The Entourage Effect, Cannabis vs. CBD
Monk: We know with cannabis, the entourage effect and terpenes matter when people come into the store. Our store, and other stores, they say they want indica, sativa or hybrid, but they’ll often be confused about what that means and then they’ll pick their favorite strain. ‘I love Acapulco Gold!’. Okay, well, you just said you wanted an indica as a bud tender or a service person, I’m kind of a bind then. Do I give them what they ask for? Do I give them what they need? And if they understand terpene science, at least the basics of it, then let’s say Jack Herer works for them, then we can find something else that’s high in Limonene and Caryophyllene and both Pinene that may fit the bill. But without that knowledge, people don’t know, and all the only descriptors they have are indica, sativa, and hybrid that’s on the cannabis side. So the question that’s coming up me is how much or do terpenes matter with CBD, right? Is there an entourage effect in the absence of THC that you’re aware of?
Will: So the answer is yes, just a big yes. And again, I’ll always kind of root back into ancient practice into mother nature in general, I’m a Taoist. I practice Taoism by way of life. I’ve had former years of practice where I was very deep into internal alchemy and meditation as far as sitting, but Taoism can be everything in the world as terpenes can also literally be everything in the world. So there’s a synonym there or a parallel where we come from nature, it surrounds us still and we need it. So terpenes do matter in anything. Terpenes matter in food, terpenes matter in the incense, you burn, terpenes matter in taking a hike in the woods. That connection that we feel and bring into our body through olfactory senses, through touch, sight, all of it, that is our experience of nature and where we came from.
Importance of Terpenes
Will: So in speaking to any, I think any intake or environmental factor that you’re bringing into your space, into your life, and especially when you’re seeking a healthy lifestyle, something that’s geared towards wellbeing and higher quality life terpenes are significant factor in that it’s one of our radars. So in use with CBD, I think a full spectrum organic, preferably certified CBD like we use in our first crop products, is that as close to nature source as you can get with all of those terpenes and compounds that again, we don’t know exactly what they’re all doing yet, but personally they feel great in the body. And that’s what I hear from a lot of people.
Monk: I’m looking forward to the day when we have more scientific testing, more data and can put some numbers to this entourage effect that’s so mysterious that THC has a job to do and CBD has a job to do, but in combination, they seem to facilitate each other’s job. They help each other. There’s a synergistic relationship, a 10 to 1 or 20 to 1 CBD to THC may only have one milligram of THC per gummy or per dose, but that one milligram of THC really seems to kick off the CBD and give it a context. And we know that’s true for terpenes as well, terpenes in their raw botanical form, serve functions that we just sort of take for granted. You smell lavender and it’s relaxing. It’s calming all by itself from what I understand. That’s largely because of the high content of loo stick your head in a bucket full of hops and it has a similar effect. It’s soothing, it’s calming, it’s relaxing, anti-anxiety, just the smell of it. And that’s likely the high concentration of mercy and the hops and I see with first crop and those gummies, those first crop gummies work so well, the happy and calm and relief and sleep. And so there are cannabis derived terpenes. It’s live horizon, right? No solvents, it’s all pressed and heat. And I’d like to talk about that process too. So there are cannabis derived terpenes in there, but you guys add some other botanicals to help create a broader entourage effect.
Will: Yeah, definitely.