Many choices you make are complex. The choices you make about “what is right for you” usually involve grey areas and a vast amount of knowledge accumulated overtime. The same can be said of cannabis. It is a tremendously diverse species with a chemical dispersion that produces very different effects via the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
There is, however, a single guiding rule which can be used across all types of products, for treating any variety of conditions, and for encouraging safe and overall better experiences with the plant. This rule, amazingly, applies both to the recreational adult user looking to “get high” and the patient or medical user looking to treat symptoms and conditions. THC and CBD work better together, along with the other known cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis.
What does this mean for making better cannabis buying decisions? It means carefully scrutinizing products formulated for the expression and separation of a single compound, referred to as isolates. Furthermore, distillates also shed numerous plant compounds that contribute to the Entourage Effect and should be reviewed with a critical eye. In the end, the products with the most efficacy for both medicine and recreation are those that emphasize the full-spectrum of chemistry found in cannabis.
People seeking out THC-only products for recreation or medicine are missing out on the benefits of CBD. Even in relatively small amounts CBD can work synergistically with THC to produce more enjoyable experiences. There is evidence CBD can potentiate (enhance) the effects of THC while reducing negative potential side-effects of THC including anxiety.
This applies vice versa with people who are seeking out CBD-only products. While you may want to avoid the psychoactive high from THC, a small amount of this compound can do a tremendous amount of good for treating a wide variety of conditions and symptoms. Sub-perceptual doses of THC provide benefits to users, including helping to reduce anxiety, inflammation,and pain while conferring other heath benefits.
Soyou are empowered to find products that offer both THC and CBD – a potentially transformative step for anyone switching from isolates of either compound.There is another step, however, in seeking the greatest potential benefits from cannabis. The plant develops a diverse array of other cannabinoids beyond THC and CBD, each of which has unique properties and benefits. Furthermore, the plants' terpenes (aromatic volatile compounds) also play into the effects of the plant on the ECS as described by the Entourage Effect.
What does this all mean? You can reduce risk and increase potential benefits from cannabis if a diverse array of compounds are present in your product. This holds especially true with cannabis concentrates. Flower (bud) is the raw consumable product from the cannabis plant. When processors work with the flower to turn it into other products, they can vastly alter the chemical composition to the point where the original chemical profile is unrecognizable in the end product.
