Study: the entourage effect of cannabis improves pain relief

A new U.S. study confirms that using the whole cannabis plant, rather than individual parts, is a more effective approach for pain relief and that the terpenes are highly promising for future pain therapies.

The researchers determined that the use of cannabis terpenes alone mimicked the effects of cannabinoids, including a reduction in pain sensation. But when terpenes were combined with cannabinoids, «the pain-relieving effects were amplified without an increase in negative side effects,» the researchers report.

In an article published online in Scientific Reports last April, the researchers studied four terpenes: alpha-humulene, geraniol, linalool and beta-pinene, alone and in combination with the cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212, which «stimulates the body's natural cannabinoid receptors».

The reduction in pain sensation was greater with the combination of these two substances than with terpene or WIN55,212-2 alone.

The researchers write in the study that the four terpenes «produced cannabinoid tetrad behaviors in mice, suggesting cannabimimetic activity.»

More specifically, behavioral studies on mouse models showed that the four terpenes alone reduced pain sensitivity, as well as at least three of the four classic side effects of cannabinoids: reduced pain sensation, lowered body temperature, reduced movement and catalepsy, or a «soaring» sensation associated with the psychoactive effects of cannabinoids.

In laboratory experiments, all four terpenes activated the body's CB1R cannabinoid receptors, as did THC. Cannabis does not have a monopoly on terpenes; these aromatic compounds are present in many different plants. But cannabis contains high concentrations.

As for the’entourage effect, The idea is that the combination of different cannabis compounds produces a stronger effect than that obtained individually. The role of the entourage effect has been the subject of previous studies, in particular its influence on on pain and mood and anxiety disorders. Products such as pearls CBD RELIEF use exactly the same principle, with terpenes having a greater effect than CBD or CBG. as their creator explained.

«We're interested in the concept of the entourage effect, the idea being that we may be able to enhance THC's modest pain-relieving efficacy without enhancing psychoactive side effects, resulting in better treatment,» explains John Streicher, MD, the study's principal investigator and associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Arizona.

Although the results are not unexpected, the researchers see terpenes «as a promising new target for pain therapies that would require lower doses and produce fewer side effects», reports the university.

Dr. Streicher's research continues, his long-term goal being to develop a dose-reduction strategy that uses terpenes «in combination with cannabinoids or opioids to achieve the same levels of pain relief with lower doses of medication and fewer side effects».

But firm conclusions on the entourage effect have yet to be drawn. An Australian study published last year concluded that the terpenes most commonly found in the cannabis plant did not alter the effect THC has on CB1 or CB2 receptors.