Wellness

The Entourage Effect Explained

What is the Entourage Effect?

Hemp plants contain over 120 cannabinoids, which are natural compounds with various positive effects. CBD, for example, is a cannabinoid.

The hemp plant also contains many different natural terpenes, which is just another word for essential oils. They’re what give hemp it’s fresh smell and taste.

Jupiter CBD Drops use only full spectrum hemp oil which preserves natural cannabinoids and terpenes when we extract our oil.

When taken together, cannabinoids and terpenes work together and enhance each other’s effects. This is what’s known as the entourage effect.

The Human Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

So how does the entourage effect actually happen in your body?

To answer that, we first need to understand the ECS, which is short for your Endocannabinoid System. The ECS is a very important system in your body that regulates your daily experience.

Your body’s ECS is filled with tiny receptor that interact with cannabinoids to regulate your well-being, energy, sleep, and much more. These receptors use cannabinoids made by your own body (Endocannabinoids) and those made by plants like hemp (Phytocannabinoids).

There are over 120 cannabinoids in hemp plants. The two most well-known ones are CBD and THC.

All of them interact with your body to various degrees and with different effects.

Their effects are made even stronger by natural terpenes. Terpenes are essential oils and found in many plants, not just hemp. They’re what give spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables, trees, and flowers (AKA all plants) their signature smells and flavors.

Both cannabinoids and terpenes interact with your body and each compound has a unique biochemical effect on your body. A lot more research needs to be done to understand all the benefits and synergies of these amazing plant compounds.

Your Body’s Cannabinoid Receptors

Let’s take one step further to understand how your body actually interacts with CBD. As we learned above, your body’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is what interacts with plant cannabinoids like CBD.

The ECS has two specific receptors that interact with cannabinoids, called CB1 and CB2. Those tiny receptors are located all over your body and each one plays an important role to regulate your body.

CB1 (cannabinoid receptor type 1) is found all over your central nervous system, as well as in your heart and glands.

CB2 (cannabinoid receptor type 2) is not found in the nervous system but in tissue throughout your body.

What do Cannabinoid Receptors actually do?

Now that you know what the ECS and your CB1 and CB2 receptors are, let’s talk about what they’re good for.

In short, the ECS is responsible to create homeostasis. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s in charge of regulating your body’s balance so that you can live comfortably. The ECS is responsible for everything from your well-being to your sleep. In other words, it’s pretty important.

In order to move, think, sleep, and do everything else you do, your brain uses small cells called neurons which send signals to each other. These signals are made up of electrical impulses and hormones and neurotransmitters.

Simply put, when your body is stressed and overwhelmed with too many neurotransmitters it uses cannabinoids to get back into balance. As mentioned, your body can use both endocannabinoids (made in your body) and phytocannabinoids (made by plants) to do this.

In short, cannabinoids can help to reign in the electro-chemical chaos that’s going in an overwhelmed brain.

Which products offer the Entourage Effect?

To get the full benefits of the entourage effect your CBD product needs to contain the widest possible spectrum of natural cannabinoids and terpenes.

The best way to ensure this is to look for a full spectrum hemp product. The second best choice is a broad spectrum product.

• Hemp extract that contains all cannabinoids and terpenes, including THC, is called full spectrum hemp extract.

• Hemp extract that contains all cannabinoids and terpenes, but has no THC, is called broad spectrum hemp extract.

• Both full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD products are required to contain less than 0.3% THC by law in the U.S.

Lastly, we recommend that you skip products using CBD isolate. Here’s why: CBD isolate, as the name suggests, is only pure, isolated CBD and nothing else. While that may sound good at first, you miss out on the entourage effect.

In other words, you get much better results by taking CBD together with the other natural compounds found in the hemp plant. That’s why we only use whole hemp extract in Jupiter products and never isolates.

Which Cannabinoids exist in hemp?

Over 120 different cannabinoids have so far been discovered in hemp plants and research to study their potential benefits is just getting started.

The two most-well known cannabinoids are CBD and THC.

CBD (Cannabidiol) is the main cannabinoid found in Jupiter products. It’s the most popular one because of its many positive effects on stress, sleep, and more. Plus, it’s non-psychoactive so taking it won’t get you high.

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is found in small amounts in hemp and much larger amounts in marijuana plants. THC is best known for its psychoactive effects. It’s what makes people high, which is why it’s not legal in some U.S. states (yet).

CBC (Cannabichromene) is another natural cannabinoid found in small amounts in the hemp plant. Just like CBD it is non-psychoactive. Early research hints at CBC’s potential for positive effects on rest and relaxation.

CBG (Cannabigerol) is a compound the hemp plant makes early in its growing cycle and later turns into CBD. The mature plant still contains small amounts of CBG. Early studies show potential for CBG to improve overall well-being.

CBN (Cannabinol) is naturally made by the hemp plant as it ages and is exposed to sunlight and air. CBN has been studied by scientists who are interested in its potential positive effects on sleep, energy, and focus.

But as mentioned, there are many many more cannabinoids and terpenes in hemp plants. Keep in mind that hemp is a natural product and every strain and plant is a living organism, so the amounts of cannabinoids vary.

List of Cannabinoids

Cannabichromenes

Cannabichromene (CBC)
Cannabichromenic acid (CBCA)
Cannabichromevarinic Acid (CBCVA)
Cannabichromevarin (CBCV)

Cannabicyclols

Cannabicyclol (CBL)
Cannabicyclolic Acid (CBLA)
Cannabicyclovarin (CBLV)
Cannabidiols
Cannabidiol Monomethylether (CBDM)
Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)
Cannabidiorcol (CBD-C1)
Cannabidivarin (CBDV)
Cannabidivarinic acid (CBDVA)
Cannabielsoins Cannabielsoic acid B (CBEA-B)
Cannabielsoin (CBE)
Cannabielsoin acid A (CBEA-A)
Cannabigerols Cannabigerol (CBG)
Cannabigerol monomethylether (CBGM)
Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA)
Cannabigerolic acid monomethylether (CBGAM)
Cannabigerovarin (CBGV)
Cannabigerovarinic acid (CBGVA)

Cannabinols

Cannabinodiol (CBND)
Cannabinodivarin (CBVD)
Cannabinol (CBN)
Cannabinol methylether (CBNM)
Cannabinol-C2 (CBN-C2)
Cannabinol-C4 (CBN-C4)
Cannabinolic acid (CBNA)
Cannabiorcool (CBN-C1)
Cannabivarin (CBV)

Cannabitriols 10-Ethoxy-9-hydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahydrocannabinol
8,9-Dihydroxy-delta-6a-tetrahydrocannabinol
Cannabitriol (CBT)
Cannabitriolvarin (CBTV)

Tetrahydrocannabinols

Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC)
Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ8-THCA)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-C4 (THC-C4)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid B (THCA-B)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-C4 (THCA-C4)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabiorcol (THC-C1)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabiorcolic acid (THCA-C1)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (THCVA)

Other cannabinoids

10-Oxo-delta-6a-tetrahydrocannabinol (OTHC)
Delta-9-cis-tetrahydrocannabinol (cis-THC)
Tryhydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (triOH-THC)
Cannabichromanon (CBCF)
Cannabifuran (CBF)
Cannabiglendol Cannabiripsol (CBR)
Cannbicitran (CBT)
Dehydrocannabifuran (DCBF)