High Country Journal

Every Single Thing Vail Dispensary Shoppers Should Understand About the Entourage Effect

Explore how cannabinoids, terpenes and other plant compounds may work together to shape a cannabis experience.

Just like people, cannabis is stronger when it’s in a community.

If you’re a connoisseur of the cannabis plant, you might have noticed that the tastiest, most potent flower has a shiny, almost sticky appearance. It’s no coincidence that the dankest, stickiest buds and the cannabis products made from them produce the most potent effect. The reason? The entourage effect.

Quick links

What Is the Entourage Effect?
How Does It Work?
Is the Entourage Effect Real?
What Does the Entourage Effect Feel Like?
What Are the Benefits of the Entourage Effect?
What Cannabis Products Produce the Entourage Effect?

What Is the Entourage Effect?

THC and CBD are the two best known active compounds in cannabis and cannabis plant extracts, but they aren’t the only things interacting with your endocannabinoid system.

Cannabis is also packed with cannabinoids and terpenes, which might be a better indicator of your favorite strain’s pharmacological effect than THC content alone.

Some things are better together. Like bacon and eggs or peanut butter and chocolate, when THC, CBD, and all of the other good stuff cannabis naturally contains combine, the experience is much more powerful than what you’d get from an isolated compound. This joining of forces is what produces the “entourage effect.”

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are any of the active compounds found in cannabis that interact with your body’s cannabinoid receptors, including tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol CBD. Cannabinoids bind to and interact with specific receptors throughout your endocannabinoid system, regulating how cells send, receive, and process chemical messages. This produces THC’s signature “high.” There’s less research on the connection between the endocannabinoid system and CBD, but in general, high percentage CBD products generate a more relaxed, embodied experience.

CBD Hemp Oil in a Tincture next to Oil in capsules and a hemp leaf

CBD

To experience the maximum entourage effect with CBD oil or another isolated CBD product, use full spectrum CBD, which contains a small amount of THC as well as other essential compounds. Broad spectrum CBD is THC-free and made from industrial hemp, so it doesn’t offer the same entourage effect experience.

THC

All cannabis-based products that contain THC should also contain CBD, meaning you’ll automatically get the benefits of the entourage effect. Higher CBD levels in your product of choice can also diminish the side effects of THC, making them a perfect indulgence for smokers who want a more gentle experience.

Terpenes

If THC and CBD are the stars of the cannabis world, terpenes are the character actors that hold down the scene and make the vibe work. These aromatic compounds contribute to the entourage effect by interacting with cannabinoids and creating distinct effects.

How Does It Work?

THC and CBD get all the press, but like any big star, they couldn’t do it without their entourage!

Flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids make a seriously unbeatable dream team. Even if the two big cannabinoids get most of the spotlight, the team behind the scenes is working just as hard. When all the good stuff in cannabis plants interacts, bonding power increases, and that creates the most desirable experience.

Is the Entourage Effect Real?

There are few definitive studies on the entourage effect, mostly because the phenomenon it describes is so subjective.

There’s really no objective, scientific way to test how it “feels” to consume weed, so we have to draw on the experiences of the cannabis enthusiasts we love the most. Their take? Oh, it’s real. The stickier and more complex the flower, the more enjoyable it is to consume.

What Does the Entourage Effect Feel Like?

People who swear by the entourage effect say it intensifies their favorite things about the cannabis consumption experience.

If you use cannabis for pain management or to soothe anxiety, the entourage effect may help your relief last longer and feel deeper. If you use cannabis recreationally and enjoy the psychoactive effects, the entourage effect kicks the party into high gear.

Basically, it’s everything you love about cannabis taken to the next level.

What Are the Benefits of the Entourage Effect?

Clearly, the entourage effect intensifies the experience for cannabis users, but what other benefits does it have to offer?

Studies confirm that medical users experience more relief from treatment that combines CBD and THC, which is reason enough to think that all the other organic good stuff found in the cannabis plant is working together.

Using products that contain both THC and CBD—along with as many terpenes, flavonoids, and other complimentary compounds as possible—means you’ll have a more intense, longer lasting, and more enjoyable consumption experience.

What Cannabis Products Produce the Entourage Effect?

If you’re like us, you’ll agree that the entourage effect sounds pretty awesome! Want to experience the good stuff for yourself? Here are our budtenders’ favorite products to experience the entourage effect.

Flower

Because it’s the dried, whole organic product of the cannabis plant, flower is one of the best ways to consume the flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids that get the entourage effect going. Opt for flower with a nice balance of THC and CBD, like Frostbite or Grape Cream Cake, to get the maximum benefit. For an even easier on the go option, try a pre-roll like the popular hybrid option from High Country Cones.

Full Spectrum Cannabis Extracts

Not a flower fan? You can still enjoy the benefits of the entourage effect with one of our favorite full spectrum cannabis extracts. Distilled from the whole cannabis plant, they can serve up the perfect mix of cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. To enjoy an entourage experience, try a hybrid that balances CBD and THC. Apple Fritter Shatter and Red Onion Rosin are both great choices. Edibles that contain THC and CBD like Dialed In’s Rosin Gummies also get the job done.

Whatever your consumption method of choice, the entourage effect only makes the good times better! Tell the bouncer to keep the fans busy, because tonight it’s all about your entourage.

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