The entourage effect may still be largely puzzling by the scientific standards of concrete evidence, but when it comes to anecdotal evidence and plausible theories, it is the X-factor of green magic.
An educated approach to combining CBD and terpenes to create synergy and double certain effects could likely go a long way.
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-inflammatory is one of the most pronounced properties of CBD, and most of the terpenes studied, including pinene, humulene, caryophyllene, myrcene, terpinolene, ocimen, borneol, and bisabolol, also show anti-inflammatory effects. It’s only natural to assume that any combination between them and CBD would catalyze this effect.
antioxidant
Both CBD and terpenes have shown promise in various studies of their activity against oxidative stress. After all, one of the main causes of oxidative stress is rampant inflammation, so all of the terpenes mentioned above are also antioxidants to some extent.
In antioxidant studies, the terpenes limonene, humulene, myrcene and terpinolene are outstanding.
Since neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s are also caused by inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, some terpenes, such as linalool, have shown neuroprotective potential in particular – another area that scientists rely on CBD.
Anti-fear
The anxiolytic properties of CBD are another important point on his business card, but here, too, this effect is also evident with terpenes, namely limonene and linalool.
Dr. Russo on CBD and terpene combinations
Much of our knowledge and / or speculation about the peculiarities of the entourage effect comes from Dr. Ethan Russo, one of the founding fathers of cannabis research, and his iconic overview paper. Taming THC.
Russo suggests that the “psychopharmacological effects of limonene, pinene and linalool could supposedly prolong” [CBD’s] Advantages in mood in such [Alzherimer’s] Patients. “
In addition, he believes that “terpenoids with analgesic, anxiolytic or sedative effects can complement this (anti-insomnia) activity, particularly caryophyllene, linalool and myrcene”.
Russo also cites promising studies on CBD’s ability to break the vicious circle of addiction and cites a clinical study that found that a black pepper essential oil significantly reduced nicotine cravings.
While the researchers behind the study attributed these results to the “irritation of the bronchial tree that simulates the act of cigarette smoking”, Russo suggests a pharmacological cause of the effect – the terpenoid profile of black pepper, namely “myrcene from sedation, pinene from increased or in particular Caryophyllene via CB2 Agonism and a newly discovered putative mechanism of action in addiction treatment. “
In particular, he names caryophyllene as a particularly strong factor, as it is a highly selective CB. acts2 Agonist that can simulate the activity of the synthetic agonist JWH144, which was shown to be effective in the fight against cocaine in a rat study.
Of course, many of these hypothetical manifestations of the entourage effect fall into the speculative realm, but there is a huge difference between educated, thoughtful speculation and wishful thinking and / or shots in the dark.