How The Entourage Effect Works
Aristotle said – “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. When choosing Hemp Oil products, Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum or Isolate oils are your options and we regularly see people asking for oil without THC (a Broad Spectrum Oil where one or more compounds are removed, usually just the THC) or an Isolate (just a single compound derived from the Hemp plant) as opposed to a Full Spectrum oil, where all of the plant’s ingredients are included.
The Entourage Effect is Hempty Head’s great reason why you may be better opting for a Full Spectrum oil we call ‘Absolute Hemp Oil.’
The Entourage Effect is Nature's Team Work
Basically, the Entourage Effect is the theory that a whole-plant extract achieves greater results than an Isolate or Broad Spectrum oil.
Though each have their own qualities, those encouraged by the Entourage Effect theory believe a Full Spectrum Hemp oil, with all its individual cannabinoids and other natural components working together, boosts the individual therapeutic qualities of each of these compounds and achieves amplified results which are believed to be better than those that Isolates can achieve working alone or Broad Spectrum oils can achieve with one or more compounds removed. It’s Nature’s version of ‘Team Work’.
When Hemp Oil is drawn from the whole plant, including stalk, flower and seed, the procedure extracts all of the plant’s waxes, terpenes, flavonoids, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B, C, & E, fibre, carbohydrates, iron, magnesium, calcium, chlorophyll, and beta-Carotene, as well as other cannabinoids, it produces a Full Spectrum Oil Hempty Head calls Absolute Hemp Oil. This Absolute Hemp Oil is known to have over 400 compounds, potentially all with natural healing qualities. However, we tend to mostly hear of just two cannabinoid isolates stealing the show for their own individual healing abilities – Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) & Cannabidiol (CBD).
Well Respected Research
The Entourage Effect theory was first suggested by researchers Shimon Ben-Shabat and Raphael Mechoulam in their 1998 study and contends that isolated or synthetic cannabinoids are not as efficient at triggering therapeutic benefits as when all of the natural ingredients operate together, in harmony.
Mechoulam is affectionately referred to as ‘The Father of Cannabis Research’ after his 1960s work led to the discovery of the human Endo-Cannabinoid System.
Other Benefits of The Entourage Effect
The entire plant extract containing cannabinoids and other natural components can have a higher influence over many simultaneous targets throughout the body by working together, synergistically.
-  Whole-plant extract was shown to be more effective than THC alone in a study looking at cannabinoids’ possible therapeutic impact on muscular spasms caused by multiple sclerosis.
- The Entourage Effect enhances active ingredient absorption. As cannabinoids are polar chemical compounds, they can sometimes be difficult to absorb, and the presence of the other natural components may aid in their absorption, increasing functionality.
- Bacteria will acquire resistance mechanisms over time, making them harder to defeat. While cannabinoids have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of bacterial infections, antibacterial effects are also discovered in the non-cannabinoid components of the Hemp plant oil. Together, the cannabinoids and other natural components are more able to defeat these bacterial defensive systems.
- The cannabinoids and other natural components work synergistically to reduce undesirable side effects. For example, THC is famed for producing euphoria, and occasionally, anxiety and paranoia, but CBD has demonstrated that it can counteract these negative effects
In Summary
When the sophisticated combination of cannabinoids work in unison with the vital nutrients and other natural components within the Hemp plant, its known medicinal and healing effects are enhanced and could potentially produce better results than an Isolate or Broad Spectrum oil.
If you are looking to use a Hemp Oil product then you could do well using a Full Spectrum oil over an Isolate or Broad Spectrum oil. All Hempty Head Hemp oil products use a Full Spectrum oil as their base ingredient. Look for our Absolute Hemp Oil products in store.
Maybe, if Aristotle had been looking for a Hemp Oil, he may have postulated – “The absolute Hemp oil is greater than the sum of its Isolates”?