Entourage Effect

The entourage effect is the mechanism in which cannabinoids act synergistically with each other and numerous other compounds within the plant, such as terpenes, flavonoids and resins. The entourage effect was coined in the late 1990s by the famous Rafael Mechuolam, Shimon Ben-Shabat and their group of Israeli researchers. 

The discovery of cannabinoids’ ability to enhance and compliment each other has led to huge advances in extraction and formulation strategies. While the term ‘entourage effect’ is primarily used in the cannabis industry, this phenomenon is thought to occur in a wide range of botanical medicines. 

Additionally, cannabinoids are thought to have a symbiotic action, the most well-known example of this is CBD’s action mitigating the psychoactive effects of THC. Terpenes also have their role in the entourage effect: to name a couple, 𝛽-myrcene as an anti-inflammatory and linalool with anticonvulsant activity. Both of these examples correspond with well-documented actions of CBD oil.

You could imagine the action of the entourage effect to be much like an orchestra. Each musician has great skill individually, their talent can operate in isolation or can have an entirely different impact when combined with other musicians in the orchestra. Read more here