Full Spectrum Cannabis: Benefits Beyond THC and CBD

Betty Wedman-St. Louis, Ph.D., RD

Assistant Professor, New York Chiropractic College; Adjunct Professor, Everglades University, Sarasota, FL; Adjunct Professor, South University-Tampa, FL

There is a lot more to cannabis than THC and CBD, its predominant cannabinoids. Terpenes are the fragrant oils that give cannabis its aromatic diversity. Flavonoids provide synthesis of antioxidant properties as potent inhibitors of cyclooxygenase enzymes and prostaglandin E2 production. The “entourage effect” identified by EB Russo, M.D. in 2011 offers medicinal properties beyond the efficacy of single cannabinoid effectiveness or a single CBD remedy for a specific disorder like seizure management. Whole plant medicine combines cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids to provide pain, sleep, gastro-intestinal, mood and behavior, and neurological benefits. The analysis of terpenes allows patients to determine correct strains for their symptom management. Of the more than 200 terpenes and 29 flavonoids found in cannabis, six primary terpenes and five flavonoids are key to selecting full spectrum cannabis products.