.png 800w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/30c15/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.png 936w","srcWebp":"/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/58556/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/61e93/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.webp 200w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/1f5c5/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.webp 400w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/58556/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.webp 800w,\n/static/30a869a99ff2da1f7d4d8dbaa4798fd0/5d27d/d1766b6511dc373bc43c72bbf2b842a5.webp 936w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":0,"numPages":1,"currentPage":1,"id":5235,"name":"Entourage","slug":"entourage","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}