Entourage Effect

Entourage Effect

 

At Washington’s Reserve we provide the widest-spectrum CBD-enriched extracts on the market. We attribute our claim of "widest-spectrum" extract to the use of our unique spagyric method of extraction. A CBD-enriched extract is one that, while targeting the cannabinoid CBD for extraction and concentration, also concentrates and contains many other chemical constituents from the hemp plant. Our raw extract contains a number of compounds with known therapeutic and nutritional value, including other cannabinoids, terpenes, fatty acids, chlorophyll, and plant-based rare earth minerals and salts. As scientists study the cannabis plant and different processing methods, more researchers are finding that these enriched extracts prompt a greater biological response than CBD isolates (i.e. extracts that contain ONLY CBD and none of the other constituents—highly processed and refined products).

 

These other cannabinoids and compounds may be necessary for optimal functioning of the CBD pathway (i.e. the pathway by which cannabinoids are assimilated into the body). Sometimes these cofactors increase the efficacy of cannabinoid supplements by decreasing the rate at which the cannabinoids are degraded. This effectively increases the concentration, or dose, that a person’s body experiences. Many initial studies demonstrated the increased efficacy of CBD extracts when they also contained the cannabinoid THC. Because of this, at Washington’s Reserve, we leave in all of the naturally occurring cannabinoids, including small amounts of THC (at levels significantly below the legally allowed limits).

 

Terpenes are the most abundant of all natural compounds, with known terpenes numbering over 23,000. Terpenes are also the main components found in essential oils. Many of these, including the terpenes that are found in the cannabis plant, are being studied for their biological activity and therapeutic potential. Studies where the terpenes were co-administered with cannabinoids, in the form of CBD-enriched and THC-enriched extracts, showed that this combination prompted greater biological responses than did CBD and THC isolates (administered without terpenes).

 

Some of these studies also postulate that the alkaloids naturally present in the cannabis plant, which are still present in our CBD-enriched extracts, can also contribute to the biological activity of the extract. Our process—which keeps the plant raw and living—leaves these alkaloids intact, along with the plant’s chlorophyll. These constituents combine with the minerals we obtain from the cannabis plant to create a unique and powerful whole-food extract.