How to Choose the Best Cannabis Medicine That Preserves the Integrity of the Whole Plant
1) Choose Whole Plant Remedies: They are More Potent and Effective than Partial Plant Isolates
Whole plant medicine uses all medicinal parts of the plant in the proportions the plant grew them, respecting the wisdom of the plant. Western medicine tends to focus on singular components of the plant (“isolates”) in an effort to standardize dosing. But that approach creates an inferior product and causes us to lose the benefit of all the plants’ cannabinoids working synergistically. Processed cannabis products that contain isolates mixed into it aren’t nearly as powerful as whole plant remedies.
Whole plant medicine has been found to be 4-330 times more effective than partial plant isolates. [i] Unfortunately, most cannabis medicine manufactured for legal use is not whole plant medicine. Many cannabis formulas are now being made by adding high concentrate cannabis oils, distillates, and isolates in powderized cannabinoid form, all synthetically created in a lab. It’s cheaper to make products with these isolated cannabinoids. Some of those isolated cannabinoids or terpenes are then mixed back together, in whatever ratio the company determines will be attractive or most profitable. This enables the manufacturer to charge you more, but more might only mean more money to you: Not more benefit. Such medicine is not and cannot be as potent as whole plant medicine.[ii] [iii]
2) Make sure there’s some THC in your Whole Plant Remedy, in order to get the full benefit of the Entourage Effect
There are over 100 cannabinoids (including the two most well-known CBD and THC) and more than 500 naturally produced chemicals including terpenes and flavonoids in the cannabis plant. Together, these chemical compounds work together to produce an effect that is greater than the sum of their parts, thereby resulting in greater benefits than they would separately. This is known as the “entourage effect.”
The best medicine has all parts of the cannabis plant included, with THC and CBD in a 1:1 relationship. CBD-only products have proliferated because THC is still prohibited in some states and because the public is concerned about getting ”high” from THC. However, removing the THC deprives us of the full healing benefit we seek. One can choose strains with less THC but we need THC in our medicine.
THC mimics the cannabinoids our bodies naturally produce and binds to our endocannabinoid receptors. THC regulates our immune system, decreases inflammation and pain, induces cancer cell death, reverses aging in our brain. We need higher potency THC to sleep, but we need CBD to moderate the THC. Remove the THC and the CBD alone may just keep you up all night.
Working synergistically these cannabinoids balance each other. CBD reduces the psychoactive effects or “high” that THC causes [iv]. In this study, CBD was found to moderate some of the less desirable effects of THC like sedation and intoxication, while potentiating many of its benefits.[v] Using CBD to lower the impact of THC enables us to use higher amounts of THC when necessary.
In addition to THC and CBD, there are the hundred plus other cannabinoids, most of which we know little or nothing about. Scientists have begun to study these other cannabinoids and are finding what we already know from our experience, which is the brilliance of the synergy of the full profile of the plant’s compounds working together. [viii]
It’s not just the THC and CBD that potentiate each other and the other cannabinoids, but the terpenes as well.
Terpenes are scented compounds in the plant that act in concert with cannabinoids, altering the way the cannabinoids are experienced. In addition, terpenes have their own medicinal properties and have been shown to independently interact with our bodies in a broad range of ways including sedation, pain relief, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects.[ix] Terpenes increase with sunlight so you can expect a greater and more potent terpene content in plants grown outdoors.
It is possible that consuming THCA, which is not psychoactive and is the precursor of THC, can provide all the same effects as THC.
3) Read the Labels: What “Full spectrum” “Broad spectrum” or “Isolate” Really Means
There are currently no regulations or accountability for the labels you find on CBD products (and increasingly products containing THC). “Full-Spectrum CBD”, “Broad-Spectrum CBD”, and “CBD Isolate” don’t necessarily mean what you think.
Full-spectrum CBD is supposed to include all the cannabinoids, terpenes and other parts of the plant and if true, this could provide the benefit of the full range of the plant’s profile. But then again, it might not. A full-spectrum CBD product could be made of multiple single isolated compounds mixed together, without preserving the natural plant ratios, and still be labeled full-spectrum.
A “Broad-spectrum” CBD product has the THC removed, often done for legal, not health, reasons.
Isolates are literally singled out components which are then sold separately or combined into a product. For eg, CBD isolate is often added into a CBD product so that the product can represent it has a higher potency (say 1,500 mg of CBD per dose) and command a higher price.
In one of the studies cited above, some mice were given CBD that was isolated in a lab and others were given a whole plant extract. When the doses were increased, researchers noted that the full plant extract provided increased relief whereas the CBD isolate at increased doses did not provide more relief. Buyer beware: Higher amounts of CBD or THC as indicated on the product will definitely drive up the price of the product, but may very well have no benefit to you.
So how to choose the best product for you? In essence, you want everything in your medicine that the plant grew and you want these to come from the plant herself, not added in from other sources. If something has to be added back, like terpenes or commonly CBD isolate, avoid that product. Companies often will start with inferior quality cannabis flower or trim and cover this up by adding isolates from other sources. They will then call the product full-spectrum or broad-spectrum or even whole plant medicine, but none of those deliver the full quality and enhanced benefit of a medicine that’s preserved the whole plant.
Another clue: Those products that contain the whole plant will say so. If the plant was grown organically or regeneratively or without pesticides that would be proudly displayed on the bottle. If nothing is said, it’s probably safe to assume there’s nothing to boast about.
4) Know Where and How your Medicine is Grown
The best medicine comes from cannabis grown in nutrient rich soil, outside under the sun, alongside other plants that attract predatory insects and feed the pollinating bees and birds. Growers should be feeding the soil with cover crops and compost and providing an environment that supports the plant’s natural immunity so they don’t need to spray harmful pesticides. Pesticides in cannabis can be particularly harmful.
Tammi Sweet is an herbalist with a master’s degree in neurobiology and endocrinology and author of The Wholistic Healing Guide to Cannabis. Here’s a bit of her wisdom on how to find the best medicine:
“I want my medicine to originate from the hands of people who love their plants, who love working with cannabis, who sing and pray and create a healthy sacred environment for the plants to grow in. People who light up when you ask them about their plants.”
As she repeatedly explains in her well researched and powerful book, the best medicine is made by you by hand or by someone else who has put the love and attention into the plant you would if you grew yourself.
5) Trust Yourself and Trust this Plant
Humans are already in an intimate relationship with cannabis. Both the plant and humans have cannabinoid systems. Our bodies are pre-programmed to accept the benefits of this plant, being equipped as we are with millions of cannabinoid receptors for the plant’s cannabinoids to bind to. She is a totally safe plant to experiment with as we’re learning to heal ourselves. Unlike other medicines we use to heal, no one has ever died from ingesting this plant. It is up to us to learn to engage with plants to support our well-being:
I am my own healer. I have a radiant voice within that guides me. I can make decisions for myself. I can rely on others as needed, but at my discretion. It is my body, my health, my balance, and my responsibility to make right choices for myself. -- Rosemary Gladstar, author Medicinal Herbs
We can take advantage of this profound relationship and let what she grows work with our endocannabinoid systems. We can rely on our senses to tell us when the medicine makes us feel better, or energizes, or sedates, or relieves pain, or heals a disabling condition. We can trust the cannabis plant. She is our elder and had been healing people for many many thousands of years.
[i] See, Tammi Sweet, master herbalist, with a master’s degree in neurobiology and endocrinology and author of The Wholistic Healing Guide to Cannabis, https://www.heart-stone.com/product/wholistic-healing-guide-to-cannabis/
[ii] In this study, https://file.scirp.org/pdf/PP_2015021016351567.pdf, researchers reported that extracts derived from the cannabis plant provided higher levels of relief than an isolated CBD product provided by a German pharmaceutical company. Authors concluded that the administration of plant-derived extracts is "superior" to the use of synthetic CBD in the treatment of certain inflammatory diseases. Our findings [show] that CBD in the presence of other plant constituents improves the dose-response," authors reported. Researchers had further observed that when the doses were increased, the full plant extract provided increased relief whereas the CBD isolate at increased doses did not provide more relief.
See also, A groundbreaking study from Israel has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant CBD-rich cannabis extract as compared to single-molecule cannabidiol (CBD). https://www.projectcbd.org/science/pure-cbd-better
[iii] A study with children with treatment-resistant epilepsy, found that whole-plant cannabis therapies reduced seizures by 86 percent. The children had not responded to CBD products in the past, but in the study they were given whole-plant cannabis oil containing THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids as well as compounds including terpenes and flavonoids, which decreased the frequency of their seizures by nearly 90 percent. https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/bmjpo/5/1/e001234.full.pdf
[iv] In this early study, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/770048/, researchers observed that THC administered to male volunteers experienced a stronger high when given THC alone than when they were given THC with CBD, suggesting what we know, which is that CBD can reduce the psychoactive effects of THC.
[v] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16209908/
[vi] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170508112400.htm
[vii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7308536/ and https://mjbizdaily.com/researchers-find-promising-link-between-thc-and-covid-19/
[viii] See, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.777804/full and https://norml.org/news/2022/01/06/review-minor-cannabinoids-acknowledged-to-possess-therapeutic-properties/
[ix] In addition to assisting with the entourage effect, terpenes have effects in their own right. One study showed that inhalation of terpenes at concentrations similar to that in cannabis leads to “profound effects on activity levels, suggesting a direct pharmacological effect on the brain”. This was an early paper finding synergies between terpenes and cannabinoids. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3165946/
