The entourage effect: How compounds may be working together

This article was originally written October 28, 2015 and has since been updated.

You’re likely already acquainted with the plant’s two most famous compounds, THC and CBD, but there are many other compounds the plant produces in lesser abundance that seem to play a supporting role in the overall effects of a particular strain.

This theory that various cannabis compounds work together to create unique effects and benefits has been coined “the entourage effect.”

When we smoke or vaporize cannabis, our bodies take in hundreds of botanical compounds. Each one arrives with unique effects and benefits, and their behavior may change in the presence of other compounds. This is the entourage effect.

To illustrate the entourage effect in cannabis, let’s work with the two compounds you’re likely familiar with: THC and CBD. In a 2010 study, patients with cancer pain were given either a pure THC extract or an extract containing near-equal levels of both THC and CBD—patients given the THC/CBD combo reported having less pain.