Building an Entourage – The Paper

Building an Entourage – The Paper


By Josh Lee, The Rolling Paper

In the weed world, THC is king. As the market matures, consumers are pushed toward higher and higher levels of THC, the cannabinoid in weed that gets users high. But new research has found evidence that helps confirm that THC may be just one of several compounds that contribute to marijuana’s signature altered state.

The study was funded by cannabis brand PAX, which partnered with Canadian neurotechnology company Zentrela to analyze the brain activity produced by two different types of cannabis extracts. The scientists used cutting-edge AI-assisted electroencephalogram (EEG) technology that recorded data from eight brain regions while participants inhaled extracts through a vape pen.

In a press release, Brian Witlin, PAX’s vice president of product development, said the company was trying to demonstrate that full-spectrum products “have a deeper impact on the initiation and ultimate cannabis experience.” .

“We hope this type of information will help consumers understand that purchasing products based on THC percentage alone is not the primary indicator of the expected experience,” he said.

It was a small study with only 28 participants, but the hard data provided by Zentrela’s technology carries some weight.

Half of the group vaped two hits of live rosin oil, a solvent-free full-spectrum cannabis concentrate created by heating and pressing hashish, while the other half extracted THC cannabis oil. Both concentrates were comparable in THC level, around 90 percent.

Two EEG tests were administered to the subjects before the experiment, and nine more were administered at different intervals within a 90-minute period after the dose. The resulting EEG brain waves were converted by AI into psychoactive effect levels (PELs).

The group who vaped live rosin had a peak score of 39 percent on the PEL scale, while those who vaped THC oil only scored 19 percent. The first group also experienced a faster onset time.

This is significant because the live rosin retains many of the cannabinoids from the original plant sample, while the THC oil has been removed from the vast majority.

The results of the study support an idea that has been advanced for some time. Cannabis users and enthusiasts have often talked about the so-called “entourage effect” found in weed. The phenomenon was described as a synergistic relationship between various chemical compounds in the plant’s flower that produces the familiar feeling of being high.

The idea was first presented by Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam in 1998. He made a name for himself by discovering the structure of CBD and becoming the first person to isolate THC. Mechoulam discovered hundreds of chemicals in cannabis, many of which were identified as “cannabinoids,” compounds found only in marijuana.

Mechoulam discovered that when the cannabinoids worked together instead of in isolation, the plant’s therapeutic medical effects seemed to increase. He called it the entourage effect.

Beyond cannabinoids, cannabis also contains a number of therapeutic chemicals called terpenes. These are the compounds that make plants taste and smell the way they do. The limonene terpene, for example, is what gives lemons and limes their citrus scent. The same goes for marijuana strains that have a high limonene content, such as Tangie or Wedding Cake.

Different terpenes are associated with different therapeutic effects. Pinene, the terpene that gives us the smell of fresh pines and is found in strains like Blue Dream and Jack Herer, is believed to treat anxiety and pain.

A recent review published in the journal Current Neuropharmacology hypothesizes that terpenes consumed in conjunction with cannabinoids may treat mood and anxiety disorders. The authors noted that around 400 terpenes have been identified in cannabis, but only a few have been studied for their medical benefits.

The review looked at studies where terpenes such as limonene and others in lavender oil were found to have a positive effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Neurologist and medical researcher Ethan Russo has been a leading proponent of the environment effect. In a 2010 article published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, Russo notes that it is accepted among consumers that different strains of marijuana have different psychoactive effects. This is obvious to anyone who has shopped at a dispensary and found the strains separated into indica, sativa and hybrid classifications.

As Russo points out, these variations between strains cannot be the result of variations in THC and CBD levels. It suggests that the marijuana plant is more than just a “dirty vehicle for the delivery of THC.”

In a 2019 paper published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, Russo goes further to say that constant hybridization has made strain identification completely useless and advocates classifying plant varieties based on their chemical profiles.

The idea of ​​the ambient effect has caught on among experienced cannabis users, but seems unpalatable to the pharmaceutical community and the cannabis industry, where THC-rich extracts and products have become the measuring stick of the power

Products at the retail level are often priced and labeled according to their THC content, but if the PAX study’s findings are correct, a product’s THC content doesn’t actually say much about how potent it is , whether for recreational or medical use.

Not only does this new evidence mean that consumers should be more aware of all the cannabinoids and terpenes present in a particular strain, it also means that cannabis concentrates like hash oil and CBD extracts actually they don’t offer all the medical benefits that plain old flower does. does.

It also means that much of the research done up to this point is far less valuable than previously believed, as most of it has focused on the effects of THC or CBD in isolation. Hopefully researchers can take a closer look at how the flower affects users now that the federal government has removed some of the barriers to cannabis research.

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